Meet Our 2026 ESPRIT Award Winner: Miniely Valdez

As a Unit Manager in Personal Care, Miniely Valdez leads a team that works with clients served by the New York City Department of the Aging, connecting them with home health aide services.

Miniely excels at listening, as a recent phone call from one of her clients demonstrates. The client called with concerns about his schedule and his permanent home health aide, so Miniely looked into his authorization and schedule to see how she could help.

“At the end of our conversation, he thanked me simply for listening to him instead of rushing him off the phone,” she recalls. “Sometimes, people need to know that they’ve been heard and that someone genuinely cares about what they’re going through.”

Another client, who was transitioning to hospice care, was thinking about ending her home health services. She worried that her growing needs and frequent appointments made her too difficult to care for, and that her aides would judge her negatively. Miniely listened and let her talk, then reassured her that she was not a burden.

“I told the client that our responsibility was to make sure she felt comfortable, happy and supported during this time in her life,” she says. “I then took time to find a home health aide I knew had a very empathetic nature, and placed her permanently on the case.”

Colleagues recognize Miniely for the support she provides to both clients and the people who care for them. When a client reportedly attempted suicide, Miniely called the client’s home health aide to get firsthand information. She confirmed that the client’s case manager was still in the home, and kept leadership updated so decisions could be made quickly. She also reassured the shaken aide that she had done exactly the right thing, and that by speaking up she may have saved the client’s life.

Miniely credits her team with shaping how she leads. “Managing this group has reminded me to lead with empathy and understanding,” she says. “They make it easy for me.” When a client’s family sent a heartfelt thank-you letter, Miniely made sure both her team and leadership saw it. Being nominated for the ESPRIT Award, she says, has made her feel “seen and appreciated” in the same way.

Miniely’s approach is also influenced by personal experience. She has twice received care from a home health aide, and when her mother transitioned to hospice care, Miniely saw from a family member’s side how much the nurses and aides mattered.

“Those different perspectives help me understand why patients and families call us with concerns, and what they may be feeling when they do,” she says. “This work is not always easy—but when you’re willing to step outside yourself and put yourself in someone else’s shoes, it can be incredibly rewarding.”

On hard days, colleagues may hear Miniely singing or humming at her desk, a habit carried over from her years in her church’s youth group and music ministry. As Miniely says, “It helps keep me calm, keeps me going, and reminds me that whatever challenges come up, it’s still going to be a great day.”