HHA Resources
National Nurses Month Special: Saluting Years of Dedicated Service
May 11, 2022–This year, in celebration of National Nurses Month, VNSNY honors—and thanks— all of the nurses whose hard work and dedication make such a vital and colossal contribution, and difference, to the lives of our patients, clients and members across the organization. As a special highlight, Frontline spoke to the longest-serving nurses in each part of the organization. Click on their names to go directly to their stories or just scroll here to read them all! Myrna Agosto Susan Banner Myra Cohen Eloise Goldberg Lisa Miller Elisabeth Regis Karen Terry Betty Velez Nancy Washburn Deborah Wilson Myrna Agosto, Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Queens/Brooklyn Mobile Crisis Unit, Behavioral Health — 33 years at VNSNY “I see the possibilities.” As a psychiatric nurse practitioner in the Queens/Brooklyn Mobile Crisis Unit, Myrna Agosto spends her days working with vulnerable patients at very difficult times in their lives. “Typically, we’ll get a referral
Related Articles
Look Who Just Got Their Flu Shot!
October 19, 2021–Flu season is approaching fast, which is why VNSNY President and CEO Dan Savitt didn’t hesitate to get his annual flu vaccination. He’s shown here receiving the shot last week from VNSNY Health Services nurse Marjorie Bryan-Abbenseth at VNSNY’s 220 East 42nd Street office, where free flu shots are available for staff on select days during October, November and December. You can also get a free flu shot Mondays through Fridays throughout the fall at Partners in Care’s 245 East 41st Street office and on targeted dates at our Nassau and Westchester offices—or use a voucher to get a free shot at Walgreen’s/Duane Reade or CVS pharmacies. “For me, being vaccinated against the flu is critical,” says Dan. “It protects my own health, and also means I won’t be spreading the flu to others. These days, with COVID-19 still prevalent, having that protection is more important than ever!” All VNSNY and
VNSNY’s Anti-Racism Council (ARC) Reaches One-Year Milestone
October 18, 2021–September marked the one-year anniversary of VNSNY’s Anti-Racism Council. In twelve short months, ARC’s 100-plus members have made significant strides towards implementing practices and projects that combat racism and promote diversity and inclusiveness in the VNSNY workplace and in the communities VNSNY serves. ARC was organized over the summer of 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent social unrest. To set an agenda for the employee advisory group, staff volunteers met in listening sessions to discuss their experiences with racism within VNSNY and elsewhere. A core leadership team and enterprise-level anti-racism strategies were in place by the fall. In the months that have followed, ARC has made tremendous strides. It introduced VNSNY’s first organization-wide diversity training and first workforce diversity and inclusion survey. It also released the first video version of the annual Equal Employment Opportunity Policy, which was directed by and features ARC members. It
VNSNY CHOICE Launches Two New Medicare Advantage Plans for 2022
October 14, 2021–These new products will extend VNSNY’s mission by offering comprehensive and affordable healthcare coverage to more low-income New Yorkers. In a step that’s expected to accelerate VNSNY’s business growth and extend the reach of the organization’s 128-year-old mission, VNSNY CHOICE Health Plans has introduced two new Medicare Advantage health plans for 2022. The two plans, EasyCare and EasyCare Plus, are geared to lower-income New Yorkers, with a robust provider network and affordable premiums. Adding to the plans’ appeal is the fact that they are the only Medicare Advantage HMO plans in New York City or Long Island to have a 4.5 Star quality score (out of 5 Stars), based on the strong quality ratings of the CHOICE Total MAP plan. “We’re already serving 28,000 New Yorkers with specialized needs through our three existing plans—our Medicaid plans, CHOICE MLTC and SelectHealth, and our integrated Medicare-Medicaid plan, CHOICE Total,” says Dr. Hany
Announcing a New Neighborhood Video Series — “Neighborhood Spotlight”!
October 8, 2021–We’re excited to bring you the first episode of “Neighborhood Spotlight.” In this new video series, VNSNY President and CEO Dan Savitt spotlights the care that VNSNY provides in different communities within our VNSNY service area. From Bayside to Bay Ridge, Chinatown to Levittown, Dan will be traveling to all corners of New York City and beyond, talking to staff about how we touch many different lives in many different neighborhoods. In this debut episode, Dan visits Southwest Bronx to talk to Nurse-Family Partnership RN, Lynda Williams — as well as a young NFP mother from the community. Click below to watch the video! To see more Neighborhood Spotlight videos, click here.
Meet VNSNY’s 2021 Rehabilitation Therapists of the Year!
October 6, 2021–National Rehabilitation Awareness Week may have ended, but our celebration of our amazing rehabilitation therapists continues! VNSNY is excited to introduce our eight 2021 Rehabilitation Therapists of the Year. Nominated by their colleagues and departments, and representing regions and roles across the organization, these therapists exemplify the outstanding work done by all of VNSNY’s physical, occupational, and speech-language therapists and therapy assistants—all year long. In this special Frontline feature, you’ll hear from each of this year’s award winners as they describe, in their own words, how they approach their work. Meet this year’s Rehabilitation Therapist of the Year awardees! Lori Buonaguro Michael Dolton Khaled Eleesily Golda Ibale Teresa Martus Catherine Ngai Erica Riedel Clifford Scott “It’s about the patient, and respecting (and accepting) their needs and choices. Lori Buonaguro, Physical Therapist — VNSNY Home Care, Bronx Branch 2 “Things have changed pretty dramatically since I started with VNSNY in 1985! One
Do You Have a Favorite Family Recipe that Represents Your Unique Cultural Heritage?
October 4, 2021–Announcing the VNSNY Multicultural Cookbook! There’s something delicious (and fun) cooking up at the Anti-Racism Council (ARC): a cookbook celebrating delicious foods from across New York City’s many different cultures—featuring recipes submitted by VNSNY staff. ARC is especially interested in hearing about any healthy recipes in your family’s recipe collection. The brainchild of the Anti-Racism Council’s Celebration Committee, the cookbook will ultimately be a digital holiday gift from the ARC to VNSNY staff. “This seemed like a perfect, all-inclusive way to engage all the employees, and to celebrate the multitude of different cultures represented at VNSNY,” says Melissa Henry, Community Relations Manager, who’s spearheading the project together with Veronica Torres, Community Relations Coordinator, Government Affairs, and Alyson Roberts, Manager, IT Care Management Products. The cookbook idea was sparked by a favorite childhood memory of Alyson’s. “When I was in school, we used to have multicultural days, when all the kids
Partners in Care Home Health Aides Get Their Own Online Resource Center
October 1, 2021–The 6,500 home health aides at Partners in Care now have an exciting, new and improved dedicated online Partners in Care HHA Resource Center. HHAs can get to our new online center from any smartphone, tablet or computer. Here, you will find recordings of CEO Dan Savitt’s weekly conference calls, the latest updates on COVID-19 including vaccinations, information on mobile phone resources, tips for caring for patients, and so much more. This new center can still be accessed from the Frontline website by clicking on the blue Partners in Care HHA Resources button at the top of the Frontline page. Other items posted on the Partners in Care HHA Resource Center include: A convenient list of every HHA Supervisor at Partners in Care and their phone numbers Access to the PPE order form Dates, times and phone numbers for upcoming HHA support calls Tips and information on how to use
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month: 4 Events – Be sure to register!
September 30, 2021–Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at VNSNY The Anti-Racism Council has organized four events in celebrating of Hispanic Heritage Month. All are free and will be conducted on Zoom. Be sure to register! Check out the list below for more information. Free Salsa Classes (on Zoom) September 30th 12:30-1:30pm Click Here to Register October 7th 4:00-5:00pm Click Here to Register Virtual Celebration A conversation with Dr. Alan Malfavon, Assistant Professor at Washington State University Performances by VNSNY staff October 11th 4:00-5:00pm Click Here to Register Book Club Discussion on: Dominicana: A Novel by Angie Cruz October 12th 4:00-5:00pm Click Here to Register
Catch the September Episode of “30 Minutes with Dan”!
September 27, 2021–In this brand-new episode that’s just been posted, CEO Dan Savitt celebrates National Rehabilitation Awareness Week and National Hispanic Heritage Month, and participates in an engaging roundtable discussion withChief Experience Officer Michael Bernstein, Vice President of Consumer Experience Chad Ghastin, and Physical Therapist Billy Campbell. Plus, Dan travels the city to meet and chat with staff, including Gil Esteban (Physical Therapist serving Washington Heights), Gigi Harris (Occupational Therapist serving the South Bronx), and Tara Hantman (Speech Language Pathologist who provides speech therapy to children in Manhattan). To view the September episode, click here below! And here’s the “On the Go!” version of “30 Minutes with Dan.” We’ve broken out the September episode into short segments so you can watch it on the go! That’s a Fact Around with Dan with PT Gil Esteban and OT Gigi Harris Roundtable Discussion on Consumer Experience High-5