Team Members in the News: March Highlights!
Spring was in full bloom this March and so was our media presence, with many news stories featuring our VNS Health team members, as well as articles on innovative technologies and exciting partnerships that are transforming and supporting the care we provide to the community. Read more below!
Team members and teams featured in news stories last month include:
- Robert McAlonan, Behavioral Health Director, Health Plans,
- Jerry Frank, Chief Medical Officer, Health Plans
- Teresa Lin, VP of Cultural Market Development, Health Plans
- Ed Wang, MA Sales Manager, Health Plans
- David Rosales, EVP and Chief of Provider Services
- Natalie Kovacs, Parachute Program Coordinator, Behavioral Health
- Sabine Noel, RN, Clinical Evaluation Manager, Health Plans
- Jean Verlus, RN, Home Care
- Asha Lyons, Gender Affirmation Program Social Worker
- Shannon Whittington, Gender Affirmation Program Clinical Director
- Deniece Santana, Licensed Behavioral Health Clinician, Behavioral Health
National Media Spotlights How VNS Health–Vitalic Partnership Is Advancing Seniors’ Mental Health
The VNS Health–Vitalic Health partnership has received strong national attention, with widespread coverage spotlighting how the collaboration is improving behavioral health outcomes for older adults. A featured U.S. News & World Report article highlighted the partnership’s approach, which focuses on proactively identifying seniors at risk of depression and connecting them to care. The piece included insights from Robert McAlonan, Director of Behavioral Health, Health Plans, and pointed to early results of a pilot study showing reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations.
These study results were also picked up by many national and industry outlets, including stories inThe Associated Press, McKnight’s, Health Insurance Plan News, and HomeCare Magazine, featuring perspective from Dr. Jerry Frank, Chief Medical Officer, Health Plans, on the partnership’s potential to improve plan members’ health.
PIX11 Highlights VNS Health’s Community Programs and Health Plans
PIX11 visited the VNS Health Flushing Community Center during their Spring Open House, to highlight how VNS Health keeps older adults connected through accessible, culturally specific programs and events. The resulting news segment, which aired on the New York Living program, featured Teresa Lin, VP of Cultural Market Development, discussing VNS Health’s 133-year commitment to caring for New Yorkers, and Ed Wang, MA Sales Manager, showcasing how the center supports older Chinese-American adults. Watch the full segment below!
The Associated Press Reports on How VNS Health Is Bringing AI Innovation to Home-Based Care
Associated Press and dozens of other local and national news media across the country reported on news that VNS Health is partnering with AI-powered clinical documentation platform Nestmed to deploy ambient AI that automatically generates clinical documentation during home visits, reducing the time clinicians spend on paperwork and allowing them to focus more on patient care. The announcement included perspective from David Rosales, EVP and Chief of Provider Services, on how this technology will help improve patient and clinician experience. Read more here.
WTWH Frontline Honorees Spotlight the Power and Impact of Community-Based Care
Four VNS Health team members selected for WTWH Healthcare Frontline Honors were the subjects of inspiring Q&As across leading WTWH media outlets, highlighting the impact of their leadership in care delivery. Natalie Kovacs, Parachute Program Director, was featured in Behavioral Health Business; RN Jean Verlus in Skilled Nursing News; Sabine Noel, Care Coordinator, Health Plans, in Home Health Care News; and Teresa Lin, Vice President of Cultural Market Development, also in Home Health Care News. Each team member shared what drives their commitment to care and underscored the vital role of home- and community-based services in helping individuals live safely, independently and with dignity.
The Bronx Times Highlights GAP Social Worker Asha Lyons as a Lifeline for Trans & Nonbinary Patients Recovering at Home
In an article tied to Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st, the Bronx Times profiled Gender Affirmation Program (GAP) Social Worker Asha Lyons and detailed the ways the program supports transgender and nonbinary patients recovering at home after gender-affirmation surgery. In the article, Lyons explained how her lived experience equips her as a clinician to help patients navigate both medical and social challenges, while GAP Clinical Director Dr. Shannon Whittington emphasized that GAP’s empathetic, affirming care is often the first time patients feel truly understood by the health system. Read more on Frontline here.
BronxNet TV Features Behavioral Health Clinician Deniece Santana and VNS Health’s Innovative SUD Care
BronxNet TV aired an interview with Licensed Behavioral Health Clinician Deniece Santana featuring tips and advice for youth who may be struggling with substance use disorder (SUD). During the interview, Deniece spoke to the unique approach that VNS Health’s Integrated Mental Health and Substance Use Clinic takes in providing holistic wraparound care for youth and adults, all designed to address the interlocking factors that can lead to mental health and substance use disorders. Watch the interview below!
