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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VNSNY Heroes of 2020: How to Cope with COVID-19? “Go the Extra Smile,” Says Partners in Care HHA Mahalia Bennett
March 17, 2020–It’s been more than three months now since the COVID-19 coronavirus became headline news, but in the past few weeks, as New Yorkers brace themselves for what could be a months-long public health crisis, home health aide Mahalia Bennett is calm and focused. Armed and informed with VNSNY patient and staff safety protocols, she’s got two secret weapons that make her a frontline health hero at Partners in Care, where’s she’s worked as a HHA for nearly two decades: she loves to learn, and she knows how to get a smile from just about anyone. “You just have to talk to people,” Mahalia says. “They are dealing with so many things. You have to find out about what’s going on in their minds. Are they afraid? Get them to talk it out with you.” For Mahalia, each new client is a new adventure, and as New York City grapples with
VNSNY Care360° Solutions Now Has Its Own Dedicated Website!
January 8, 2020–VNSNY’s care management organization is entering 2020 with a bang: In addition to its new name—VNSNY Care360° Solutions—the business unit has a new, dedicated website. The VNSNY Care360° Solutions website, which you can see by clicking here, was created to drive awareness of VNSNY’s newest business unit, which launched last May. “The website is aimed at a professional audience of health plans and physician groups, who are challenged with managing care for their vulnerable members and patients—those at high risk for rehospitalizations,” explains Amy Margolis, a Director in VNSNY’s Marketing Department. “It educates our prospective customers about how VNSNY Care360° Solutions can manage these very complex populations by providing enhanced care management services in a home-based setting, helping to keep members out of the ED and the hospital, and reducing overall costs of care.” The new website will help support the growing interest in VNSNY Care360° Solutions, with its steadily
December 2019 Patient Letters
December 11, 2019–The following are excerpts from a few of the many recent letters, phone calls, and emails that we’ve received from grateful patients and family members. Together, they reflect the outstanding work done each and every day by VNSNY’s entire frontline staff. Bronx—The mother of a patient with progressive multiple sclerosis sent the following email: “My daughter is currently bedbound and needs a catheter to drain her bladder. During the years that we have utilized VNSNY to help my daughter, we have been fortunate to have the services of nurse Donna Marku. Donna handles this task with great care, reducing discomfort while doing it as expediently as possible. We are totally impressed with her professional acumen. It is to the credit of your organization that you have an employee such as Donna who exemplifies the high standards of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.” A grateful patient sent in a
New VNSNY Research Center Study in the American Journal of Hypertension Finds Home Care Significantly Lowers Blood Pressure in Black and Hispanic Stroke Patients
December 3, 2019–A new study by VNSNY’s Center for Home Care Policy & Research found that standard home health care reduced systolic blood pressure by about 10 points in black and Hispanic patients who had recently suffered a stroke. The study, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, found the improvements appeared within the first 3 months after hospital discharge, and that they persisted and actually increased slightly after 12 months. “This is an important finding for several reasons,” says Margaret McDonald, the Research Center’s Associate Director, who co-authored the study with Penny Feldman, Senior Scientist and Director Emerita of the Center. “First, high blood pressure tends to be less controlled among black and Hispanic populations, so identifying an effective way of treating hypertension in these individuals is a big step. Second, a 10-point drop in systolic blood pressure is a major improvement, which significantly reduces people’s risk of having another stroke.
One sees herself as Mrs. Fix-it… Another says listening is a huge part of his job…
October 8, 2019–Insights from VNSNY’s Seven Rehab Therapists of the Year! Several weeks ago, as part of National Rehabilitation Awareness Week, VNSNY announced its 2019 Rehabilitation Therapists of the Year. These outstanding therapists exemplify the tremendous work done every day by all of VNSNY’s physical, occupational and speech therapists and therapy assistants. Frontline spoke to this year’s honorees about what their job involves and why they love what they do. “I’m particularly fond of working with the elderly.” Adel Hassan, Physical Therapist, Queens Branch 3 “I love getting into the community and helping people in their homes, and being able to increase my patients’ potential and restore their abilities,” explains Adel. “I treat all age groups, but I’m particularly fond of working with the elderly. I respect them so much, and I think they need special attention and special care. I credit my mom and dad for my passion for geriatric
Special Feature: Six VNSNY Rehab Therapists Share Their Insights!
September 17, 2019–In honor of National Rehabilitation Awareness Week, Frontline asked six VNSNY rehabilitation therapists—some who have been with the organization for decades, and others who joined VNSNY fairly recently—to share their thoughts about the work they do. Here’s what they had to say: Sonia Rapaport, Physical Therapist Instructor — Partners in Care Sonia has been working as a PT with VNSNY and Partners in Care since 1995. “As an instructor in the education department of Partners in Care, I design curriculums and give PT and rehabilitation training to home health aides. I am particularly proud of the relatively new Safe Patient Handling Class I created for HHAs and RNs to prevent injuries in the field. I also updated our training curriculum because of changes in the healthcare climate. We had to get much more detailed about how to handle patients who are sicker and less mobile than they used to be, because
The Oldest VNSNY Patient Is Also the Oldest American!
June 12, 2019–America’s oldest resident is under the watchful care of VNSNY Home Care’s Manhattan Branch 6 Alelia Murphy was born in North Carolina in 1905, when Theodore Roosevelt was president. Today, at age 113 (she’ll turn 114 on July 6), Ms. Murphy is the oldest living person in the United States. When asked her secret to a long life, she has a ready answer: “Trust in God and be a good person.” Ms. Murphy has lived an active, happy life, which, according to her VNSNY nurse Natalia Mhlambiso, “is as good a recipe as any” for longevity. She attended college in North Carolina before marrying and moving to New York, where she was a seamstress, a baker, and an award-winning salesperson for Fuller products. She was also a passionate dancer, being regularly tossed into the air while jitterbugging at Harlem’s storied Savoy Manor. “She grew up in the South in the
Living with Hope: A Hospice Spiritual Care Counselor’s Reflection
June 4, 2019–By Bette Birnbaum, SCC, Staten Island Region Hospice is about dying with dignity. It is also about living with hope. Some patients with cancer hope they will become strong enough to return to treatment. Spouses and children of cognitively impaired patients often hope these patients will recognize them. Some patients hope to attend a family wedding or make it to the next holiday. One woman I visit regularly is hoping for a cake with fancy icing for her 101st birthday. And almost everyone hopes to die peacefully and quietly in their sleep. Steven* has been in VNSNY Hospice care for many months. He has lived a rough life but he is a sweet man. He speaks fondly of his mother, who he nursed until her death. Steven used to be an altar boy. His mom was so proud of him! His service in church nurtured his belief. Eventually, when he
VNSNY Hospice Patient Frances Goldin: A Lifetime Fighting for Equal Rights
April 24, 2019–At almost age 95, Frances Goldin has created quite a legacy. Thanks to her, generations of New Yorkers have lived in affordable housing. She has also provided unconditional maternal support for countless people, no matter who they are or who they love. And in 2014, with her 90th birthday approaching, she achieved her personal goal of publishing a book on socialism, coming out with Imagine: Living in a Socialist USA. This winter, Frances’ health began to fail, and shortness of breath from worsening congestive heart failure (CHF) landed her in the emergency room. Never one to shy away from advocating for herself, Frances, who has some mild dementia, made her wishes clear. “I never want to go to the hospital again,” she told her family. A Specialized Care Team Provides Home Hospice Support Referred by Jacqueline Kassman, Clinical Liaison for VNSNY Hospice and Palliative Care, the family enrolled Frances in VNSNY’s