For Nassau and Queens Clinicians, Rose McNeal “Makes Us All Feel So Much Better”

In the uncertain times of delivering care during the COVID-19 outbreak, clinicians in Nassau and Queens can be sure of one thing: Rose McNeal has their back. As the Supervisor of Core Business Operations for the CHHA with responsibility for Nassau and Queens, Rose, along with Nassau Office Clerk Maria Coutu and Queens Office Clerk Janice Green, works tirelessly—and proactively—to make sure frontline staff have what they need to travel the region and care for patients.

“My hat is off to our frontline clinicians,” says Rose, who is about to celebrate her 40th anniversary with VNSNY. “They’re doing an incredible job out there, and my job is to make their job a little easier, a little smoother.”

That means thinking a step ahead to ensure that all equipment, especially PPE, is stocked as fully as possible and is accessible to the clinicians. Rose is constantly monitoring availability—the other day, for example, she noticed a window of opportunity and promptly placed an order for needed supplies.

“She sees futuristically,” says Arna Brammer, Branch Director of Nassau Branch 1. “In the height of chaos, when people are anxious, she plans ahead and always works in the best interest of the staff. I can’t tell you how much the whole region appreciates her.”

Nurse Marie Desil, who has worked with Rose for many years, recalls an informal conversation among staff in the Nassau office a few days earlier. “Rose was right there in the middle, making sure we’re all safe,” Marie recalls, emphasizing Rose’s calm and kind demeanor. “She said if we need anything, we can call her. She let us know exactly what was happening in terms of supplies and told us keep checking with her. She explains everything, and that makes us all feel so much better.”

“I believe in being in the trenches,” says Rose, who recently helped her staff unwrap and package paper towels for clinicians to grab and go. “My job is to make my colleagues’ jobs a little easier.”

Rose’s management style is deeply hands-on—just right for these challenging times. “As a supervisor, I believe in being in the trenches, and doing what my staff is doing,” she says. “When we work together, we can get it done faster and accomplish so much more.”

With so many colleagues depending on her as a calm voice of reason, where does she turn for support? “When I’m working, VNSNY is my family,” she says. “They uplift me.”