Provider Services
May 2022 Patient Letters
April 28, 2022–Our VNSNY colleagues continue to prove how resilient, dedicated and just plain amazing the entire VNSNY organization is! The following are excerpts from a few of the many recent letters, phone calls, and emails we’ve received from grateful patients and clients as well as family members that reflect an outstanding consumer experience. Bronx Thank You for the Wonderful Care! “I am writing to thank you for the wonderful care I received from your nurse, Sultana Alibasic,” wrote one Bronx home care patient. “My primary care physician connected me to VNSNY to care for a huge open wound that did not heal properly from abdominal surgery. Sultana treated me almost daily for over a month and would not discharge me until the wound was 100% healed.” The patient described Sultana as kind, caring and professional. “I am very grateful to Sultana and always looked forward to her visits. She wasn’t just
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Marjorie Delva Is Named VNSNY’s First Occupational Therapist of the Year
April 28, 2022–As VNSNY continues its recognition of April as Occupational Therapy Month, the organization has announced the winner of its inaugural Occupational Therapist of the Year award: 12-year VNSNY veteran Marjorie Delva. The award was presented to Marjorie at our first-ever Occupational Therapy Month Celebration event on April 28th. Nominations for the award could be submitted by anyone in the organization. Leaders from the Occupational Therapy (OT) and Rehabilitation teams then reviewed the nominations to select an awardee who best exemplified VNSNY’s values, including the organization’s Core Values of Empathy, Integrity and Agility, as well as exceptional service and going above and beyond to achieve the best outcomes. “Marjorie is reliable, resourceful, and passionate about the care she provides to her patients,” said one of her nominating letters. Another colleague praised Marjorie as “the most thorough OT I’ve worked with in a 30-year rehab career,” adding, “she has integrity, empathy and
A Day in the Life: Erica Kaplan-Gebler, Occupational Therapist, VNSNY Home Care, Manhattan
April 12, 2022–Welcome to “A Day in the Life”—a Frontline series that follows team members from different areas of VNSNY as they go through a typical day at work. April is National Occupational Therapy Month—a time when we recognize the essential work that occupational therapists (OTs) do in addressing the practical functions involved with activities of daily living. On any given day, they might help a stroke patient learn how get dressed on their own again, work with a cardiac patient on conserving energy in order to perform practical tasks like cooking a meal, or teach a hip- or knee-replacement client how to bathe or shower safely, perhaps adding safety features like a grab bar. OTs essentially help patients regain the independence they need in order to live, safely and comfortably, in their own home environment. Occupational therapist Erica Kaplan-Gebler is a four-year VNSNY veteran, which means that COVID-19 hit just about
Meet the Class Of ’22—the First Graduates of VNSNY’s Nurse Residency Program
April 11, 2022–On Wednesday, March 9th, against a festive Zoom confetti backdrop, Joe Gallagher, Director of Operation Support Services, emceed the graduation celebration for the five pioneering members of the first cohort to complete VNSNY Home Care’s Nurse Residency Program. VNSNY developed this comprehensive, two-year program to help make the growing field of home-care nursing more accessible to new nurses. The curriculum includes several weeks of daily classes, after which the nurse residents shadowed experienced VNSNY nurse preceptors in the field, gaining invaluable hands-on experience, skills, and confidence. And they did all this during a pandemic, to boot! The virtual celebration for the Class of ’22 featured congratulatory remarks from a number of inspirational speakers, including Elizer Cooper, Associate VP, Education and Development, Monica Cayemitte, Clinical Manager, Residency Program, Dian Traisci-Marandola, College Relations Manager, Andria Castellanos, EVP & Chief of Provider Services, Jennifer Brullo, SVP, Patient Care Services, Alice Rainford, Education Manager,
Meet the Class Of ’22, the First Graduates of VNSNY’s Nurse Residency Program
April 11, 2022–On Wednesday, March 9th, against a festive Zoom confetti backdrop, Joe Gallagher, Director of Operation Support Services, emceed the graduation celebration for the five pioneering members of the first cohort to complete VNSNY Home Care’s Nurse Residency Program. VNSNY developed this comprehensive, two-year program to help make the growing field of home-care nursing more accessible to new nurses. The curriculum includes several weeks of daily classes, after which the nurse residents shadowed experienced VNSNY nurse preceptors in the field, gaining invaluable hands-on experience, skills, and confidence. And they did all this during a pandemic, to boot! The virtual celebration for the Class of ’22 featured congratulatory remarks from a number of inspirational speakers, including Elizer Cooper, Associate VP, Education and Development, Monica Cayemitte, Clinical Manager, Residency Program, Dian Traisci-Marandola, College Relations Manager, Andria Castellanos, EVP & Chief of Provider Services, Jennifer Brullo, SVP, Patient Care Services, Alice Rainford, Education Manager,
Meet Asia Lyons, a Licensed Social Worker in Our Gender Affirmation Program
March 30, 2022–Since joining VNSNY’s Gender Affirmation Program (GAP) just four months ago, Licensed Social Worker Asia Lyons has made a tremendous impact, helping nearly 100 gender affirmation surgery patients through their recovery process. Asia (pronounced “Asha”) talks to every patient who comes through the GAP program, with the first conversation taking place shortly after they come home from surgery. When Asia calls a patient to introduce herself, she tells them right away that she is a trans woman—a revelation that often brings the patient to tears, so thankful are they to have someone who truly understands what they’re going through. By talking to patients about her own life experience and what it was like to recover from the procedures, Asia strives to normalize their experience. “The opportunity for our patients to speak with someone who can offer a personal level of insight, empathy and understanding is something that is deeply appreciated,” said
Harlem Event Brings Together VNSNY Leadership and Local Faith and Community Leaders
March 9, 2022–On February 18, VNSNY’s HOPE (Hospice Outreach Patient and Provider Education) and Connect2Well programs hosted an event with faith and community leaders from across the city as well as several elected officials at the historic Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. The event, titled HOPE HEALS: FAITH EMPOWERS, was designed to educate faith leaders about the HOPE and Connect2Well programs and their mission to address the underutilization of hospice, home care and other healthcare services among chronically ill and at-risk Black and Latinx adults. HOPE’s faith-based lead consultants, Reverend Jacques DeGraff and Pastor Corey Kennard, served as co-chairs and helped plan the event, which attracted more than 45 stakeholders from New York City’s five boroughs. By working with key community-based organizations and faith leaders, the HOPE and the Connect2Well programs aim to bridge the information gap and increase access to healthcare resources within the Harlem and the Bronx communities.
January 2022 Patient Letters
February 1, 2022–The COVID-19 pandemic continues to prove how resilient, dedicated and just plain amazing the entire VNSNY team is! The following are excerpts from a few of the many recent letters, phone calls, and emails we’ve received from grateful patients and clients as well as family members that reflect an outstanding consumer experience. To find by region, click below: Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Nassau Queens Staten Island Suffolk Westchester Bronx Guiding Us with a Smile and Empathy “I would like to submit some words of kindness for our branch manager Patricia Johnson from her staff,” wrote BSC/Team Assistant Lisa Burrell. “She has aided us all during the hard times and throughout workdays with so much kindness—guiding us with a smile and empathy!” Truly Caring About Patients A Bronx patient included a note along with a donation to VNSNY, thanking social worker Bridgette Wynter for helping her set up her Medicaid benefits.
Want to feel really proud? Watch this Partners in Care home health aide video that everyone is talking about!
November 1, 2021–Last Thursday evening, October 28th, VNSNY Partners in Care held its annual Service Awards program. This virtual event celebrated over 800 Partners in Care staff members. One of the night’s highlights was an inspiring video spotlighting 13 Partners in Care home health aides and their passion for the important work they do.
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