Behavioral Health
Latest Behavioral Health News
Behavioral Health Fellowship Holds Graduation Ceremony
December 22, 2025–On December 17, the Behavioral Health Multidisciplinary Fellowship program honors eight graduating members of this year’s cohort. The one-year program provides psychiatric mental health professionals at VNS Health with additional specialized training on various aspects of community mental health. Congratulations to the 2025 Fellowship graduates: Margaret Isoh, Sam Humleker, Shantel Mayris, Dominique Miller Dean, Reneicea Hughes, Usha Persaud, Susie Moscou, and Daphney Louis. Rebecca Miller Martinez also received a Certificate of Participation. See the photos here below.
VNS Health Behavioral Health Named a “Top Mental Health Care Provider” by City & State
December 9, 2025–
Keshia Lewis, Behavioral Health Promise Zone Supervisor, Receives MIPO Honor!
November 22, 2025–On October 5, MIPO, Inc. (Making the Impossible Possible) recognized Keshia Lewis, Promise Zone Supervisor for VNS Health’s Behavioral Health team, as one of 15 honorees at their 2025 Annual Gala with an Outstanding Citizenship Hall of Fame Award. The organization is dedicated to promoting the quality of life of immigrant youth and their families residing in the New York metropolitan area.
From Home Health Aide to Community Nurse: Meet Behavioral Health’s Marie Tisi
November 11, 2025–Marie Tisi was on the 22nd floor of a Brooklyn apartment building when the second tower of the World Trade Center fell on 9/11. She and her patient, on oxygen for COPD, watched out the window as the building collapsed. While the city reeled in shock, Marie stayed with her patient, ensuring that their oxygen levels remained stable, their medication was administered, and they had someone by their side during the unfathomable tragedy. “We are always here for New Yorkers regardless of what is happening,” says Marie. “Blackouts, hurricanes, pandemics. When the towers came down, I and my frontline colleagues were out and about the next day.” That moment crystallizes Marie’s approach to her 25-year career: showing up for her community, whatever the circumstances. Now a Behavioral Health Nurse with our Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team in Brooklyn, over the years Marie has been integral to a number of community-based
See the Photos, a Video, and a Recording of the 2025 VNS Health Annual Awards Ceremony!
November 4, 2025–On Monday, October 27, team members from across the organization gathered for a very special evening to celebrate 38 team members who were honored at our 2025 VNS Health Annual Awards Ceremony. Over 400 people also watched the celebration simultaneously through a live-stream link. Now you can see the celebration photos, watch a video about the event, and watch a recording of the full celebration. Congratulations to all the team members who were honored! Here is a video highlighting the event with Charity Shubert reporting! Here is a recording of the awards ceremony: To see our 2025 VNS Health Award winners and read their stories, click here! To see a complete list of all the nominees, click here!
Announcing Our 2025 VNS Health Award Winners!
October 27, 2025–Read Their Stories and See the Full List of Nominees! Last night, on Monday, October 27, team members from across the organization were recognized and celebrated as the very best of the best in exemplifying VNS Health’s mission and Core Values of Empathy, Integrity and Agility! The event included those who had received awards earlier in the year, as well as presentations to the newly announced winners of the Phyllis Mills Living Legend Award, the ESPRIT Awards, and the VNS Health Outstanding Team Performance Award. To see all the team members who were nominated for these awards, click here. Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners! Click on their names here below to read more about them and their award. Home Care Nurse Preceptor Team 2025 Outstanding Team Performance Award Teresa Lin 2025 Phyllis Mills Living Legend Award (Click here for the finalists.) Michael Alcantara 2025 ESPRIT Award Jonelle
Meet Our 2025 ESPRIT Award Winner: Michael Alcantara
October 27, 2025–Michael Alcantara has only been a Behavioral Health Counselor with VNS Health’s Children’s Mobil Crisis Team for a year and four months, but he’s already had a huge positive effect—both on the children and families in crisis that he serves, and on the colleagues who work alongside him. “The most rewarding part of my job is the impact we have on the children and families,” Michael says. “Being able to help these kids in crisis is incredible. We provide them with the tools they need to live a better life.” One client who made a particular impression on Michael was a teenage boy who was grieving his stepfather’s death. He was suddenly left without a father figure. The boy was masking his pain, but Michael helped him tap into his emotions so he could begin learning how to cope with his raw feelings. “It felt great to have him trust
Meet Our First-Ever Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year!
September 30, 2025–The following profile of Caroline Williams, the winner of VNS Health’s inaugural Rose Madden-Baer Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year Award, is being published to coincide with September’s National Advanced Practice Provider Week that takes place annually during the 4th week in September. A total of 14 team members were nominated for this first-time Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year Award. To see a full list of the nominees, please click here. Over her 18-year career advancing community psychiatry and mental health, Caroline Williams, MD, Chief Psychiatrist and Associate Clinical and Education Director for VNS Health’s Behavioral Health team, has held various leadership roles overseeing teams and training new clinicians. But her first love is frontline care, working directly with individuals who are dealing with behavioral health conditions and related issues. “Seeing patients, trying to take care of them—that is absolutely the most satisfying part of the job for me,” says Caroline,
VNS Health Named “Best Place to Work” by Crain’s
September 17, 2025–