Read All About It! 2019 Was a Banner Year for VNSNY Media Coverage
From VNSNY CHOICE to Home Care, Partners in Care to Hospice, it was a tremendous year for positive news stories about the organization.
The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Amsterdam News, GoodMorningAmerica.com, Today.com, BronxNet TV… If you saw a great news story about the Visiting Nurse Service of New York during the past year, you’re not alone. Altogether, VNSNY had 500 positive media placements in 2019. That figure, which is almost double our media coverage of five years ago, included numerous appearances in national publications and major network television broadcasts, as well as frequent coverage by the local media in VNSNY’s service areas. When you factor in the potential audience for each of these placements, it all adds up to hundreds of millions of opportunities for members of the public to view a press article, Internet post or video segment about VNSNY over the past calendar year!
“VNSNY had more than four times as much media exposure in 2019 as our nearest competitor,” notes Richard Rothstein, Vice President of VNSNY Communications. “As a result, more and more people are aware of the outstanding care and range of services that VNSNY provides to vulnerable New Yorkers. Our media coverage also brings home the fact that VNSNY is New York’s indisputable leader in terms of home care excellence and innovation—which is good for our reputation, good for our business, and good for the New Yorkers we serve.”
Key Highlights of VNSNY’s 2019 Media Coverage
The National Scene. VNSNY’s appearances on the national stage in 2019 included a GoodMorningAmerica.com feature on VNSNY nurse Natalia Mhlambiso and her patient, 114-year-old Alelia Murphy—the oldest living American at the time—plus articles in Today.com, the Washington Post, and U.S. News & World Report. And in possibly the year’s most unusual VNSNY-related article, the New York Times showcased the discovery of an old guest book belonging to Lillian Wald—noting that its collection of celebrity signatures “shows the power and influence” of VNSNY’s founder.
Reaching Millennials. Besides our appearances in these established national outlets, VNSNY also reached a generation of younger adults through our appearance in articles by millennial-focused publications such as Gothamist, Thrive Global and The Skimm.
New York, New York. On Veterans Day weekend, CBS2 New York’s seven million viewers could see repeated airings of a moving Veterans Day story featuring VNSNY Hospice Veteran Liaisons Joseph Vitti and Sung Yoon, as they honored a U.S. veteran under VNSNY Hospice’s care. VNSNY’s staff and programs were also featured frequently in other regional media, from the New York Post and Crain’s New York to the New York Amsterdam News and New York Social Diary.
Local Heroes. Throughout 2019, numerous articles containing health and wellness advice from our home care and hospice clinicians appeared in newspapers and TV broadcasts directly targeting local communities served by VNSNY. These diverse media venues included radio and TV outlets like NY1, News 12 Brooklyn/Bronx TV, BronxNet TV and K-LOVE Radio; metro-New York publications such as the Manhattan Times, Queens Times,Bronx Voice, Harlem Community News, El Especialito, Brooklyn Family, Long Island Weekly and Westchester Examiner; and upstate publications like Buffalo Healthy Living.
Leader of the Pack. VNSNY’s national thought leadership was highlighted last year in 50 separate commentary pieces by President and CEO Marki Flannery, President of VNSNY CHOICE Hany Abdelaal, SVP of VNSNY Hospice and Palliative Care Rosemary Baughn, SVP of Patient Care Services Susan Northover, and others. These pieces were all reprinted in major national and state association websites and organization newsletters, where they reached an even wider audience. In other media involving VNSNY leadership, Marki Flannery was interviewed on iHeartRadio’s CEO Unplugged; EVP and Chief of Provider Services Andria Castellanos was featured in the Home Health Care News “Disrupt” podcast; EVP and Chief Administration Officer Michael Bernstein was featured in a Home Health Care News industry insights article; EVP and Chief Financial Officer Dan Savitt appeared on a HHCN Capital + State Forum panel discussion and subsequent media coverage; and Partners in Care SVP Jennifer Brullo was featured in a Thrive Global article on the importance of self-care for family caregivers.
New Kids on the Block. The launch of our care management organization, VNSNY Care360° Solutions, and the expansion of VNSNY CHOICE SelectHealth to Nassau and Westchester both generated extensive media coverage in outlets from Yahoo! Finance and Politico to The Advocate and Home Care Magazine, and others.
Ground-Breaking Investigations. The VNSNY Center for Home Care Policy & Research also received significant media attention during 2019, including widespread coverage of the VNSNY/U.Penn sepsis study published in Medical Care, and of the VNSNY post-stroke blood pressure study published in the American Journal of Hypertension. This coverage included in-depth interviews in Crain’s New York, Science Daily and Home Health Care News.
Showcasing VNSNY’s Diverse Mental Health Programs. In addition to last year’s wide coverage of VNSNY’s home care and hospice services and VNSNY CHOICE Health Plans, VNSNY’s Community Mental Health Services and its many support programs for adults and children were also in the news frequently in 2019— including feature coverage in Gothamist and a number of segments on BronxNet TV.
Spotlighting VNSNY’s Commitment to the LGBT Community. In addition to the 50th Anniversary “Stonewall50” Heritage of PRIDE March in June, where more than 250 VNSNY staff members participated, VNSNY’s LGBT-related media coverage in 2019 included multiple interviews and TV appearances with LGBTQ Program Director Arthur Fitting. In addition, Shannon Whittington, Director of VNSNY’s Gender Affirmation Program, was featured in numerous articles and podcasts highlighting VNSNY’s innovation and leadership in closing healthcare gaps for the transgender population.
The VNSNY mission to serve vulnerable New Yorkers, and the dedicated clinicians, staff and customer service teams who bring that mission to life every single day, are the real superstars of these 2019 media relations results. We are proud and grateful for everyone’s efforts, and we look forward to sharing more exciting results with you throughout 2020!
