Community Outreach
Latest Community Outreach News
Meet All Our 2026 VNS Health Award Winners!
November 2, 2026–Read Their Stories and See the Full List of Nominees! On Monday, October 26, 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. Behavioral Health Mobile Crisis Float team 2026 Outstanding Team Performance Award Maricel Bumanlag 2026 Physical Therapist of the Year Charlene Cano 2026 Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year Stephania Casimir 2026 ESPRIT
See the Photos, a Video, and a Recording of the 2026 VNS Health Annual Awards Ceremony!
October 30, 2026–On Monday, October 26, team members from across the organization gathered for a very special evening to celebrate more than 50 team members who were honored at our 2026 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 slideshow of photos: Here is a video highlighting the event with Johvorne Samuels reporting! Here is a recording of the awards ceremony: To see our 2026 VNS Health Award winners and read their stories, click here! To see a complete list of all the 2026 award nominees, click here!
See Why Team Members Are Walking In Support of People with Dementia. Watch This Short, Moving Video!
October 26, 2026–Over 320 people have registered to Walk as One VNS Health for the Alzheimer’s Walk on November 14 in support of the people they love, as well as the approximately 30-40% of VNS Health patients, members and clients who are affected by cognitive impairment and memory loss. Watch this short, moving video with their stories. If you are walking and want to share why you are walking too, click here and tell us! We’ll compile all the written responses and publish on Frontline the week of November 9. JOIN US! If you haven’t already registered to walk, click here to join the One VNS Health team on November 14 at 10:00 a.m. in Central Park.
Meet the Winner of Our 2026 Outstanding Team Performance Award
October 22, 2026–The Outstanding Team Performance Award is open to any team that has gone above and beyond in their duties and worked collaboratively with each other and/or other departments, demonstrating commitment to innovation and/or success of the organization. This may include situations where teams may have effectively managed and excelled during situations with unforeseen circumstances, emergencies or high-stress situations. This year, 22 teams were nominated for this award. To see a full list and who the finalists were for this award, click here. For the members of Behavioral Health’s Mobile Crisis Float Team, every day presents unique challenges. Launched in July 2025 under a contract with New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the team’s job is to step in, often on short notice, when another mobile crisis team in the city is unavailable. Six days a week, this team reports to work without knowing which neighborhood, or even
One VNS Health in Action: Check Out Our Latest Patient Letters and Commendations!
October 19, 2026–Want to feel incredibly inspired and proud of how, together, we help people in their health care journeys? Read our latest patient letters and health plan member commendations! To do that, simply scroll down or click on any of the areas below: Bronx “She really cared about me.” “I wish to thank and praise your excellent Nurse Desiree Gibson,” a Bronx patient wrote. “I find her to be a loving, caring, knowledgeable nurse and she’s done a wonderful job managing my case. I really look forward to her visits — they cheer me up. I also want to express my gratitude for Home Health Aide Ana Nunez. She was incredibly helpful and has a lovely disposition. She really cared about me.” “I’m very happy to have her!” Another Bronx patient expressed how pleased she was with Home Health Aide Kahwana Polite, noting, “She does a good job with me. I am very
Announcing Our 2026 VNS Health ESPRIT Award Winners!
October 11, 2026–79 team members from across the organization were nominated for an ESPRIT Award this year, and 10 people from this group were chosen as winners by a committee of previous ESPRIT Award Winners! ESPRIT Awards are given to employees who exemplify our core values of Empathy, Agility and Integrity, going above and beyond in support of our patients, members and clients. To see a list of all the nominees, including those who were finalists, click here. Congratulations to this year’s ESPRIT Award Winners! To read more about each winner and their award, click on the links below. Stephania Casimir, Supervisor, Medicare Advantage Care Management, Health Plans To read more about Stephania and her award, click here. Jackie Davis, Operations Manager, Hospice Care To read more about Jackie and her award, click here. Felicia Dorsey, Care Manager, Health Home, Behavioral Health To read more about Felicia and her award, click here.
Meet Our 2026 ESPRIT Award Winner: Wai Kiu Man
October 11, 2026–An older couple who were having difficulty making ends meet were sharing an apartment with about 10 other people when they came to our Chinatown Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NNORC) office and met with Wai Kiu Man. Wai Kiu, a Licensed Social Worker, helped them secure SSI and SNAP benefits to ease their financial difficulties, then spent about a year guiding them through the affordable housing process. Last year, thanks in part to Wai Kiu’s assistance, the couple was able to move into their own apartment. “Seeing how much their lives changed is exactly why I became a social worker,” he says. For more than a decade, Chinatown’s older adults have brought Wai Kiu their problems with housing, finances, benefits and health. He knows the exact resources that can help them, as well as all the application requirements and deadlines that could possibly block their access to services they’re
VNS Health Celebrates 127 Bronx Families at Nurse-Family Partnership Graduation
October 5, 2026–On Wednesday, September 30, dozens of toddlers, parents and nurses gathered for the Bronx Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) graduation. The event also marked two decades of VNS Health’s Bronx NFP serving low-income families in the Bronx. Since launching in 2006, VNS Health’s Bronx NFP has served more than 8,000 families, including more than 640 this year! NFP pairs families with specially trained registered nurses who make regular home visits during pregnancy and through a child’s second birthday. Nurses provide health and parenting guidance, connect families with health care and community resources, and help parents navigate challenges and goals related to mental health, housing, education, employment and family life. To see photos of the graduation, click here below.
Making Things Easier, Solving Problems… Sure, But How? Watch Our Latest “Up Close with Dan!”
September 28, 2026–In this new video, CEO Dan Savitt explores ways we can build on where we are today to “work toward One VNS Health.” And apparently … there’s a GAME SHOW involved? Click here below to watch!