Meet Our ESPRIT Award Winner: Ellen Percoco-Pilutis

Ellen Percoco-Pilutis, Clinical Case Manager for VNS Health Personal Care, is a great listener. In fact, that act of listening is responsible for her entry into a career that demands deep and active listening.

She had worked as an owner of a Carvel Ice Cream franchise for 21 years when one day her daughter said to her, “You like being with older people—why don’t you try working for VNS Health Personal Care?” Ellen listened—and pivoted to work as a home health aide for the agency.

Sometime later, she had her ears open once again when she had a conversation in a Target with a nursing school student—and got to thinking. She asked if there were any age limits to becoming a nurse, then registered for nursing school at age 56.

“VNS Health supported me through nursing school,” Ellen says, expressing deep gratitude. Gale Storm-Bryant, Senior Nurse Instructor, Personal Care, told Ellen that as soon as she became a nurse, Gale would hire her on the spot (although it was actually Joe Perry, now VNS Health Director of Private Care Services, who hired her). “It’s been such a journey,” Ellen says.

It’s a journey anchored in listening. “I’m always available by phone to assist our team, 7 days a week,” notes Ellen, who has now been with VNS Health for more than 14 years. “I support the nurses in the field and connect them to what they need to know from the aides’ side. I’m always inquisitive, asking about the various programs and nursing interventions, teaching nurses ‘what do you do if this presents?’ The interventions I help develop, create and teach help them do a better job.”

After all, she asks, “If you can’t grow, what are you doing?” As someone who’s worked at Burger King, as a legal litigation secretary, and been a business owner, all of her past experiences help her support her team and excel at multitasking. Another past experience, taking care of her mother through illness, taught her “the compassion and empathy I have used throughout my career,” she adds. Her mother also taught her that “when one chapter closes, another opens”—something Ellen has lived in her long and varied career.

Ellen prides herself on how the whole team—from HHAs and RNs in the field to clinical managers—works together to provide continuity of care and advocate for the aides and members. As a clinical manager, she finds special reward in helping family members navigate through challenging times.

“I like that I can reach out to a wonderful support team to assist the members from care to end of life,” she says. “It’s hardest to assist family members who aren’t nearby, but I try to support them as they support others. I’m glad to help them feel that they did everything they could—that they did their best.”

Nominators praised Ellen for her positive spirit and commitment to going above and beyond: “She taps into every resource she can to make the process work to achieve the best results for everyone,” wrote one of her nominators. “Ellen lives in the world of ‘Yes, I can’ and takes on initiatives and challenges at every opportunity.”

Ellen educates and trains all the new Registered Nurse Field Supervisors who join the team, for example, setting expectations, setting them up for success, and contributing to a bright future for VNS Health and the people we serve. “With every new cohort,” said her nominator, “the team gets better and stronger.”

To go back to the overview of the 2024 VNS Health Award Winners, click here.