Meet Our Seven Rehab Therapists of the Year!
As part of National Rehabilitation Awareness Week, which officially ended on September 22nd, VNSNY has announced the selection of our 2018 Rehabilitation Therapists of the Year. Chosen to represent each of VNSNY Home Care’s seven regions, these therapists exemplify the outstanding work done by all of VNSNY’s physical, occupational and speech therapists and therapist assistants, day in and day out.
Here are this year’s Therapist of the Year awardees:
Justin Chilesky, Coordinator of Physical Therapy Services, Manhattan
“What I love about my work is that I get to work with patients for a decent amount of time and really see them advance themselves in their recovery,” says Justin Chilesky. “Watching patients make progress and improve is very satisfying.” In 2011, Justin became the first therapist to work for VNSNY straight out of graduate school, thanks to a newly launched program. “Until then, everyone had to have two years of experience before starting with VNSNY, since home care is so demanding,” he says. “Fortunately, I had great guidance from Virginia Cadot, who ran the new graduates program and trained me in the field.”
Justin has worked in Manhattan ever since, most recently as part of the newly established Manhattan Branch 4. “Justin is an exceptional physical therapist—he’s professional, efficient and caring, and provides outstanding care to his patients,” says his Manhattan branch director, Patti Russell. Justin’s Therapist of the Year nominating letter notes that his “unwavering kindness, expertise and patience bring extremely positive response from patients, who exhibit a strong motivation in their therapy regimen after meeting him.” In his role as Coordinator of Physical Therapy Services for his branch, Justin also supervises the practice of physical therapy assistant Vanessa Alland, making sure she has a full case load, providing the initial patient evaluations and plans of care, and then discussing her cases with her. “Vanessa is a great person and wonderful to work with,” he says. “First and foremost, rehab therapy is about the care you’re giving the patient. VNSNY has gone through a lot of changes in the past few years, but that’s something that never changes—making sure we provide quality service to every patient.”
Michael DiStefano, Physical Therapist, Acute Care, Staten Island
Next February will mark Michael DiStefano’s 20th anniversary as a physical therapist with VNSNY. He’s worked in Staten Island for that entire time. “I was born here, raised here, and now I’ve providing home care here,” he says. “I know the area very well. In fact, I’m always running into people I’ve treated—so I have to do a good job!” In his early years with VNSNY, Michael worked per diem while also doing PT in outpatient and hospital settings. “Eventually, I realized I had enough home care cases to do it full-time,” he says. “With VNSNY, I feel like I’m on my own while also working for somebody, which is the best situation. Plus, home-based PT is the one area where you’re really one on one with the patient. You need to have an excellent bedside manner and a high respect for your patients, because you’re coming into their environment. I have to be their best friend while also proving myself to them. If the patient trusts you early, you tend to get the best results.”
Michael’s Therapist of the Year nominating letter notes, “Michael is held in high regard by his patients, who are always happy with his care. Both his clinical and interpersonal skills are used to obtain the best results from his patients.” One key to his effectiveness, says Michael, is understanding that “everybody is different. You always have to customize your work to that particular person. When I walk in, all the masks are taken off—the patient just wants to get better, and I’m there to help them. If I discharge them and they continue doing what I need them to do, then I’ve done my job. You can tell I love what I do. It’s a job I wouldn’t change!”
Benito Flores, Occupational Therapist, Acute Care, Bronx
Before Benito Flores came to work got for VNSNY Home Care 18 years ago, he worked as an occupational therapist in nursing homes, hospitals and rehab facilities. “I happened to bump into someone in a VNSNY shirt,” he recalls. “In talking to him, I realized that home care is the optimum setting for doing OT. You’re working with patients in their actual kitchen, getting into their actual bathtub. It’s very rewarding.” Currently part of Bronx Team 6, Benito has worked on both the west side and east side of the Bronx in his nearly two decades with VNSNY. “I’ve always had wonderful managers and a very caring team,” he says. He takes a holistic approach to his work. “It’s not just about the therapy—it’s also about any other issues that are going on,” Benito notes. If he feels that a patient has additional needs beyond OT, he’ll share his recommendations with a nurse, social worker, or other team member. “I don’t hesitate to get additional disciplines involved. For example, I had a Parkinson’s patient recently who could clearly benefit from speech therapy and social services. I discussed it with my team, and the additional services were put in place right away.”
“Benito is that OT that we have come to depend on for any special need at any time,” says Madeline Gradanski, Interdisciplinary Care Team Manager for Team 6. “He’s the one who cancelled his vacation when his peer had to take off to care for her health. VNSNY is a better place because of Benito.” She also praises Benito as an excellent communicator and problem-solver. “In my years of working with Benito,” she says, “I have never asked for anything concerning a patient that he did not find a way to resolve.”
Violleta Fuzaylov, Speech Language Pathologist, Acute Care, Queens
Violleta Fuzaylov has been a speech-language pathologist (SLP) with VNSNY for more than eight years. Currently, she provides speech therapy services for Queens Interdisciplinary Care Teams 1 and 2 and parts of Team 11. Asked what she loves most about her job, she says, “Meeting new people daily, and being given a chance to have a positive impact on their lives.” Across the full range of an SLP’s responsibilities, from aphasia treatment to swallowing evaluations, notes Violleta’s nominating letter, she “completes these daily tasks with ease and top-notch delivery of quality care to our adult and pediatric population.” The writer, who is with Queens Team 1, adds, “We are fortunate to have such a wonderful clinician providing services to our team. She informs, teaches, trains, educates, and improves our patients’ lives, and extends her craft to assist the clinical team, family members, caregivers and many more!”
In addition to practicing her SLP skills, Violleta also contributes to the overall spirit and care delivery of her Queens Home Care teams. “Violleta is like a blossoming flower that brightens everyone’s day,” says her nominating letter. “She takes the time out of her busy schedule to remind the clinical team of the significance and contribution that SLP provides in home health. This supports and streamlines our vision as a home care agency. I would like to thank Violleta for her tireless efforts to ensure that our patients receive quality care!”
Nataliya Kukil, Physical Therapist, Acute Care, Westchester
“I like to be with people at the time when they need me most,” says PT Nataliya Kukil. “In their home environment, they open up to their rehab therapist in ways they often don’t to their doctor or even other family members. You have to be flexible, and you have to be compassionate.” She also likes the fact that, “working in a home care setting, you get to see patients improve significantly in a relatively short period of time, and regain the ability to do functional things that are important to them.” One of her recent patients had the goal of being able to play with her 18-month-old granddaughter. “What can be more real than that?” says Nataliya. “And guess what? Yesterday, for the first time in six months, she was able to walk with a cane—not a walker—holding her granddaughter’s hand. That’s what makes this job so great.”
Nataliya, who is the second clinician to join VNSNY through its new graduates program, just reached her seven-year anniversary with the organization. After working on Manhattan’s Upper West Side for most of that time, she transferred to the Westchester region a little over a year ago prior to the birth of her son. “I live in Westchester myself, and working closer to home means I can get to my child more quickly if an emergency arises,” she explains. “We have a great team—everyone really supports each other.” That feeling is clearly mutual: “Aside from being an excellent clinician, Nataliya is also a team player,” notes her Therapist of the Year nominating letter. “Working in a very challenging region, she is always willing to help out—even when it means going out of her normal area to assist when needed.”
Jennifer McCaffrey, Occupational Therapist, Acute Care, Nassau
Occupational therapist Jennifer “Jenn” McCaffrey has worked in VNSNY Home Care’s Nassau region for nearly a decade. “I really like doing therapy in clients’ homes because you’re in their environment, working with them and their caregivers on what they’re really dealing with, day to day,” she says. Her nominating letter praises Jenn for being “compassionate, pleasant and knowledgeable,” and “an asset to the VNSNY organization!” The writer also notes, “patient care is Jennifer’s priority, and she’s willing to travel outside her designated area to make sure patients receive service and to assist her fellow team members.”
For Jenn, going the extra mile is part of the job. “Sometimes I’ll have a situation such as a patient whose home health aide comes to put them to bed with a Hoyer lift at 8:00 p.m.,” she says. “So, while my work day technically ends at 4:30, I’ll meet the aide and the patient in the evening and work with them for an hour, showing the aide what to do.” Jenn has also supervised OT students in the field, and has traveled into Manhattan to consult on new care delivery software. “Projects like that are exciting—they make life challenging,” she says. But her greatest pleasure is seeing patients improve. “Just the other day, I saw a shoulder replacement patient for the first time. He had been given exercises at the hospital but he wasn’t doing them correctly,” she recalls. “It was causing him pain, and he wasn’t getting better. After I showed him the right way to do the movements, he was thrilled at the progress he made in just a couple of days. That kind of feedback makes you feel really good about what you’re doing.”
Malky Strassfeld, Occupational Therapist, Acute Care, Brooklyn
Since starting with VNSNY in 2012, occupational therapist Malky Strassfeld has excelled in every area—providing dedicated and compassionate care to her patients while also doing an outstanding job of coordinating her own efforts with those of her other interdisciplinary care team members in the Brooklyn region. “If an issue comes up, she’ll be the first one to notify me right away,” says her former team manager Tania Fairweather. “She is extremely caring to her patients, very knowledgeable, and very dedicated to the mission of VNSNY.”
“Malky is an excellent clinician,” adds nurse Inga Chakhvashvili, a Clinical Field Manager in Brooklyn. “I’ve worked with her closely for three years. She provides the best possible service at all times to each individual client, from making sure the documentation is in place to the actual interventions she does with patients.” As her nominating letter notes, “Malky always goes above and beyond for her patients. She shows initiative and delivers exceptional patient care. We should recognize Malky’s commitment to the work she does!”
