Celebrating VNSNY’s Contributions to LGBTQ+ History

October is LGBTQ+ History Month.  In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher, came up the idea for LGBT History Month and chose October because schools are in session across the country and October 11 was already National Coming Out Day.

In honor of LGBTQ+ History Month, here are some notable events and developments at VNSNY over the past several decades related to LGBTQ+ care and the LGTBQ+ community:

The AIDS Epidemic

Although VNSNY began caring for AIDS patients in the late 1970s, the early 1980s marked the official start of the AIDS epidemic. There are some clear similarities between that time and the present-day COVID-19 epidemic: The cause of AIDS was unknown at first, it wasn’t clear how contagious it was, and it created great fear. Still, like today, VNSNY responded to the AIDS crisis with clarity and confidence.

“The organization really was a pioneer with AIDS,” recalls Arthur Fitting, VNSNY’s LGBTQ+ Program Manager, who began working at VNSNY as an RN in the early 1980s. “It was the beginning of our stepping out of the box for LGBTQ+ issues at VNSNY, and we led the way for other organizations on that front. We immediately created a working group and care program to look into the needs of AIDS patients and keep our home health workers safe. In addition, we fought for HIV and AIDS funding and recognition so that patents could receive care at home and VNSNY could provide it safely.”

PRIDE Month and VNSNY’s Participation in the NYC PRIDE March

The first organized NYC PRIDE March was on June 28, 1970. “For a while, the Pride March was the only time VNSNY’s LGBTQ+ staff and their allies and supporters could get together and meet each other,” Arthur says. Another important step came in 2017 when, thanks to Richard Rothstein, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Communications, VNSNY as an organization officially participated in the March and other PRIDE Month celebrations for the first time.

“One of the proudest occasions of my life was being given the opportunity to organize the first VNSNY float in the 2017 Pride March,” Richard recalls. Although the PRIDE March had to be cancelled due to the pandemic the past two years, VNSNY has maintained its participation in PRIDE Month celebrations and will continue to march as an organization when the March resumes.

SAGE Training

In 2015, realizing the importance of having a workforce that is culturally equipped to care for LGBTQ+ community members, VNSNY brought in SAGE, a non-profit that serves older LGBTQ+ people, to provide LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for VNSNY staff. Today, SAGE training is part of each VNSNY employee’s yearly compliance training, earning VNSNY Platinum status—SAGE’s highest designation—for its consistently strong level of participation.

Gender Affirmation Program

In 2016, under the leadership of Shannon Whittington, VNSNY launched the nation’s first post-op home health care nursing program for transgender patients following gender affirmation surgery. “We provide highly specialized care that is sensitive to the needs of transgender and nonbinary patients after surgery,” says Shannon, who currently serves as Clinical Director of VNSNY’s Gender Affirmation Program. “This is a marginalized and vulnerable population and their care requires a special skill set.”

With trained specialists in every discipline, the program addresses all aspects of patients’ recovery. “The clinical aspect of the training is obviously very important, but we also really stress the cultural side,” notes Shannon. “When our clinicians ask patients what their pronoun is, for example, the patient understands right away that our caregivers know what they’re doing.” Shannon notes that more than 1,200 patients have been through the program since 2016.

Out@VNSNY

VNSNY’s LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group, Out@VNSNY, officially launched in 2020. Out@VNSNY is open to anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ as well as all allies. The group offers employees an opportunity to network, introduce new ideas, and create opportunities for mentoring and career development. “It’s a community space for VNSNY’s LGBTQ+ staff to meet and get to know each other,” says Scott Gale, Associate Director for Strategy and the head of Out@VNSNY. “We focus on both internal issues and concerns for VNSNY staff and LGBTQ+ health issues related to care and treatment.”

Out@VNSNY currently meets via Zoom on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 3:00 pm. Anyone interested in joining or learning more about the group can contact Scott at [email protected].

VNSNY’s LGBTQ+ Program

In 2016, then-EVP and Chief of Provider Operations Marki Flannery asked Richard Rothstein for recommendations on how VNSNY could become “the preferred provider of home health care programs and services among LGBT elders.” Richard assembled a VNSNY LGBT Advocacy Group that not only developed recommendations, but also identified LGBT referral sources and community organizations for partnerships; planned VNSNY’s first participation in the PRIDE March and other PRIDE Month events in 2017; initiated SAGE credentialing of VNSNY; and led to the creation of VNSNY’s LGBTQ+ Program in 2018.

Today, as Program Manager of VNSNY’s LGBTQ+ Program, Arthur Fitting leads external community outreach efforts to local LGBTQ+ organizations and NORCs (naturally occurring retirement communities). “I give health care presentations in the community that focus on specific LGBTQ+ issues,” explains Arthur. “Internally, I’m also involved with our SAGE training, and I provide staff support on cultural competency and questions about LGBTQ+ patient health care.”

LGBTQ+ Care Type

VNSNY’s newest LGBTQ+ initiative, which was rolled out in 2020, employs a customized care model for VNSNY patients and clients who have self-identified as LGBTQ+. The organization-wide program includes staff training, data collection to inform and improve outcomes and quality, and a collaborative approach to ensure 360-degree inclusive care for all patients. For example, the Care Type model can be used to help determine which health screenings and education will best serve an LGBTQ+ patient or client, and also to facilitate patients’ discharge to community-based LGBTQ+ organizations.

Looking back over this timeline, staff members agree that a lot has changed over the past several decades, both at VNSNY and in the country. “I’m a lot more comfortable now,” says social worker Sandra Fleming, who has been with VNSNY Home Care for the past 15 years and is a longtime participant in the NYC PRIDE March. “VNSNY has been very responsive over the years to the needs of the LGTBQ+ community.”

“VNSNY has always provided a space to develop, adapt and change,” agrees Arthur. “Today, we are a national leader in LGBTQ+ health issues and a number of the programs we’ve developed are being used as templates for other organizations.” At the same time, he notes, the work continues. “We’ve had great beginnings, but there’s still a lot left to do.”