Constance “Connie” Evans— Public Health Nurse, CHHA Home Care Services

“A Love That Heals”

“One word describes Connie, and that is ‘angel.’ I see her wings every day. Her patients adore her, and her work ethic is exemplary. She has so much love in her heart that it oozes out like a sweet smelling perfume. Connie feels that nursing is her life’s calling, and she treats it as a mission. Her vision for excellence is demonstrated in her commitment to her profession, her colleagues, and the agency.”

For Connie Evans, serving as a public health nurse at VNSNY Home Care “isn’t a job…it’s my ministry.” And it’s a pulpit she’d had her eye on for a long time. “My mother was cared for by VNSNY, and had been extremely challenging as a patient,” she says. “But the nurses were so sweet and caring, she was butter in their hands. When Mom passed, they sent a card and gave us a lot of support and comfort, which never left me. When I interviewed with VNSNY in 2005, I told them I have a huge debt to pay, and that if they would give me the chance, I’d do my best to pay it in full by giving each patient the same care given to my Mom, and beyond.”

As a field nurse in Manhattan, Connie visits patients and coordinates home services such as rehabilitation therapy, home health aide care and social work support. While she loves all parts of her work, her favorite areas are wound care and teaching nursing skills to student nurses. “These are going to be my colleagues,” she says. “I love to share my profession because it’s one of the best in the world, and VNSNY is the best agency to work for.”

Connie has even published a poem called “A Love That Heals,” yet another reason she known as ‘the go-the-extra-mile nurse.’ “My mission is give someone a little extra hope that they didn’t have before, and let them know they are not alone in their journey,” she says. “Their sickness or injury is not theirs alone. We are sharing the burden with them.”