Impact Challenge
As the First Year Draws to a Close, Impact Challenge Teams Report Game-Changing Results
December 14, 2022–It’s been a little over a year since VNS Health held its Impact Challenge, where five final round teams presented ideas for reducing heath disparities in our communities. So how are the initiatives doing? All five teams have reported game-changing progress this past year, so let’s dive in! 16 New Nurse Residents – and Counting! Team Nurse Residency, whose goal is to expand VNS Health’s Nurse Residency program to serve health needs in underserved areas, launched its fifth cohort with nine new residents in October, including two based in the Bronx. The program has also recruited seven new hires for the April 2023 cohort. This makes a total of 16 new nurse residents recruited since the project launched—including three nurse residents for the Bronx, one of our areas of focus. To learn more, click here. A Medical Nutrition Therapy Pilot for the Bedbound Set to Launch Team Medical Nutrition Therapy,
Related articles
Nine Months Later, Here’s How Our Five Final Round Impact Challenge Teams Are Doing
July 18, 2022–Last September, in the concluding round of our first-ever VNS Health Impact Challenge, five teams of VNS Health employees presented project ideas on how to reduce heath disparities throughout our communities. (You can see a video of their presentations by clicking here.) The panel of experts that they pitched to was so impressed by the teams’ goals that they decided to fund all five projects. Each team has been hard at work since then. Following up on our earlier 6-month update back in April, here is a report on each Impact Challenge team’s progress to date. Expanding VNS Health’s Nurse Residency to Serve Health Care Needs in the Bronx Delivering Medical Nutrition Therapy to Bedbound New Yorkers Connecting Low-Income Seniors with Outpatient Mental Health Treatment Using Community Engagement to Help New Yorkers Access VNS Health’s Health Services and Health Plans Supporting Family Caregivers of Patients with Dementia with the DECLARE
Impact Challenge Update: Six Months Later, Here’s How the Five Final Round Teams Are Doing
April 25, 2022–Last year, VNSNY held its first-ever VNSNY Impact Challenge. The competition culminated in a final round last September, where five teams of VNSNY employees from across the organization presented their proposals on how to address a health disparity in the community to an expert panel. To view the video of the final round VNSNY Impact Challenge presentations, click here. In the end, the panel was so impressed by all five VNSNY Impact Challenge presentations that they decided to provide funding to each team. Since then, the VNSNY Impact Challenge team members have been working to make their ideas a reality. So how are the five teams doing with their health disparity proposals? Click on the links below for an update on each team’s progress to date: Expanding VNSNY’s Nurse Residency to Serve Health Care Needs in the Bronx Delivering Medical Nutrition Therapy to Bedbound New Yorkers Connecting Low-Income Seniors with
Watch this video of our VNSNY Impact Challenge final round, where everyone is a winner!
October 15, 2021–34 proposals, 10 weeks, 8 teams, 5 final presentations…here it is – the final round! Now you can relive the experience the five finalist VNSNY Impact Challenge teams had when they went before a panel of esteemed experts to present their proposals addressing health disparities. Watch your colleagues present with flair and then take tough questions from the expert panel that included President and CEO Dan Savitt and special “mystery guest” panelist, Marki Flannery. Watch the drama and excitement of the day by clicking here below.
Cast Your Impact Challenge Vote by September 28th!
September 20, 2021–Vote for the VNSNY Impact Challenge Proposal that You Think Best Addresses a Health Disparity! Here is your opportunity to learn more about the eight proposals selected as finalists in the VNSNY Impact Challenge. Please view the videos below and cast your vote for the proposal. But don’t delay- voting closes September 28th! CMHS Older Adult Program Community Health Workers: Partners in Improving the Health of our Communities DECLARE — Dementia Caregivers’ Link to Assistance and Resources Diabetes Education and Care Management Program In-Language Patient Navigator Program Medical Nutrition Therapy Program The Bronx Nursing Residency Program VNSNY Connect2Well Your votes and comments will be taken into consideration by the judges in choosing proposals to be funded. Click here to cast your vote!
Meet Our VNSNY Impact Challenge Proposal Finalists
August 16, 2021–Delivering Medical Nutrition Therapy to Bedbound New Yorkers Valarie Brockington, Clinical Field Manager, Home Care Tameka McCabe, Clinical Intake Manager Project: Address the poor nutrition that commonly occurs among New York City’s vulnerable bedbound residents by offering a Medical Nutrition Therapy program to this population. The program would be implemented during VNSNY Home Care episodes of care, and would combine the in-home guidance of a clinical nutritionist with ongoing care from home health aides who have been trained to deliver nutritional support to clients, based on the nutritionist’s plan of care. Implementing a Care Management Program to Support Low-Income Bronx Residents with Diabetes Veronica Sirju, Care Manager, Community Mental Health Services Project: Create an intensive care management program to address the health disparities experienced by low-income Bronx residents with diabetes. The project would employ two nurse managers who would visit program participants weekly at first and then biweekly. The
The Results Are In — Here Are the Eight VNSNY Impact Challenge Finalists!
August 16, 2021–The first round of the inaugural VNSNY Impact Challenge is now concluded, and the results have been tremendous! In all, 34 proposals from VNSNY staff were received by the July 16th deadline, including submissions by teams and by individuals. They covered a wide range of potential program launches or enhancements, all aimed at reducing health disparities in the various communities served by VNSNY. “Along with the rest of VNSNY’s leadership, I want to thank all the staff members who contributed their ideas and efforts to this competition,” says VNSNY President and CEO Dan Savitt, who was part of the review committee. “Every proposal was extremely impressive and well thought out. I can tell you that selecting finalists from this outstanding group was not easy!” The proposals that did not advance to the finals will continue to be closely evaluated for their potential impact on VNSNY’s operations, adds Catherine Callaway, Senior
Check Out this Must-See Video Trailer for the VNSNY Impact Challenge!
June 24, 2021–To view it, click on the video below! Do you have a vision for a VNSNY program that could help reduce health disparities in our community? Or maybe you’ve been thinking about how VNSNY might expand one of its existing programs for underserved New Yorkers? Now is your chance to make your idea a reality — by taking part in the 2021 VNSNY Impact Challenge! To learn more, click here.
VNSNY Impact Challenge: Defining Health Care Disparities
June 10, 2021–The VNSNY Impact Challenge will focus on reducing health care disparities. For this competition, a health care disparity is defined as: preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Health disparities typically impact groups who have experienced greater obstacles to health based on their race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, age, mental health, sexual orientation, or gender identity. For additional background on health care disparities, click here. Factors that influence health care disparities include: Social and physical environmental conditions Lack of access for telehealth options No access to insurance coverage No availability of linguistically appropriate care Limited access to primary and preventive health care Quality of health care received Limited access to healthy foods Any of these “stressors” can impact health: Stress seems to worsen or increase the risk of conditions like obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s
VNSNY Impact Challenge: Overview
June 10, 2021– VNSNY is introducing a new community impact competition, called the VNSNY Impact Challenge, modeled on the popular TV show Shark Tank. During the competition, VNSNY employee contenders will submit ideas for new community and charitable care programs, and those selected as finalists will then pitch their ideas to a jury of judges. The goals of the VNSNY Impact Challenge are twofold: 1) Generate awareness throughout VNSNY of our commitment to create innovative solutions to address health care disparities in the community; and, 2) Engage and excite staff from all parts of the organization and at all levels. Staff from any part of VNSNY will have the opportunity to present the ideas that are driven by the commitment, passion and belief in our mission to help those in need, along with the actual components of a community program—how the idea will be operationalized. The 2021 VNSNY Impact Challenge Theme Reducing