Meet Our 2025 Nurse of the Year!

Breaking news… Bronx Home Care Nurse Jean Verlus has been selected as VNS Health’s 2025 Nurse of the Year! A total of 44 team members were nominated for this first-time Nurse of the Year award. To see the full list of nominees, click here.

Jean has been with VNS Health for over 32 years and has worked with patients all over New York City. He currently provides care to patients in the South Bronx, in the very same neighborhood near Yankee Stadium that he has lived in, or in the vicinity of, for over 40 years. Clearly, Jean is part of the fabric of the community. 

It’s a source of great pride to Jean to provide care to patients in their homes so that they can continue to live in their community. “These patients really need us,” he says. “Many are so sick when they come home from the hospital. They really need a visiting nurse to help them heal.”

Jean, who’s originally from Haiti, has wanted to be in the medical field since he was a child. To that end, he studied nursing at City College, despite that fact that he saw few other male nurses during his time in school. His first nursing job was in the emergency room, where he learned a tremendous amount about medicine and delivering care to patients. Among the many things Jean learned while working in the ER was that he really wanted to care for patients in their homes—where, he felt, he could help them in their home environments and truly make a difference.

“There was nowhere better to do that than VNS Health,” says Jean. “I love the mission of serving and helping people in their home. I’m so proud to be working at this organization.”

Jean’s colleagues will tell you he has a very positive and caring attitude and that he always shows kindness to every patient. In nominating Jean, team members said Jean consistently goes above and beyond, not just for his patients but for his fellow team members as well—sharing insights, information and approaches he’s learned over his 32-plus years of service.

Jean’s input includes details that come from his own experience and his time listening to and observing patients. He might pass along to a team member how he taped a particular wound in a way that worked well. Or Jean, who speaks fluent Spanish, might note that a Spanish-speaking patient would appreciate hearing a few words in her language, or that another patient will be most responsive at a certain time of day. 

“Little things matter a lot to our patients,” says Jean. “When I can help my colleagues know these little things in advance, it makes the patient more comfortable and the visit much easier.”

Jean is humbled by the Nurse of the Year honor, adding that he is still letting it sink in. “I try to avoid the spotlight,” he says. “I just do what I love to do every single day.”