“My experience caring for my Nona at home and watching the visiting nurse greatly impacted my decision for home care,” shares Katina Zaninovich, RN. While only a teenager, Zaninovich had a unique insight about visiting nurses and home health care that most people don’t learn until much older and in need of care.
The history of visiting nurses dates back to the 19th century, when rapid urbanization and widespread poverty created a need for healthcare services beyond hospitals. In 1908, a visiting nurse, Marian Watts, founded the Visiting Nurses Association of Santa Barbara, California’s third. oldest VNA.
In that first month, one visiting nurse made 140 visits. Today, VNA Health continues. Marian’s legacy by caring for more than 560 patients every day with more than 180 employees (nurses, physicians, therapists, health aides, social workers, chaplains, and support staff) and 150 volunteers.
Zaninovich was integral to the growth and evolution of VNA Health. In 1982, Zaninovich came to VNA Health and was hired by a fellow nurse and former Executive Director, Susan Lindman.
From Visiting Nurse to Hospital Liaison to Director of Clinical Services, Zaninovich became Executive Director of the agency in 1991. Within her first year of being Executive Director, VNA Health achieved accreditation; increased patient visitation; implemented a new home infusion therapy; developed a community outreach program; identified new charitable funding sources; and improved efficiencies to increase cost savings. Zaninovich says, “All this was possible because of a great team.”
Eventually, Zaninovich retired from VNA Health, but not from caring for our communities. She went on to volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association Central Coast Chapter, Cancer Foundation Santa Barara, Casa Dorinda, Foundation for Cottage Rehabilitation and Goleta Valley Hospitals, and Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics.
In recognition of her extraordinary leadership and. Service, Zaninvoch was named the Santa Barbara Foundation’s 79th Person of the Year in 2022, and this year VNA Health is celebrating Zaninovich as the Honored Mother for the 25th Anniversary of its Mother’s Day Luncheon.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) 2026 theme for National Nurse Week (May 6-12) is “The Power of Nurses” highlighting the profound impact nurses have on healthcare, policy, and communities. The theme emphasizes the crucial role of nurses as advocates and innovators, and how they save and change lives every day.
So in celebration of both National Nurses Week and Mother’s Day, Zaninovich shares her inspiration and experiences as a visiting nurse.
Q: When was the first time you thought, “I want to be a nurse,” and Why?
A: I decided I wanted to be a nurse my freshman year of high school 1970. My “Nona” lived with us, bedridden for 3 years before she died and I helped my mother with her care and found I liked helping with the bed baths, catheter care, skin care, feeding. I felt so proud when my Nona only wanted me to feed her!
I volunteered in the summers as a candy striper at our local 20 bed hospital.
Q: What do you love most about being a nurse?
A: As corny as it sounds, I love nursing because you are helping people at their most vulnerable time. They trust that you will be honest, empathetic but also that you will have the skill to bring them back to health or, in the case of hospice, make the transition to a hopefully peaceful death.
Q: How did you choose being a visiting nurse in the home versus a nurse in a hospital or a clinic? And how did you come to VNA Health?
A: My experience caring for my Nona at home and watching the visiting nurse greatly impacted my decision for home care. Also Mount St. Mary’s College, where I received my BSN had an excellent home care segment as part of our community nursing.
I loved seeing people in their home settings, hearing their stories and having to use some creative care plans to help people do what they needed to do so that they could remain independently at home.
I had worked for a home care agency in Los Angeles, but when I got married and came to Santa Barbara in 1982, I came to VNA.
Q: What were the most interesting challenges and/or successes during your tenure with VNA Health?
A: 1. Watching the explosion in new services: blood draws, IV therapy, home parenteral nutrition, home phototherapy.
2. We were mainly an 8 AM to 4 PM operation, but in the mid-1980s and later, we ended up adding evening shifts, and then night shifts, especially when we became Medicare Hospice certified.
3. Another huge challenge was leaving our original building purchased by Marian Watts. “The little red house” on the corner of Haley and Santa Barbara streets had been our home since 1908, which we seriously had outgrown and we were renting some additional space. Finally, we purchased a new building on Canon Perdido Street, which launched a capital campaign.
Q: Eventually you went from being a nurse to being a Hospital Liaison to being a Director of Clinical Services and then Executive Director of VNA Health. How did being a nurse prepare you to take those key steps?
A: Honestly a good nurse doesn’t necessarily mean you will be a good manager! I had some excellent mentors at Hospital Home Health Care in Los Angeles, and then here at VNA where I took some management type courses; but honestly, I think my strength was always more with nursing supervision and I was not the best person to be ED [Executive Director] but thanks goodness for a great team and excellent board chair in Jerry Martin!!
Q: What are the top three important facts you would like our community to understand about VNA Health?
A: VNA Health is the only not-for-profit home health care agency. This means we serve all regardless of ability to pay. This is HUGE. We have a charitable mission give back to the. community.
Since 1908 we have been leaders to see what more needs to be done, and can we do it, and who will be our collaborators. We have a rich tradition, and the community trusts us and we take that seriously.
Having a local board of men and women committed to our mission who can respond quickly to changing times without having to go through a corporate structure means our decisions are always based on what is best for the Santa Barbara community.
Q: What life lessons, beyond the clinical aspect, did nursing teach you?
A: Nursing taught me critical thinking, organizational skills and to try and meet people where they are and not try to impose my own plan for them. And this last one is VERY hard for me to do!! I love telling people what to do.
Q: In your opinion, how has nursing and healthcare changed in the last 20 years?
A: There is so much more documentation, it is very process driven. And of course, outcome driven. When I think about our small, handwritten one-page clinical notes after a visit, well that was a different time.
But I know that no matter what decade it is, nurses still truly want to spend time with their patients.
Q: What three tips would you share with nurses “young” in their career today?
A: Nursing has so many practice avenues, the opportunities are endless. Don’t give up. You will find it the most satisfying profession, and you will always be proud to call yourself a nurse.
Q: National Nurses Week is celebrated very close to Mother’s Day. What are you doing this Mother’s Day?
A: I of course will be at the VNA Mother’s Day Luncheon on Friday, May 8th celebrating women as caregivers and volunteers in their community and highlighting the most important work that VNA Health does in our community and why it is worthy of our support.
4-1-1: This year’s Luncheon celebrates Honored Mother Katina Zaninovich and Remembered Mother Nancy Koppelman on Friday, May 8 from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. For tickets please call 805-690-6218.
The VNA Health Mother’s Day Luncheon, held annually on the Friday before Mother’s Day, is the beloved signature luncheon of Santa Barbara that raises funds to support VNA Health’s charitable mission and Community Care programs like the Loan Closet, We Honor Veterans, Music Services, Pet Therapy, Pediatric Concurrent Care, Community Education, Community Palliative Care and Bereavement Care, and subsidized care at Serenity.
To learn more about VNA Health call 805-965-5555 or email info@vna.health.
