YESTERDAY
During the first decade of the twentieth century, the population of Edmonton increased so rapidly that it quickly outgrew the services that had been set in place to meet its needs for accommodation, water, sewage disposable and medical services. Health care was of particular concern.

In 1909, the city's health department consisted only of a medical health officer, a sanitary and plumbing Inspector, a "scavenging Inspector" and health and dairy Inspectors. The thirty-six doctors and sixteen private nurses listed in the City Directory for 1909 were too few to meet the needs of thousands of new Edmontonians.

TODAY
VON continues to provide charitable programs and services to the Edmonton Area. Volunteers are an essential component of all VON Edmonton programs. We presently have over 130 volunteers who provided over 2,900 hours of support to the various programs in 2003/2004.

The Adult Day Health Care Program continues to maintain high standards in programming for the physically frail within the beautiful setting of the Jubilee Lodge. Capital Health Authority funding for this service has enabled the continued provision of excellence.
The VON Foot Care team continues to provide foot care throughout the City of Edmonton and surrounding areas. Requests for clinics are received on an ongoing basis to meet the growing needs of the community.
Foot care workshops have maintained their popularity, with participants coming from other provinces as well as the North West Territories in order to take part in VON Edmonton’s Nationally Accredited Foot Care Course.
Wellness is a continued area of growth for VON Edmonton. With the general public becoming increasingly aware of their own health and well being, the demand for wellness clinics such as the Workplace Flu Immunization Program continues to expand year after year.
The People in Crisis Program was established in 1979 when the first women’s shelter was established in Edmonton. Today the PIC Program provides primary health care through ‘client driven’ nursing services to 4 women’s emergency shelters, a second stage women’s housing unit, a youth shelter, Senior’s Safe House, and a foot care clinic at an inner city drop in centre. In response to community need, there has been the creation of the Healthy Links program and the position of Resource Nurse to the Elder Abuse Intervention Team. The Healthy Links program extends the PIC Program into the community by providing follow-up to families discharged from the shelter system. The Resource Nurse to the Elder Abuse Intervention Team has the primary intent of improving the quality of life for seniors who have been victims of family violence.