Behavioral Health
Latest Behavioral Health News
VNSNY in 2021 — Year in Review
December 20, 2021–January VNSNY welcomes EVP & Chief Financial Officer Keith Patterson. On January 25th, Keith Patterson joins VNSNY as our new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He arrives with an extensive background in managed care as well as provider and other healthcare services. VNSNY CEOs named to 2021 City & State Health Power 100. Current VNSNY CEO Dan Savitt and former CEO Marki Flannery are both named to the 2021 City & State Health Power 100 list, a roster of New York’s 100 most influential public officials, health care executives, advocates and activists, academics, and labor leaders. Vaccinate VNSNY! From early January, when VNSNY opens its vaccine clinic at 220 East 42nd Street, through March 20th, when the clinic administers its last first-dose vaccinations, VNSNY nurses give out 9,000 first doses and 4,400 second doses of the Moderna vaccine—the large majority of them to VNSNY staff members. Click here for
Find Out What’s Happening… Here Are the Latest News Briefs from Around VNSNY!
November 30, 2021–Welcome to the latest edition of “News Briefs from Around VNSNY”— featuring quick updates on recent news and happenings across the organization.If you have any news or announcements that you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming edition, please click here. VNSNY’s (Virtual) Gala Raises More Than $1.4 Million! Despite fervent hopes that the 2021 Benefit Gala would be an in-person event, VNSNY made the difficult decision not to host a large, indoor celebration quite yet this year. “Even though we had to pivot to a virtual event, we released a pre-recorded program video on November 11th that people can watch at their convenience,” says John Billeci, VNSNY’s Vice President of Special Events. “It contains many of the same elements that our in-person event usually has, including a video about VNSNY and the presentation of our Lillian D. Wald Award to this year’s honorees.” Emceed by Emmy-Award-winning PIX11 anchor
Meet Our 2021 ESPRIT Winners!
November 16, 2021–
Watch this video of our VNSNY Impact Challenge final round, where everyone is a winner!
October 15, 2021–34 proposals, 10 weeks, 8 teams, 5 final presentations…here it is – the final round! Now you can relive the experience the five finalist VNSNY Impact Challenge teams had when they went before a panel of esteemed experts to present their proposals addressing health disparities. Watch your colleagues present with flair and then take tough questions from the expert panel that included President and CEO Dan Savitt and special “mystery guest” panelist, Marki Flannery. Watch the drama and excitement of the day by clicking here below.
An Interview with Jessica Fear, VNSNY’s New Senior Vice President of Community Mental Health Services (CMHS)
September 13, 2021–In May, Jessica Fear was appointed as the new Senior Vice President and head of VNSNY’s Community Mental Health Services (CMHS). This is Jessica’s second stint at VNSNY. Frontline spoke with her recently about her new role and her vision for CMHS. Before we talk about your new position, can you tell us a little about your previous time at CMHS? First of all, I can’t talk about my role here without paying tribute to Neil Pessin, who recently retired from his role as Vice President of CMHS. He started the division and was at the helm for 35 years, ensuring its successful growth and consistent commitment to excellent care for the most disenfranchised New Yorkers. I’m thrilled to be able to continue that legacy. Neil brought me on in 2004, and I went on to work here for 10 years. Before that, I did many years of direct
Manhattan Voice Features Deirdre DeLeo for National Suicide Prevention Week
September 10, 2021–
BronxNet TV Features Deirdre DeLeo for Suicide Prevention Week
September 8, 2021–
“30 Minutes with Dan” Salutes the Exceptional Consumer Experience!
August 25, 2021–“Amazing!” “Outstanding!” “Above and beyond!” These are just some of the words our patients, members, and clients use when we exceed their expectations. In the August episode of “30 Minutes,” Dan interviews staff from across the organization about what it takes to create an exceptional consumer experience, including Elaine Gillard (Hospice), Mike Guglielmelli (CHHA), Jennifer Kaya (CMHS), Claudia Morrison (Partners in Care), Laura Mattos (Partners in Care), Christine Odom (CCSS), and Vidya Hosein-Anderson (Hospice). Click here below to watch this latest episode and hear what they say! And here’s the “On the Go!” version of “30 Minutes with Dan.” We’ve broken out the August episode into short segments so you can watch it on the go! That’s a Fact! Around with Dan in Astoria, Queens and Mosholu Parkway in the Bronx! Roundtable Discussion at Cloves Lake Park on Staten Island! High-5!
The Results Are In — Here Are the Eight VNSNY Impact Challenge Finalists!
August 16, 2021–The first round of the inaugural VNSNY Impact Challenge is now concluded, and the results have been tremendous! In all, 34 proposals from VNSNY staff were received by the July 16th deadline, including submissions by teams and by individuals. They covered a wide range of potential program launches or enhancements, all aimed at reducing health disparities in the various communities served by VNSNY. “Along with the rest of VNSNY’s leadership, I want to thank all the staff members who contributed their ideas and efforts to this competition,” says VNSNY President and CEO Dan Savitt, who was part of the review committee. “Every proposal was extremely impressive and well thought out. I can tell you that selecting finalists from this outstanding group was not easy!” The proposals that did not advance to the finals will continue to be closely evaluated for their potential impact on VNSNY’s operations, adds Catherine Callaway, Senior