Honoring Our Colleagues Lost to COVID-19: A Salute to VNSNY Partners in Care Home Health Aide Corrine Smith

The heroism shown by the staff of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York in tremendously challenging times is legendary. From the influenza epidemic of 1918 and the polio outbreaks of the mid-20th century, to the emergence of AIDS in the 1980s and the devastation of the 9/11 attacks and Superstorm Sandy, VNSNY’s courageous women and men have always been there to provide care and comfort to New Yorkers in troubled times, despite the risk to themselves.

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Over the past two months, we have been working tirelessly and with unsurpassed determination under incredibly difficult circumstances so that our patients and plan members can continue to receive the care they need. Many of our colleagues have been stricken with COVID-19 themselves. Thankfully, most of them have recovered and many have even returned to work. Sadly and tragically, however, eight of our coworkers have died. They include six home health aides with Partners in Care, a physical therapist with VNSNY Home Care, and a social worker with VNSNY Hospice.

“These VNSNY heroes dedicated their lives to caring for others, and their contributions will never be forgotten,” says VNSNY President and CEO Marki Flannery. “We will remember them, honor them, and celebrate their lives.”

As part of this remembrance, with permission from the families, we will be publishing Frontline tributes to our fallen colleagues over the coming weeks.

Corrine Smith

Corrine Smith, a Home Health Aide at Partners in Care, was with VNSNY for 24 years. “Corrine was one of the best at her job, always going above and beyond,” says Josie Smith, an HHA Supervisor with Partners in Care who worked closely with Corrine. “She was also a great spirit, always smiling. She tried to make everyone happy. We worked together for 15 years, so her passing is a big loss for me personally.”

When caring for her clients, adds Josie, “Corrine lifted them, emotionally and physically. She was always cheerful and happy with them. She made sure each client was refreshed on a daily basis, getting them up and out for walks whenever possible, and also kept them engaged and involved. She’s what I call a picker-upper.”

In addition, notes Josie, “I got feedback all the time about what a great cook Corrine was! She liked to make special meals for her clients. Corrine truly enjoyed her job, and worked from the heart. Even with her colleagues, she would come into the office with a big smile and cheer us up. She and I always had a touching moment when she would visit, because we had the same last name. She would call me her daughter, and say, ‘You’ve got to smile now, daughter.’ And I’d say ‘Okay, mom!’”

“Corrine was a kind soul,” says HHA Supervisor Jennifer Luciano, who was also a close colleague. “I always looked forward to speaking with her. She was just so pleasant, no matter the circumstance, and always very calm, cool and collected. She looked out for everybody. Every client she had said how wonderful she was. It was amazing working with her.”

Besides being a motivator with her clients, notes Jennifer, Corrine was also watchful. “What I really loved about her is how detail oriented Corrine was. If she noticed a client was having a problem or issue, she would call us immediately to let us know. She was just so helpful and caring. One time, for example, a client had become bedbound, and Corrine noticed a red spot on her back that turned out to be the very beginnings of a bed sore. By catching it early, she prevented the client from developing serious skin damage. Corrine was always on top of things.”

Coleen “Rhonda” Grant, one of Corrine’s children, recalls that Corrine began working at Partners in Care not long after emigrating from Guyana in the mid-1990s, and continued up until her illness. “My mom had a big heart—she would take anybody in,” says Coleen. “She was very family-oriented, and very passionate about her work. Everybody loved my mom, and she knew everybody. We would be walking down the street, and she would be talking to everyone along the way. I would always say her, ‘Who do you not know?’ She was like a surrogate mother to everyone, showing kindness to all, and she cared about her clients like they were her own family. She cooked for them like she would cook for us, with lots of love and caring. She was very, very dedicated.”

Corrine lived in Brooklyn. She is survived by her husband Guy Smith, her children, Leslyn Walton, Coleen Grant, Wayne Jeremiah and Melissa Jeremiah, 13 grandchildren, her sisters Shirley Douglas and Patsy Blythe, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a son, Shawn Jeremiah.

If you would like to make a donation in Corrine’s memory, please click here to visit her GoFundMe page. If you would like to submit a special story or remembrance about Corrine, please send it using the Contact Us page on Frontline. We will post these responses as they come in.