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
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Black History Month: February 2021
February 2, 2021–Watch the Debut Episode of “30 Minutes with Dan” — An Exciting New Talk Show Hosted by CEO Dan Savitt and Featuring Your VNSNY Co-Workers! In this first episode of the series, Dan discusses the meaning and promise of Black History Month with his featured guests: Shama Barrett, Karen Boothe, Edgar Allan Juane, Christina Lomax, Keith Peters and Osman Thomas. To watch this episode, click here. The VNSNY Anti-Racism Employee Advisory Group invites you to celebrate Black History Month by attending the some very special events. To see a list of the events and to register, click here. For information on the 2021 virtual events sponsored by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASAALH), please click here. Ask VNSNY Video: “What Historic African American Has Inspired You Personally or Professionally, and Why?” To commemorate Black History Month, “Ask VNSNY” host Amery Moultryoffers a short history of Black History Month, and then asks this very
NYC Department of Health Detailed Information on Vaccines
February 2, 2021–NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Fact Sheets What New Yorkers Need to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine. Flyer with information on getting your vaccine. NYC Vaccine Hotline. New York City has created a dedicated hotline for making COVID-19 vaccine appointments at vaccination sites across New York City. This is not for making appointments at VNSNY. To call the hotline to set up a vaccine appointment, call 1-877-VAX-4NYC (1-877-829-4692). If you would like more detailed answers to your vaccine questions (How were the vaccines developed? How safe and effective are they? When and where can I get vaccinated?), please watch the excellent presentation below given by NYC Dept of Health Assistant Commissioner Simbo Ige, MD, MPH. You can also see the slides here.
It’s a Nor’easter! Check Out These Staff Photos from the Latest Snow Storm
February 1, 2021–Now halfway through the 2020-2021 winter season, the northeastern United States found itself blanketed in especially heavy snowfall over the past few days. Parts of New York City received as much as 17.2 inches of snow by early Tuesday, a total greater than all of last winter’s snow storms combined! And just as with every snowstorm or bout of inclement weather, VNSNY staff braved the elements to deliver exceptional care to our patients, members, and clients, while still making time for a bit of fun. Below are some of the many photographs sent in by staff over the past few days. Thanks to everyone who made home visits, braved transit to get to the the office, or worked remotely from home throughout the storm! And if you would still like to submit your own photo from the snow storm, please, send it our way!
Staff Are Getting Vaccinated: See the Next Set of Selfie Videos Featuring Partners in Care HHA Philip Holder!
January 30, 2021–Staff are getting vaccinated! Some of these staff are sharing their experiences before, during and after their vaccinations with selfies. To see Partners in Care Home Health Aide Philip Holder’s experiences, click on the videos below. These videos will also be posted on VNSNY’s Instagram account along with similar videos and photos. To see all vaccine-related posts, visit our Instagram profile and click the COVID-19 highlight! BEFORE PHOTO GETTING THE VACCINE MOMENTS AFTER GETTING VACCINE ONE DAY AFTER THREE WEEKS LATER For more information and to watch more videos about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, click here.
MLK Day of Service 2021: VNSNY Volunteers Reach Out to Vulnerable Clients
January 28, 2021–Martin Luther King Jr. Day not only honors the life and legacy of the civil rights leader, it’s also a designated national Day of Service—a time to reflect on Dr. King’s vision of a Beloved Community, and to help our fellow human beings. This year, in that spirit, VNSNY employees wrote and mailed greeting cards to selected patients, members, and clients across the organization. “Many people, particularly among our most vulnerable populations, are experiencing the holiday blues and feelings of isolation—especially during the pandemic,” says Melissa Henry, Community Relations Manager, Government Affairs. The project, initiated by VNSNY’s Anti-Racism Employee Advisory Group (AREAG) in collaboration with Community Collaborations, Volunteer Services, and others, asked VNSNY business lines and programs to curate lists of individuals most likely to benefit from the initiative. Client privacy was also paramount. While recipient names, addresses, and language spoken were shared with volunteers, their health status, age,
An Interview with Keith Patterson, VNSNY’s New Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
January 25, 2021–On January 25th, Keith Patterson became VNSNY’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, as former EVP and CFO Dan Savitt prepared to move into the role of President and Chief Executive Officer. Frontline VNSNY spoke with Keith shortly before he started his new job. Welcome to VNSNY! You lived in New York City early in your career. How does it feel to be back? I am very excited to be here. I’m especially pumped to be joining VNSNY. There are near endless possibilities here, within an organization that’s already been incredibly successful. I’m a huge fan of Dan Savitt and the leadership team. It’s been great getting to know them, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know more people across the organization. Everyone who has interacted with VNSNY has nothing but good things to say. And my grandmother is a VNSNY donor, which I didn’t realize until
Now Showing by Popular Demand: Last Night’s Special Marki Flannery Celebration!
January 22, 2021–Over 600 VNSNY staff tuned into last night’s Special Marki Flannery Zoom Celebration! In case you missed it or if you’d like to view it again, here it is! To view Marki’s celebration, please click here below. (Opening remarks from VNSNY Board Chair Dr. Drew Schiff begin 2:58 minutes into the video.)
Staff Are Getting Vaccinated: See the Next Set of Selfie Videos Featuring Partners in Care HHA Anastasie Andre!
January 15, 2021–Last Thursday was a big day at VNSNY! We took the next big step in fighting COVID-19—we began giving COVID vaccinations to patient-facing staff. Some of these staff are sharing their experiences before, during and after their vaccinations with selfies. To see Partners in Care Home Health Aide Anastasie Andre experiences, click on the videos below. These videos will also be posted on VNSNY’s Instagram account along with similar videos and photos. To see all vaccine-related posts, visit our Instagram profile and click the COVID-19 highlight! DURING DAY AFTER TWO DAYS AFTER For more information and to watch more videos about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, click here.
Conference Call FAQ #8: January 13, 2020 – Containing Answers from January 11th
January 14, 2021–The following FAQs were adapted from questions submitted by VNSNY staff for the Vaccinate VNSNY! Conference Calls hosted by Andria Castellanos on Monday, January 11th. Vaccine Basics & Safety Q. How soon will I be protected after vaccination? A. Dr. Jay Dobkin, Chief Medical Officer, VNSNY Choice Health Plans: The Moderna clinical trial provides us a lot of useful data, but it’s important to keep the limitations in mind answering this question. First of all the trial used clinical endpoints. Specifically what was measured was the occurrence of symptomatic laboratory confirmed COVID-19. The main objective was to see if the rate of COVID-19 was lower in those receiving vaccine starting two weeks after the second dose, which turned out to be the case. There were 90 cases of COVID in the placebo group and only five in the vaccinated group, giving us the efficacy rate of 94%. The follow-up period reported so