Health Plans
Latest Health Plans News
Chief of Health Plans John Burke, Speaks to HHCN on the Benefits of Value-Based Care
November 26, 2025–
Health Plans Hosts Annual Turkey Giveaway in Washington Heights!
November 22, 2025–Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Health Plans team hosted its annual turkey giveaway on November 20 in Washington Heights, collaborating with community partner Centro Médico Dominican. Members began lining up early in the morning, greeted with hot coffee, donuts, and lively music from a DJ that kept spirits high as people danced and caught up with neighbors. The team, joined by NYS Senator Robert Jackson, distributed 400 turkeys to members, many of whom are older, isolated adults who might not otherwise enjoy a special holiday meal. See the photos!
WBBZ-TV Buffalo Interviews Pat Deferio, VP Upstate Health Plans, on Navigating Long Term Care
November 20, 2025–
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!
VNS Health Strengthens Regional Presence During Kalos Health Transition, Notes Upstate Health Plans VP Patricia Deferio in Buffalo Business First
October 31, 2025–
PIX11 Interviews Alex Diaz on How to Navigate AEP
October 29, 2025–
Esther Conteh, Care Management VP, Health Plans Provides Tips on Long Term Care Planning for Buffalo Healthy Living
October 28, 2025–
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 Phyllis Mills Living Legend Award Winner: Teresa Lin
October 27, 2025–Teresa Lin was waiting for a subway at Times Square not long ago when a police officer approached and asked, “Are you Teresa Lin?” The officer explained that 25 years earlier, he’d been a teenage hospital volunteer. His grandmother had been a co-worker where Teresa worked, and he remembered her. He thanked her, saying his grandmother had always spoken fondly of her. “I was speechless,” Teresa recalls. “It reminded me that every interaction matters. You never know the impact you’ll have. That experience reaffirmed for me the importance of treating everyone with kindness and respect, regardless of title or circumstance.” This philosophy, along with her religious faith, has guided Teresa’s nearly 30 years in health care and her 16-plus years at VNS Health—a career that she’s now being honored for with the 2025 Phyllis Mills Living Legend Award. The award recognizes a team member with at least a decade of