Remembering 9/11

Remembering 9/11

Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is a date that none of us will ever forget — both for the thousands of lives that were taken as a result of that horrific day, and for the heroic actions of so many during and after the attacks.

I especially want to acknowledge everyone who was working for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York at the time of those tragic events. Twenty-four VNSNY employees lost family members to the attacks, including six whose family members were firefighters. In addition to those employees’ unimaginable losses, virtually everyone at VNSNY was impacted by the physical and emotional devastation that took place.

At the same time, our staff stepped up without hesitation in the midst of the crisis, as VNSNY always does. In the days following 9/11, Lower Manhattan was shut off to the public. Nonetheless, our frontline teams made sure their patients and clients, both in this restricted area and throughout our entire service area, continued to receive essential care, as the rest of VNSNY’s workforce moved swiftly to support them. Meanwhile, the organization as a whole mobilized to provide whatever aid was required in the community.

In one of the darkest hours of our history, VNSNY was there as a beacon of hope, empathy and perseverance — just as we have been for the past 128 years. That is an incredible legacy, and one that we can all be proud of.

As we look back on this sad anniversary, I also want to express my thanks to everyone at VNSNY for your ongoing determination and dedication in facing our current crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as VNSNY did 20 years ago, you have made personal sacrifices to come together as an organization and serve the greater good of those around us. I am so very grateful to all of you for the humanity and generosity that you’ve shown over the past year and a half, and that you demonstrate each and every day.

Thank you for joining me today in honoring those lost from 9/11, and for carrying on our mission in their memory. We will never forget.

Dan Savitt

President and Chief Executive Officer