Newsmaker: Visiting Nurses Association manager earns national honor

For Beth Dimitruk, finding money to provide better care for patients and the best technologies for nursing staff is worth the painstaking weeks it takes to write grant proposals.

And for her hard work, Dimitruk, of Haverhill, external relations manager for Home Health Foundation, was just named the Administrative Manager of the Year by the Visiting Nurses Association of America. She will be honored at the VNAA's national meeting in Nashville, Tenn., in May.

The award recognizes an outstanding VNA manager who has made major contributions to the mission of his or her VNA through development, public relations and marketing, among other things.

The award was a complete surprise to Dimitruk because she is generally the one writing nominations for such awards. She had no idea she was being considered.

"My first reaction was, 'Well, how did that get past me?'" she said with a laugh.

Dimitruk has been with the agency and in her current position since 1999. Before working for Home Health Foundation, she worked at Beverly Hospital, where she was in charge of an outreach program for seniors. There, she started grant writing.

Her mission with Home Health Foundation, the parent company of Home Health VNA, HomeCare Inc. and Merrimack Valley Hospice, has been to expand the role of grant writing to support the agency and its programs. Her bosses have been very supportive in letting her take additional training to hone her craft.

It takes Dimitruk an average of three weeks to research and write each grant, then she waits, sometimes up to six months, to find out if her grant got approved.

The largest grant she secured was a federal grant for $600,000 to support Home Health VNA's domestic violence initiative.

But for Dimitruk, no matter how much or how little money is secured, just knowing her efforts made a difference in a person's life makes it worth the effort.

"Our nurses have the toughest job in health care, and whatever we can do to help them is critical," she said.

Education: (Bachelor's degree) in sociology from UMass Boston and a master's degree in human services from Springfield College.

Hobbies: Hiking, cross-country skiing, volunteering and being a habitual student. I am always going to school. For the last five years I've been studying American Sign Language. It's very hard, but very interesting.

Community involvement: The Haverhill Downtown Association, the Haverhill Kiwanis Club and the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society.

What do you like most about your job? That it's very rewarding and very challenging.

What do you find most challenging about your job? I wear multiple hats, and it's challenging to put aside the time to write a good grant.

What do you hope to accomplish? Right now, I'm focusing on grant writing for Merrimack Valley Hospice House. Getting the word out to foundations and the community is the most critical.

Proudest accomplishment: The funds that I have already secured for Merrimack Valley Hospice House. The support from local foundations and organizations has been amazing. We're very, very pleased.

Best thing about Haverhill? I love the grass-roots support. There are so many community volunteer groups springing up.

Worst thing? We need to get a focus on downtown and get some good, solid businesses there.

Alternate career choice: I don't think I have one. I love the variety of my job. I really think this is my perfect job.

Favorite quote: I am just finishing renovations on my house after a major water leak and I came across this quote by Hubert Humphrey: "Its not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left."

Which person, living or dead, would you want to join for dinner and why? My dad. He died when I was in my early 20s when I was still in school and just finding my way.

Idea of a good vacation: My favorite vacation was a cruise to Alaska. It was fabulous.

Photos

Beth Dimitruk, external relations manager/grants administrator for Home Health Foundation, was named Administration Manager of the Year by the Visiting Nurses Association of America. Courtesy photo