Home Care
Meet VNS Health’s 2024 Occupational Therapist of the Year!
April 18, 2024–April is Occupational Therapy Month—when we honor our more than 70 occupational therapists (OTs) and certified occupational therapy assistants (COTAs). During this past Wednesday’s Occupational Therapy Month celebration, the 2024 Occupational Therapist of the Year was announced. And the winner is… Manhattan OT Dina Klein! Dina, who has been an OT with VNS Health Home Care for 12 years, serves a diverse community of patients on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Here are some other interesting facts about this year’s honoree: Dina on why she loves doing occupational therapy: “I enjoy providing motivation to my patients and letting them know they can do more than they think they can,” says Dina. “If we make our patients’ lives a little better, help relieve the caregiver burden, or prevent one fall, then we make an important difference in their lives.” She knows that little things can make a big difference. Dina
Latest Home Care News
As VNSNY Celebrates Holi, We Invite You to Send Us Your Holi Photos!
March 25, 2021–As VNSNY Celebrates Holi, We Invite You to Send Us Your Holi Photos! The Hindu festival of Holi starts this Sunday, March 28. Also known as “the festival of colors,” Holi commemorates the end of the Winter season and the new beginnings that arrive with Spring. It is a time to play, forgive, and celebrate a good Spring harvest. If you’re celebrating Holi and you take photographs of your celebration, Frontline would love to feature them in a special slide show. To send us your Holi photos, please click here!
Happy Social Work Month! VNSNY Staff Share Why They’re Proud to Perform Social Work
March 22, 2021–In honor of National Social Work Month, Frontline asked VNSNY’s own social workers, counselors, care managers, and other social service staff (over 525 employees in total!) to explain why they’re proud to carry out the vital work they perform every day. Below are some of the many responses sent in by our incredible social service staff. Thanks to you and to all of your colleagues for providing much-needed assistance and for making a difference in the lives of so many of our patients, members and clients—New Yorkers from all walks of life! …And check out this special video submission—featuring Program Coordinator Georgiana Cemento and her colleagues with Community Mental Health Services’ Health Home Program!
Find Out What’s Happening… News Briefs from Around VNSNY!
March 19, 2021–Welcome to the latest edition of “News Briefs from Around VNSNY”— featuring quick updates on recent news and virtual events across the organization. If you have a news brief you’d like to be considered for an upcoming edition, please click here to submit your idea. VNSNY Welcomes EVP & Chief Financial Keith Patterson On January 25th, Keith Patterson joined VNSNY as our new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Keith has an extensive background in managed care and robust experience in provider and other healthcare services, including senior finance positions with Aetna and UnitedHealthcare. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for Ready Responders, an on-demand community healthcare service. With his expertise and expertise in health care and finance, Keith will be an outstanding addition to VNSNY! Click here to read his Q+A interview on Frontline. VNSNY CEOs Named to 2021 City & State Health Power 100 Current VNSNY CEO
“Social Workers are people who wear a lot of different hats … We do it all!” says Nusheg Babikian, CMO Clinical Care Manager
March 17, 2021–In celebration of National Social Work Month, we’re featuring short videos during March of VNSNY staff who provide social work services to our patients, plan members, and clients. In this video, Nusheg Babikian, Clinical Care Manager with VNSNY’s care management organization (CMO), tells why she loves being a social worker. To hear Nusheg’s story, watch the video here below.
“There are so many rewarding things about my job,” says Kenia Alcantara, VNSNY Home Care Social Worker
March 12, 2021–In celebration of National Social Work Month, we’re featuring short videos during March of VNSNY staff who provide social work services to our patients, plan members, and clients. In this video, VNSNY Home Care Senior Social Worker Kenia Alcantara tells why she loves being a social worker. To hear Kenia’s’s story, watch the video here below.
Meet Our Latest ACE Leadership Program Grads!
March 9, 2021–The 10th cohort of VNSNY’s Achieving a Culture of Excellence (ACE) Leadership Program was slated to begin in March of last year—just as New York, and the majority of the world, was shutting down due to the pandemic. But the program and its participants were quick to adapt: After delaying for a few months to focus on the needs of VNSNY’s patients and staff, ACE kicked off in July 2020, entirely remote and ready to tackle the new world of COVID-19. “This year’s ACE participants came together in the midst of unprecedented challenges and stress, both in their personal and professional lives,” says ACE program director and VNSNY Organizational Development Specialist Amanda Weiner. “I believe that 2020 has changed every one of us, and I was so proud to see how the participants supported one another, stretched and pushed themselves, and showed up for VNSNY.” The group’s ACE commencement ceremony
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
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
Physical Therapist Billy Campbell on Why You Should Schedule Your COVID Vaccine Now!
February 26, 2021–“Having gone through COVID myself, I had a really horrible experience,” says Home Care Physical Therapist Billy Campbell. “I don’t want anyone to ever go through that experience.” In this “Ask VNSNY” video, Billy encourages you to get the COVID vaccine, if you haven’t already. To hear Billy’s story, click on the video below. On March 20th, VNSNY will stop administering first doses of the vaccine — so time is running out to get a vaccine appointment! Our goal is to vaccinate as many VNSNY employees as possible. Go to the Vaccinate VNSNY! Intranet page for ways to make appointments based on your eligibility.