VNS Health’s Nurse Residency Program Wins HCA Trailblazer Award
March 29, 2023–Breaking: VNS Health will be formally presented with the 2023 New York State Home Care Association (HCA) Trailblazer Quality and Innovation Award at the HCA’s Annual Conference in May in Saratoga, New York. VNS Health is being recognized for its innovative Nurse Residency Program and related RN Preceptor position. This unique program is designed to introduce recent nursing school graduates to the field of home health care nursing. It includes a mix of classroom and hands-on skills training, followed by an intensive in-field mentorship under the supervision of RN Preceptors. The HCA Trailblazer Award that VNS Health is being honored with recognizes a home care or hospice agency, MLTC plan or team that has implemented an innovative clinical model, workforce supports, patient or staff education program, or other initiative with improved outcomes in terms of client satisfaction, population health improvement, and/or cost reduction or avoidance. Accepting the award will be four VNS
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Team Highlights
Social Work Team Members Share How They Make A Difference!
March 6, 2023–March is Social Work Month. At VNS Health, our social work team consists of social workers, counselors, care managers and social service team members. In honor of the month and the excellent care they provide, we asked a few of them… “How do you make a difference in your patients, members, and clients’ lives?” To VNS Health’s more than 350 social work team members, Happy Social Work Month and thank you!
Jasmin and Jorene: An Employee Appreciation Day Story
March 3, 2023–Today is Employee Appreciation Day. Observed on the first Friday in March, Employee Appreciation Day is an annual event that highlights the importance of employers giving thanks or recognition to their employees. At VNS Health, of course, we’re grateful to our team members 365 days a year—you are the lifeblood of the organization. Still, it’s a perfect day to express the gratitude that we sense all around us—not just from managers to employees, but to each other. Meet Jasmin Fearon, a new home health aide based in Queens, and her supervisor Jorene Peters—a pair who perfectly exemplify the spirit of the day! Jasmin Fearon, Home Health Aide, Personal Care, Queens “I’m from Jamaica originally. I went on to live in the Cayman Islands where I worked in elder care for 14 years, so I was used to being busy all the time. When I moved to the United States, I
“Now That’s Teamwork!”: Listening to Patients, Plants and Each Member of the Team
February 28, 2023–When the Brooklyn West Hospice team first came to care for Kathy*, they could see her life stories evident in every inch of her walk-up apartment. Plants abounded, including a bougainvillea lacing the walls of her bedroom. Driftwood was perched everywhere. Soon-to-hatch pigeon eggs nested inside the window. As the team would soon learn, their care of Kathy would be guided by lessons inherent in the nature that was very much on view. “Listen to the plants,” said Anna Jenkins, a Hospice Spiritual Care Counselor, quoting Kathy. “They will tell you what they need. Trust their communication.” And the VNS Health Hospice Care team listened – each taking guidance from their patient on how she wanted to receive care as she lived her final chapter with her illness and its debilitating physical and behavioral symptoms. “Through her telling us how to be a gardener, she taught me how to help
When Joean Referred Vejica…
March 20, 2023–It Was a Win-Win! Joean Got an Employee Referral Bonus, and Vejica Is Realizing Her Career Goals One of the best ways that VNS Health hires clinicians and home health aides is through referrals from our own team members. All referrals are welcome—whether you’re referring a relative, a friend, a colleague you used to work with, or even a casual acquaintance. As you’ll see in the following story, it’s easy to refer someone—and, if that person is hired, you could receive a bonus for as much as $7,000! To learn more and to find out how to make a referral, click here. The Team Members: Joean Taitt, Program Manager, FRIENDS Program, Behavioral Health Vejica Fernandez Garcia, Family Advocate, FRIENDS Program, Behavioral Health The Backstory: Joean: I actually met Vejica through Denise, a mutual friend of ours, who was another person I had brought into the organization. Denise spoke highly of
Social Work Team Members Share How They Make A Difference!
March 6, 2023–March is Social Work Month. At VNS Health, our social work team consists of social workers, counselors, care managers and social service team members. In honor of the month and the excellent care they provide, we asked a few of them… “How do you make a difference in your patients, members, and clients’ lives?” To VNS Health’s more than 350 social work team members, Happy Social Work Month and thank you!
Susan Clayton Meyer Shares Tips on Combatting “Holiday Blues” for The Bronx Voice
December 13, 2022–
Community Collaborations Hosts a Webinar on “Happiness”
March 16, 2023–On Thursday, March 30, 2023 from 3:30 – 4:30 PM, VNS Health’s Community Collaborations will host a presentation on “Happiness.” How do you define happiness? Does happiness mean you have to be happy all the time? Learn how allowing yourself to feel all your emotions can contribute to happiness and overall well-being. We’ll look at what happiness is, where you can find it, and stuff that affects it. Click here or use the following link to register for the presentation: https://vnshealth.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MkYcT4pBSDCE9ebQ-yENWQ. For more information contact [email protected] To learn more, visit the Community Collaborations website at https://www.vnshealth.org/in-the-community/events/.
Volunteer with VNS Health Cares in a Shoreline Cleanup at Canarsie Pier on March 25th
March 16, 2023–Join VNS Health Cares and volunteer in a Shoreline Cleanup at Canarsie Pier on March 25th, from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM. VNS Health team members will join the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, Assemblymember Jaime R. Williams and Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse for a shoreline cleanup at Canarsie Pier. Volunteers will help remove trash and debris from Canarsie Pier’s important shorelines while enjoying incredible views of Jamaica Bay! Gloves, bags, and tools will be provided. Volunteers are encouraged to wear weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy, closed-toe shoes, and bring their own water and sunscreen. Event is rain or shine. How to Sign Up to Volunteer: To sign up, click here. Once you have signed up, click here to complete the required VNS Health Cares Volunteer form.
Opening of New Flushing Community Center Makes Front Page of the Queens Times
December 22, 2022–
VNS Health Wins Aging Media Network Aspect Award for Rebrand
March 15, 2023–
Dan Savitt Pens OpEd for The Times Union on the Impact of the Home Health Crisis in New York
March 15, 2023–
2022 Strength from Within Campaign Raises $132,000 for VNS Health’s Charitable Care Programs!
January 26, 2023–The Strength from Within employee giving campaign continues to thrive, with 315 VNS Health team members participating to raise $132,000 in 2022, including a $40,000 matching gift from Executive Leadership. Each dollar raised helps fund VNS Health’s vital safety-net programs, including Charitable Care Services, the Chinatown NORCC (Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community), VNS Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership, our Veterans program, and other outstanding VNS Health programs that support people in need. Team members can also specify which program their donation will go to. How Strength from Within donors are making an impact “I’m so proud of each and every team member who supported the Strength from Within campaign,” says Catherine Callaway, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Development. “Thank you for helping our community and charitable care programs make a life-changing difference to vulnerable New Yorkers.” “What makes the Strength from Within campaign especially meaningful is that the funds are donated directly
Joint New York Daily News OpEd from Hany Abdelaal and Industry Leaders Highlights Benefits of Medicaid-Managed Care Plans
March 9, 2023–
Care Coordinator Constance Washington Joins BronxNet TV to Share Advice for American Heart Month
February 23, 2023–
Meet Our Latest Hidden Talents: Fantasy Podcasters, an Archer and a 3-D Printing Craftsman… and They All Work Right Here at VNS Health!
January 19, 2023–Welcome to the latest edition of Frontline’s “Hidden Talents” series—featuring profiles of your colleagues with special skills you may not have known about! Do you have a hidden talent that you’d like to share in Frontline, or do you know someone else at VNS Health who does? We’d love to hear about it, so please email us with your hidden talent! Talk’aran’rhiod Podcasters, Joe Perry and Tom Cocozza When it was announced a few years ago that the beloved 1990s book series Wheel of Time was being adapted for a TV show on Amazon Prime, scheduled to air in 2020, superfans of the series excitedly geared up for the release. Those superfans included two team members from Personal Care: Joe Perry, Director of Private Care and Tom Cocozza, Director of Operations. As the result of a conversation at a backyard barbecue, Tom, Joe and another friend decided to take their ideas, speculations, and free-minded
VNS Health’s Nurse Residency Program Wins HCA Trailblazer Award
March 29, 2023–Breaking: VNS Health will be formally presented with the 2023 New York State Home Care Association (HCA) Trailblazer Quality and Innovation Award at the HCA’s Annual Conference in May in Saratoga, New York. VNS Health is being recognized for its innovative Nurse Residency Program and related RN Preceptor position. This unique program is designed to introduce recent nursing school graduates to the field of home health care nursing. It includes a mix of classroom and hands-on skills training, followed by an intensive in-field mentorship under the supervision of RN Preceptors. The HCA Trailblazer Award that VNS Health is being honored with recognizes a home care or hospice agency, MLTC plan or team that has implemented an innovative clinical model, workforce supports, patient or staff education program, or other initiative with improved outcomes in terms of client satisfaction, population health improvement, and/or cost reduction or avoidance. Accepting the award will be four VNS
Currently, a Patient’s Sepsis History Is Invisible to Home Care Clinicians. Our Research Center Wants to Change That.
March 16, 2023–Sepsis is a dangerous condition that kills several hundred thousand Americans annually. It occurs when the body’s own immune system responds to an infection with a massive overreaction. Some 1.4 million sepsis survivors are discharged from U.S. hospitals each year, and about 40% of these patients end up back in the hospital within 90 days due to reinfection or lingering effects of the sepsis episode. Making the Case for a New “Sepsis Aftercare” ICD Code To improve outcomes for sepsis patients following hospital discharge, earlier this month, researchers from our VNS Health Center for Home Care Policy & Research and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing met with a committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make the case for adding a new “Sepsis aftercare” diagnostic code to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) listing. The researchers’ recommendation was based on what they discovered when
Yvonne Eaddy, Elizer Cooper-Audain, Monica Cayemitte, and Alice Rainford Win HCA 2023 Trailblazer Award for Nurse Residency Program
March 13, 2023–
Social Work Team Members Share How They Make A Difference!
March 6, 2023–March is Social Work Month. At VNS Health, our social work team consists of social workers, counselors, care managers and social service team members. In honor of the month and the excellent care they provide, we asked a few of them… “How do you make a difference in your patients, members, and clients’ lives?” To VNS Health’s more than 350 social work team members, Happy Social Work Month and thank you!
“Now That’s Teamwork!”: Listening to Patients, Plants and Each Member of the Team
February 28, 2023–When the Brooklyn West Hospice team first came to care for Kathy*, they could see her life stories evident in every inch of her walk-up apartment. Plants abounded, including a bougainvillea lacing the walls of her bedroom. Driftwood was perched everywhere. Soon-to-hatch pigeon eggs nested inside the window. As the team would soon learn, their care of Kathy would be guided by lessons inherent in the nature that was very much on view. “Listen to the plants,” said Anna Jenkins, a Hospice Spiritual Care Counselor, quoting Kathy. “They will tell you what they need. Trust their communication.” And the VNS Health Hospice Care team listened – each taking guidance from their patient on how she wanted to receive care as she lived her final chapter with her illness and its debilitating physical and behavioral symptoms. “Through her telling us how to be a gardener, she taught me how to help
Melissa Cambio Explains Why Hospice Volunteers Change Lives in Americorps Newsletter
February 16, 2023–
Jasmin and Jorene: An Employee Appreciation Day Story
March 3, 2023–Today is Employee Appreciation Day. Observed on the first Friday in March, Employee Appreciation Day is an annual event that highlights the importance of employers giving thanks or recognition to their employees. At VNS Health, of course, we’re grateful to our team members 365 days a year—you are the lifeblood of the organization. Still, it’s a perfect day to express the gratitude that we sense all around us—not just from managers to employees, but to each other. Meet Jasmin Fearon, a new home health aide based in Queens, and her supervisor Jorene Peters—a pair who perfectly exemplify the spirit of the day! Jasmin Fearon, Home Health Aide, Personal Care, Queens “I’m from Jamaica originally. I went on to live in the Cayman Islands where I worked in elder care for 14 years, so I was used to being busy all the time. When I moved to the United States, I
Meet Our Latest Hidden Talents: Fantasy Podcasters, an Archer and a 3-D Printing Craftsman… and They All Work Right Here at VNS Health!
January 19, 2023–Welcome to the latest edition of Frontline’s “Hidden Talents” series—featuring profiles of your colleagues with special skills you may not have known about! Do you have a hidden talent that you’d like to share in Frontline, or do you know someone else at VNS Health who does? We’d love to hear about it, so please email us with your hidden talent! Talk’aran’rhiod Podcasters, Joe Perry and Tom Cocozza When it was announced a few years ago that the beloved 1990s book series Wheel of Time was being adapted for a TV show on Amazon Prime, scheduled to air in 2020, superfans of the series excitedly geared up for the release. Those superfans included two team members from Personal Care: Joe Perry, Director of Private Care and Tom Cocozza, Director of Operations. As the result of a conversation at a backyard barbecue, Tom, Joe and another friend decided to take their ideas, speculations, and free-minded
“Now That’s Teamwork!”: How Three Live-In HHAs and Their HHA Supervisor Care for Their Client—and Each Other
January 11, 2023–Introducing Now That’s Teamwork—a new Frontline series that features VNS Health teamwork in action. When home health aides Yolanda Campbell, Jennifer Moulton, and Judith White originally started caring for Sebastian Greene*, they were primarily tending to his wife, who had dementia. When her condition worsened and 24-hour care became necessary, the team transitioned to a live-in situation. Then when Mrs. Greene was ultimately hospitalized, the decision was made to keep the same team, on a live-in basis, for Sebastian, who is in his 90s. Sebastian’s wife died shortly after that, so she never returned home. “It was a difficult time for Sebastian—they had been married for over 65 years,” says Yolanda. “It’s still an open wound, but things have gotten much better for him now. I know that having the same team of home health aides is a comfort to him.” A tight schedule—and a tight-knit team Because of Sebastian’s complex medical needs, it’s critical
VNS Health Extends Its Mission to Other States
January 10, 2023–On January 1st, in a ground-breaking step that will help our organization grow and diversify, VNS Health began managing hospice benefits for Medicare Advantage (MA) members of Vantage Health—a health insurer based in Louisiana that offers MA plans in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. This collaboration is one of the first initiatives to be launched by our Professional Services team. It includes a third partner as well, the nationwide palliative and hospice care provider, Compassus, who will deliver palliative care and hospice services to Vantage MA plan members in their homes. Why It Matters Under its contract with Vantage Health, VNS Health is managing the 2023 hospice benefit for several thousand Vantage MA plan members in the three states where Vantage operates. “This is exciting news for our organization,” says Dan Savitt, President and CEO of VNS Health. “It’s the first example of taking what we do so well here in
Josefina Aquino, Director, Product Management, Shares with Healthcare Business Review How a New MA Model Could Transform End-of-Life Care
November 17, 2022–
Home Healthcare News Spotlights VNS Health HELPS Tool, Featuring Insights from David O’Malley, SVP, Product Strategy
October 24, 2022–
