News Briefs
News Briefs Articles
Special Thanksgiving Edition of News Briefs!
November 22, 2025–There’s been so much happening across the organization these past few months! To catch up quickly on what teams and team members are doing — including our Turkey Giveaway in Washington Heights! — just click on any of the items below. If you have any news or happenings that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. Health Plans Hosts Annual Turkey Giveaway in Washington Heights! Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Health Plans team hosted its annual turkey giveaway on November 20 in Washington Heights, collaborating with community partner Centro Médico Dominican. Members began lining up early in the morning, greeted with hot coffee, donuts, and lively music from a DJ that kept spirits high as people danced and caught up with neighbors. The team, joined by NYS Senator Robert Jackson, distributed 400 turkeys to members, many of whom are older, isolated adults who might not otherwise enjoy a special holiday meal. See the photos! VNS Health
The Summer News Briefs Are Here!
June 24, 2025–Frontline is excited to present our latest VNS Health News Briefs—your quick and easy way to catch up on news and events from across the organization over the past few months. If you have any news or happenings that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. New Tablets Empower Clinicians with Faster, Lighter Technology VNS Health has begun rolling out upgraded clinical tablets to our Home Care team and the Hospice team is conducting a pilot, with deployment running now through mid-2026. The new Samsung Tab Active5 tablets offer faster processing speeds, a rear-facing flash for enhanced wound care photography, a lightweight design, and longer battery life that’s ideal for clinicians on the go. Extensive testing and clinician input was conducted in making the upgrade, with the goal of creating a better overall work experience. Clinicians can choose between an 8” tablet or a 10” tablet
Social Work Month Photos… Lillian Wald… ABCD Awards … Catch the Latest News Briefs!
April 1, 2025–Frontline is excited to present our latest VNS Health News Briefs—your quick and easy way to catch up on news and events from across the organization over the past few months. If you have any news or happenings that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. VNS Health Celebrates Social Work Month. See the Photos! March is National Social Work Month. On March 27th, to mark the occasion, nearly 100 Social Services Professionals gathered at 220 East 42nd Street for a breakfast celebration. The morning’s proceedings included presentations by CEO Dan Savitt and SVP Jessica Fear, a salute to Lizzie Cogan as the winner of our first-ever Social Services Professional of the Year Award, and a raffle. A continuing education unit (CEU) followed, led by LMSW Asha Lyons. To see photos of the event, click on the slideshow below. Meet Our Very First VNS Health Social
Latest News Briefs: Catch Up Quickly!
September 24, 2024–Frontline is excited to present our latest News Briefs—your quick and easy way to catch up on news and events from across the organization over the past few months. If you have any news or happenings that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. VNS Health Creates Home Care Nursing Scholarship with Touro University VNS Health is partnering with Touro University’s New York School of Career and Applied Studies to provide scholarships that cover all educational expenses for Touro’s five-semester Associate Nursing Degree program, including tuition, textbooks and other fees. In exchange, scholarship recipients pledge to join VNS Health Home Care as full-time nurses for at least two years following graduation and will also work at VNS Health as paid interns in between semesters. The program’s curriculum includes home-care specific courses not typically offered in nursing school, which will be taught by VNS Health
Catch Up Fast on What’s Happening Across VNS Health! See the Photos and Videos
June 11, 2024–Here are the Spring News Briefs—your quick and easy way to catch up on news, updates, and happenings from across the organization over the past few months. If you have any news or announcements that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. Behavioral Health Team Hosts 13th Annual Children’s Mental Health Fair! From start to finish, the Behavioral Health team’s 13th Annual Children’s Mental Health Fair was a huge success. Held at our FRIENDS East 153rd Street location on Thursday, May 30th, current and past VNS Health clients as well as the families in the Bronx community were all invited to participate in the festivities. Invitees included clients from various Behavioral Health programs including the FRIENDS Clinic, Children’s Mobile Crisis, HBCI, Promise Zone, and Safe Pathways to name a few. It is estimated that over 120 residents of the community attended. Check out the photos
Winter News Briefs: Catch Up on What’s Happening Around VNS Health!
March 5, 2024–Although the weather may not always seem like it, it’s still officially winter. (In case you don’t believe us, here are a couple of photos that were sent into Frontline after our last snowstorm.) Here are the Winter News Briefs—your quick and easy way to catch up on news, updates, and happenings from across the organization over the past few months. If you have any news or announcements that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. EasyCare and EasyCare Plus Enrollment Exceeds Goals VNS Health’s Medicare Advantage plan, EasyCare, and its Medicare dual special-needs plan, EasyCare Plus, surpassed their enrollment goals for 2024. Together, the two plans enrolled over 2,500 members during last fall’s open enrollment, almost 1,000 members above their target! (And when you include VNS Health Total, our MAP plan, we completed 2,800 enrollments in total.) Credit for the plans’ strong performance goes
Here They Are: Our Autumn News Briefs!
October 17, 2023–Here is the latest edition of News Briefs—a quick and easy way to catch up on news, updates, and happenings across the organization over the past few months. If you have any news or announcements that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. The Mystery of the 72-Year-Old Egg Many years ago, John Amalfitano, a BSC in VNS Health’s MD Orders Department, helped an elderly neighbor who needed assistance in locating something he’d packed away. The neighbor—artist, stage designer and modern-dance choreographer Miller Richardson—had about 13 rooms filled with elaborately organized boxes full of memorabilia. “As I was searching, I came across an ink-bottle box from the 1950s, and in it, neatly wrapped in tissue, was an egg with writing on it,” remembers John, who’s worked at VNS Health for 33 years. Scribbled on the egg in pencil were the words “Whoever gets this egg,
Summer News Briefs: Catch Up on What’s Happening Around VNS Health
July 25, 2023–Summer is here! And so is the latest edition of News Briefs—a quick and easy way to catch up on news, updates, and happenings across the organization over the past few months. If you have any news or announcements that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. Health Plans Launch New Provider Portal On July 13th, VNS Health implemented a “soft launch” of its new Health Plans Provider Portal. During this first phase, a select group of 12 providers will take the portal for a test drive and offer feedback. After making any needed adjustments based on their input, use of the portal will be extended to the Health Plans’ entire provider network in August. The online portal offers providers a wide range of features, including 24/7 access to authorizations, claims, eligibility, and more—all without picking up the phone. Additional features and functions will be
Spring News Briefs: Catch Up on What’s Happening Around VNS Health!
May 10, 2023–Spring is here! And so is the latest edition of News Briefs—a quick and easy way to catch up on news, updates, and happenings across the organization over the past few months. If you have any news or announcements that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. SelectHealth Reports No Disruptions in Care Due to NYS Medicaid Pharmacy Carve-Out As of April 1, New York State’s Medicaid pharmacy benefit is now being administered by NYRx, the state’s Medicaid fee-for-service entity, and is no longer a part of Medicaid’s managed care benefits. For VNS Health, the biggest concern around this shift was its potential impact on members of our SelectHealth Medicaid HIV Special Needs Plan, who typically take multiple medications to keep their HIV viral loads low. Thanks to extensive preparations, however, the transition has gone smoothly. “Our team members have worked hard to ensure