Putting Our VNSNY-Branded Scrubs to Vital Use in Ukraine

When VNSNY transitioned to VNS Health in May, it represented an historic turning point for our organization—one that both honors the original vision of founder Lillian Wald and reflects the forward-thinking health care organization we are today and heading into the future.

Our new identity also presented something of a puzzle: What to do with all of our unused VNSNY-branded scrubs, gowns, masks, isolation gowns, and other garments and gear?

“We didn’t want all of these perfectly good supplies to go to waste, but it would have been confusing to donate them locally and have people wearing items with the VNSNY logo walking around the streets of New York after the rebrand,” says Sal Bastardi, Vice President, Corporate Support.

With the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the perfect solution soon became clear.

“There was a suggestion in the email box during one of our recent CEO Conference Calls to consider donating our unused scrubs and supplies to people in need, and we took that suggestion to heart,” says Michael Bernstein, Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer. “The team and I thought if there was a way that our unused goods could be helpful to people facing the horrible realities of war, that would be a meaningful donation. I am pleased we found a way to get them to the people in Ukraine.”

It was no easy task, however. “There was an enormous amount of coordination involved,” says Sal, who worked with a New Jersey-based synagogue that served as a center for Ukraine-bound donations. “We had to coordinate with all of our regional offices as well as our offsite warehouse to collect all the supplies, and then get truckers over to the donations center at the exact days and times when they were open.”

As challenging as the project was, it represented an ideal solution, making sure that our old supplies not only didn’t go to waste, but went where they were very much needed and could do the most good.

Kudos to everybody involved in this terrific effort, including Diana Vargas, Evelyn Rodriquez and Yanne Carrera!