Behavioral Health
Latest Behavioral Health News
Happy Birthday, Lillian Wald! A Special Feature on How VNS Health’s Founder Helped Lead the Women’s Suffrage Movement
March 9, 2021–Today, as part of our Women’s History Month celebration, Frontline is honored to highlight VNS Health’s founder, Lillian Wald. Born on this day, March 10th, in 1867, Lillian became one of the most influential individuals of her time. Most people are familiar with her history as a ground-breaking social worker, public health nurse and settlement leader. In addition to her tireless efforts to provide accessible, in-home nursing care to the residents of New York City, however, Lillian was also a significant figure in the women’s suffrage movement as well as causes that improved the lives of children, immigrants and laborers. As the author of multiple articles championing the rights of women, Lillian was among America’s most vocal leaders in the fight to allow women to vote. In her essay “Arguments for Woman Suffrage,” she wrote, “I believe that men and women possess inherent rights to the franchise, and that discrimination on account of
Social Work Month Special Feature: An Interview with Neil Pessin, Vice President of VNSNY’s Community Mental Health Services (CMHS)
March 8, 2021–Social Work Month only lasts a month, but it’s a fitting celebration of the vital and tireless work that social workers do all year long. To kick it off, we had a chat with Neil Pessin, Ph.D., Vice President of VNSNY’s Community Mental Health Services (CMHS). Happy Social Work Month! As Vice President of Community Mental Health Services programs, you oversee all of VNSNY’s CMHS programs. Can you describe what that encompasses? I’m not a social worker myself—I trained as a psychologist and analyst—but I am responsible for a part of the organization whose largest constituency is social workers. That includes everything from licensed social workers to social-worker assistants. We have more than 30 programs in CMHS, and a staff of about 500—about two thirds of which falls under the domain of social workers. What are some of the different ways CMHS social workers help the community? A large
March 2021 Patient Letters
March 4, 2021–The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to prove the resilience and dedication of our entire VNSNY staff. The following are excerpts from a few of the many recent letters, phone calls, and emails that we’ve received from grateful patients and family members that reflect an outstanding consumer experience. “My Mother was Prepared Spiritually and Emotionally” Bronx— “I am writing to let you know how much I appreciated the support given to me by nurse Sherma Wheeler and social workers Leona Abrams and Fernando Otero,” wrote the daughter of a VNSNY Hospice patient who recently passed away at the age of 103. “Each one gave advice and moral support to help me understand and process what my dying mother was going through, and what I could do to help her pass away with dignity and peace. They allowed me to be a part of my mother’s care in a loving and