Find Out What’s Happening Around VNS Health! Read This Summer’s News Briefs
Welcome to the latest edition of News Briefs—a quick and easy way to catch up on recent news, updates, and happenings across the organization.
If you have any news or announcements that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here.
Where Will VNS Health Be in 5 Years? Watch This 10-Minute Video to Find Out!
From our organization’s recent rebrand to the launch of new services and programs, a lot of exciting things are happening at VNS Health! It’s all part of our Strategic Plan for the future. In this 10-minute video, David Rosales, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer, clearly explains where we’re headed, what we’re planning, and why!
Introducing VNS Health Cares—An Exciting New Volunteer Program!
We’re excited to announce the launch of VNS Health Cares – a new volunteering opportunity that allows VNS Health team members to give back to the communities we serve—and where we live. There are several ways to volunteer, including participating in community projects, giving community education presentations, and representing VNS Health at community events. Would you like to participate? Click here to fill out an interest form.
We’ll also be hosting informational Zoom meetings about the new program. See below for dates and links:
- Tuesday, August 16th at 12pm: https://vnsny.zoom.us/j/95394716234
- Wednesday, August 24th at 4pm: https://vnsny.zoom.us/j/98478396295
Meet Our Newest ABCD and Initiative Award Winners!
Here they are, all in one place—the most recent group of VNS Health team members who received ABCD Awards or Initiative Awards for going above and beyond in their work. The list, which spans the period from May 1st to June 30th, 2022, features 294 VNS Health team members. Congratulations to all! Click here to view their names.
The Personal Care Team Hosts Game Day Event
On July 27th, members of the Personal Care operations team convened in Meeting Room 2C26 at 220 East 42nd Street to enjoy games, pizza from Whole Foods, and assorted sodas. Jim Rolla, Senior Vice President, VNS Health Personal Care, was also on hand at the event, which featured Jenga, Dominoes, Bowling, Darts, Battleship, Sorry, Trouble, and Pictionary. Originally slated to take place on the Marki Flannery Terrace, it was moved indoors because of the heatwave. To share in the fun, check out the photos below.
Displaced by Flooding, Bronx-Based Behavioral Health Teams Rise to the Occasion and Show Great Agility!
On July 18th, the freshly renovated Bronx FRIENDS building at 153rd Street experienced severe flooding, The space is home to a number of Behavioral Health programs, including our Adult and Children’s Mobile Crisis Teams, Bronx Geriatrics, Home Based Crisis Intervention, Promise Zone, FRIENDS, Children and Family Support Teams and our Children’s Article 31 Mental Health Clinic. A combination of heavy rains, construction next door, and a broken fire hydrant led to water filling the basement and part of the first floor. As of mid-August, the building remained closed while repairs are completed. Despite these challenges, the Behavioral Health teams based there have gone above and beyond to manage their operations remotely or from other locations in the community, including Waters Place and Starbucks. Clinic appointments are all virtual for now, and the children’s summer day camp has also done a great job supporting the kids through a creative mix of offsite field trips and remote activities over Zoom.
We send huge thanks and a well-deserved shout out to all the impacted teams, whose agility, resiliency, and devotion to their clients have been remarkable. Heartfelt thanks also go to the VNS Health facilities team for ensuring that all issues are addressed quickly and thoroughly, and for providing regular updates on the status of the repairs.
To see the flooding for yourself, click on the video below!
Impact Challenge Update
Last September, in the concluding round of the VNS Health Impact Challenge, five teams presented project ideas on how to reduce heath disparities throughout our communities. (Click here to see a video of their presentations.) The panel of experts was so impressed by the teams’ pitches and goals that they decided to fund all five projects. Since then, the teams have been hard at work to make their visions a reality. Click here for the latest update on their progress!
In Case You Missed It—Share in the Spirit of PRIDE March 2022!
On Sunday, June 26th, our 100-plus PRIDE marchers—along with our “We’re Your Neighbors” VNS Health float—were met with loud and enthusiastic cheers from the thousands who lined the parade route. Click on link to the video below or click here to see the photos and get into the spirit!
The Research Center Has a New Intranet Page for Frontline Team Members
The Center for Home Care Policy & Research has created a new page on the VNS Health Intranet to highlight studies it’s conducting that directly involve frontline team members and patient participants. It’s a great way to learn more about the work and activities of the Research Center, and a convenient resource for clinicians and paraprofessionals who might be interested in participating in one of their research projects. Click here to visit the new page!
Special Report: Home Health Aide Teresita Carter Visits the White House!
When President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hosted an event at the White House on April 5th to mark the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, VNS Health home health aide Teresita Carter was in the audience, seated just a few yards from the podium. See below pictures and click here for Teresita’s first-person account of how she got there—and what it was like walking into the White House!
VNS Health in the News: A Hospice Volunteer and Her Dog Named Chicken
On July 21st, the WPIX11 TV station spotlighted the work of hospice volunteer Ellen Landress-Bowkett and Chicken, her therapy dog, as they travel New York City to brighten the lives of hospice patients. A Pomeranian, Boston Terrier and Papillon mix, Chicken is six years old and nine pounds of compassion, To watch this heart-warming segment, click here!
Behavioral Health HBCI Team Awarded $30K for Workshops and Community Outreach
VNS Health’s Behavioral Health HBCI (Home-Based Crisis Intervention) teams, serving youth and/or families in Brooklyn and the Bronx suffering from a mental health crisis, have been awarded a $30,000 grant by the New York State Office of Mental Health. The money will fund up to 20 monthly workshops for families being cared for by the HBCI teams, and will include open discussions around the hardships of parenting a child who is going through a crisis. The funds will also be used to help raise community awareness on how to access mental health care services such as those provided by the HBCI teams.
On July 9th, the Bronx HBCI team kicked off the new workshop initiative when it hosted an in-person parenting event for 14 parents and 27 children. There was a lot of positive feedback from the families, who indicated they are looking forward to additional workshops.
VNS Health Receives Excellence Award from HomeCare HomeBase
VNS Health has been awarded an Excellence in Home Care Award from the software company Homecare Homebase (HCHB)! This award recognizes HCHB customers who perform in the top 3% of their size cohort in preventing acute care hospitalizations. The 2022 winners of the Home Health KPI Excellence Award were announced at HCHB’s Users Conference, which took place in Plano, Texas on June 15-16, 2022. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this success!
New Radio and Bus Shelter Ads Continue to Build VNS Health Awareness!
After a robust advertising campaign launch to announce our new VNS Health brand, the ad campaign is now transitioning to its next phase, to help sustain the strong activity generated by the launch. In addition to maintaining some of the campaign’s core activities, this next phase will introduce a series of new radio and bus-shelter ads throughout August and September. The ads are part of the “We’re Your Neighbors” campaign, and include versions in English, Spanish, and Chinese. The radio ads are reaching listeners in NYC, Long Island and Westchester, and the bus-shelter ads are placed within high-traffic locations throughout New York City neighborhoods. Keep an eye (and an ear) out for them! Here are some samples of bus shelters in all three languages.
SelectHealth: New Name, Same Great Care
For more than a decade, SelectHealth, VNS Health’s specialized Medicaid plan for people living with HIV, individuals of transgender experience, and gender non-conforming or homeless individuals, has been providing high-quality, personalized care to a population with complex health needs. As of July, the plan also now has an updated name: SelectHealth from VNS Health. Updated brochures, signage, ID cards, and other member materials have already started rolling out.
