Home Care
Latest Home Care News
VNS Health Celebrates Nurses Month! Photos! Videos!
May 29, 2025–To celebrate our truly amazing nurses, VNS Health held Nurses Month events in all five NYC boroughs as well as in Westchester and Long Island. To view photos from each of these celebrations – plus videos of government officials giving special tributes to VNS Health – click here below! Manhattan — May 1, 2025 Queens — May 7, 2025 Westchester — May 13, 2025 Bronx — May 14, 2025 At our Bronx event, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson celebrated VNS Health Nurses with an inspiring talk and a proclamation. She also dedicated five full nursing school scholarships at Touro University for residents of the Bronx. To view the video click here below. NY News 1 and Bronx News 12 also covered the event, which included honoring Jean Verlus, our 2025 Nurse of the Year, and the announcement of the scholarships dedicated to residents of the Bronx. Click here for NY
From Pregnancy to Toddlerhood — A Day in the Life of NFP Nurse Nicole Grafilo
May 27, 2025–As part of our Nurses Month celebration, we’re spotlighting a day in the life of Nicole Grafilo, a nurse from our Bronx Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) team. The NFP pairs a first-time mother with a specially trained nurse, who then meets regularly with the mother from pregnancy through the child’s second birthday. (To learn more about our NFP, click here.) While the NFP may end its services at toddlerhood, the benefits will last a lifetime. Nicole, who herself is a new mom of a 13-month-old, visits each of her clients approximately every two weeks, though her visits can be more frequent around the time of birth and less frequent as the child gets older. Here’s a look at Nicole’s typical day, in Nicole’s own words. (For reasons of confidentiality, we’ve changed the names of the clients and their babies.) 7 a.m. Our baby is usually up by seven, and my husband
Meet Our 2025 Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year!
May 22, 2025–VNS Health’s 2025 Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year has been revealed: It’s Jennifer Hansen—and the announcement is sure to generate a round of applause across Staten Island. One of just two VNS Health speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Staten Island and a resident of the borough herself, Jennifer treats all her patients like family. “Everyone knows everyone here,” she says. “Sometimes I’ll find I know a patient’s daughter, or I may have cared for the patient’s aunt or cousin. They all feel like family.” Jennifer has been with VNS Health Home Care for 19 years, and she finds every day rewarding, especially now that she’s past the hustle and bustle of raising young kids and being new on the job. What she loves most about her work is that she’s making a difference in the lives of her clients. They’re often isolated and lonely when she first meets them—they may be
New York Business Journal Spotlights VNS Health Research Scientist Julia Burgdorf and Her Team’s New Research on Dementia and Home Care
May 20, 2025–
NY1 Spotlights Nurse of the Year Jean Verlus on “Around the Boroughs” for Nurses Month
May 20, 2025–
Roger Herr Joins APTA Podcast to Speak on the Future of Home Health Care
May 16, 2025–Roger Herr, VP, Regional Patient Care Services, Home Care is also the past President of APTA Home Health and recent former President of APTA. (APTA stands for American Physical Therapy Association.) In this podcast, he discusses the future of home health care in 2025 and beyond. Roger highlights key advancements in home health, including the increased role of PTs in start-of-care admissions, case management, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The discussion also explores technology and the future impact of AI on home health. To listen to the podcast, click here below.
The Queens Times Spotlights Hospice Nurses at Queens Nurses Month Celebration
May 15, 2025–
News12 Bronx Spotlights VNS Health Nurse of the Year Jean Verlus and Scholarship Announcement
May 15, 2025–
Margaret McDonald, AVP, Center for Home Care Policy and Research, Speaks to Home Health Care News on the Importance of Addressing Language Barriers in Home Health
May 14, 2025–