Hospice Care
Latest Hospice 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
The Queens Times Spotlights Hospice Nurses at Queens Nurses Month Celebration
May 15, 2025–
125 VNS Health Kids Enjoy “Bring Your Child to Work Day”—See the Photos!
May 5, 2025–If you were in our offices at 220 East 42nd Street or 5 Penn Plaza on April 24th, you might have noticed some unusually young team members on the premises. You weren’t imagining things—but then again, those weren’t actually VNS Health employees. This was “Bring Your Child to Work Day,” and many of our team members did exactly that, inviting 125 of their kids to spend the day at their workplace. For the children in attendance, it was a day of learning about health care and the organization in fun and creative ways. Following breakfast, attendees could choose from a menu of activities that included a scavenger hunt, various healthcare demos—where kids could watch a nurse removing staples from a simulated “leg,” as well as demonstrations of occupational therapy in action and how breathing and swallowing issues are managed—plus a presentation on healthcare careers. Lunch featured pizza, ice cream and
Last Year, Over 200 Volunteers Helped Us Deliver VNS Health’s Mission. Meet Six of Them.
April 22, 2025–This week is National Volunteer Week, when we honor the committed individuals who donate their time, energy and compassion to VNS Health and our mission. In 2024, 221 volunteers in Home Care and Hospice dedicated 21,948 hours to supporting our patients, families, and team members. In dollars, this comes out to about $735,000 in estimated savings to the organization. Our volunteers play a vital role across many different parts of VNS Health, including our Chinatown NNORC and Community Centers, Hospice Patient Care teams, Intake, Finance and Business Operations, Bereavement, and our Hospice Physician Fellowship Program. Our volunteers provide companionship to patients, make check-in calls to caregivers, support bereavement groups, send uplifting greeting cards, assist with office tasks, participate in veteran outreach, and much more. This week, we invite you to join us in thanking our volunteers for their generous gifts of time and commitment to the people we serve. Now,
Our VNS Health Experts Testify in Support of Behavioral Health and Veterans Programs
March 31, 2025–As New York City (NYC) prepares its budget for 2026, Deirdre DeLeo, Director of Behavioral Health, testified on March 24th to the NYC Council Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction in support of VNS Health’s Geriatric Mental Health Initiative (GMHI) and Promise Zone Initiatives. And on March 25th, Contessa Officer, Director of Veterans Programs, testified to the Council’s Committee on Veterans, advocating for funding to sustain and extend the programs’ outreach and connect more veterans to care in 2026.
VNS Health Celebrates Social Work Month! See the Photos!
March 31, 2025–March is National Social Work Month. On March 27th, to mark the occasion, nearly 100 Social Services Professionals gathered at 220 East 42nd Street for a breakfast celebration. The morning’s proceedings included presentations by CEO Dan Savitt and SVP Jessica Fear, a salute to Lizzie Cogan as the winner of our first-ever Social Services Professional of the Year Award, and a raffle. A continuing education unit (CEU) followed, led by LMSW Asha Lyons. To see photos of the event, click on the slideshow below.
Age-Friendly “M” Words Make a Difference
March 4, 2025–INSIDE PROVIDER SERVICES by David Rosales Welcome to the latest installment of my Frontline column, “Inside Provider Services,” where I talk about what’s going on with our Home Care, Hospice, Behavioral Health, Personal Care and Care Management Organization teams. Patients, old and young, who feel listened to and involved in their care—whether that care is provided in a hospital or a facility, a doctor’s office, or within the home—are more likely to have better health outcomes than those who don’t feel engaged in their care. Empathetic, friendly care that involves patients can make a real difference. Here’s something else that can happen when patients feel listened to and involved in their care—it can help improve the consumer experience. We’re seeing just that, first-hand, in our Home Care patient satisfaction ratings. Last month, the Home Care team received 3 Stars in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rating that measures patient
When It Comes to Action Plans, One Size Does Not Fit All
November 8, 2024–INSIDE PROVIDER SERVICES with David Rosales Welcome to the latest installment of my Frontline column, “Inside Provider Services,” where I talk about what’s going on with our Home Care, Hospice, Behavioral Health, Personal Care and Care Management Organization teams. It’s hard to believe it’s already November. Before you know it, it’ll be Thanksgiving. Here’s something else that falls into the “before you know it” category: our 2024 Employee Engagement Survey, which was just sent out. This is the survey where we ask you to tell us about your work and how you feel about working for this organization. Since this year’s Employee Engagement Survey just went out, both my column and John’s “Inside Health Plans” column this month are focused on the Action Plans that have been happening across the organization this past year to address feedback that you and your colleagues shared in last year’s Employee Engagement Survey. So here are
This Video of VNS Health’s First Annual Awards Ceremony Is Sure to Put a Smile on Your Face!
November 6, 2024–On a very special October evening, team members from across the organization were honored in VNS Health’s version of the Academy Awards. VNS Health In-Action reporter Carlos Pereyra (Community Liaison from Health Plans) was on the scene to interview team members. To watch his inspiring and emotion-filled report, click here! To read the profiles of all the VNS Health Awards Ceremony honorees, please click here. To see the photos and a full recording of the event, click here.