Hospice Care
Latest Hospice Care News
VNS Health Marches in Pride Celebrations in the Bronx and Manhattan
June 30, 2026–Team members from across the organization were joined by family and friends as they marched to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and celebrate Pride in the Bronx on Saturday, June 20th and in Manhattan on Sunday, June 28. See the photos here below! Bronx Borough President & LGBTQIA+ Task Force Pride March Saturday, June 20 Manhattan Heritage of Pride March Sunday, June 28
“Leadership Unlocked” Graduates Third Cohort of Leaders
June 24, 2026–The third cohort of Leadership Unlocked held its graduation on Tuesday, June 16th. The day marked the successful completion of the 15-week leadership development program. Throughout the program, 15 Vice Presidents and Directors from across the organization deepened their leadership capabilities through interactive learning experiences, coaching, assessments, VNS Health site visits, and internal networking opportunities. The cohort’s final capstone presentations focused on how their understanding of one VNS Health has changed as a result of being in this program, and how they, as leaders, can help move our organization forward. See the photos below! Congratulations to our third cohort graduates: Olga Akturk, Risikat Amolegbe, Ted Barszewski, Brady Brelinski, Lauren Caralyus, Tom Cocozza, Elizer Cooper-Audain, Kyle Crawford, Lissette Felix, Scott Gale, Jody Lee, Chantal Louisma, Grace McGhee, Tazia Myers, and Lynna Paulino-Reyes!
Catch Up Quick: Latest News Briefs Are Here!
June 22, 2026–Across VNS Health, a lot is happening! To help keep you informed and updated, here is our latest batch of News Briefs… Celebrating the Knicks and the World Cup! Photos! On Thursday, June 11, to celebrate the Knicks making history as well as the official start of the World Cup, many team members from all parts of our organization wore either Knicks blue and orange colors or their favorite World Cup team country colors. See the colorful photos here below! “Leadership Unlocked” Graduates Another Cohort of Leaders The third cohort of Leadership Unlocked held its graduation on Tuesday, June 16th. The day marked the successful completion of the 15-week leadership development program. Throughout the program, 15 Vice Presidents and Directors from across the organization deepened their leadership capabilities through interactive learning experiences, coaching, assessments, VNS Health site visits, and internal networking opportunities. The cohort’s final capstone presentations focused on how
“Amazing Care!” “My Experience Was Outstanding!” See Our Latest Patient Letters and Commendations!
June 8, 2026–Over the last few months, dozens of team members and teams from across the organization provided such an outstanding consumer experience that people wrote letters, called, emailed, or posted about them. To view their grateful notes and comments, simply scroll down or click on any of the areas below: Bronx “I’m very grateful.” A Bronx Home Care patient called to commend his care team, stating that the nurses have been taking “great care” of him and that “I’m very grateful.” He wanted to especially express his gratitude to Nurses Kamika Grant-Barnett and Donna Marku for being “very wonderful” with him. “Amazing care.” A patient’s daughter posted this compliment for Nurse Donna Marku and Physical Therapist Jose Hernandez on social media: “Love VNS Health. My dad had an amazing nurse from June 2023 until he passed on Easter Sunday. Donna Marku was so much more than a VNS Health nurse, she
Hospice Care Team Reaches Census Milestone
June 5, 2026–The Hospice Care team reached an important milestone in May, surpassing a daily census of 1,350 patients—an important achievement made possible through strong collaboration between our Hospice clinical teams and Intake. By responding quickly when referrals are received and working closely with families to address potential barriers to admission, the team has expanded access to hospice services while maintaining a focus on personalized, interdisciplinary care and support.
CCSS Launches AI Assistant to Support Contact Center Teams in Real Time
May 29, 2026–The Contact Center Support Services (CCSS) team recently launched Balto, a new AI-powered assistant designed to help representatives deliver faster, more consistent support to members and patients. Built to work alongside agents during live calls, Balto listens to conversations in real time and provides on-screen guidance, suggested next steps, reminders, and quick access to relevant tools and resources. The technology acts like a live coach, helping team members navigate complex conversations with greater confidence while reducing the need to search across multiple systems or rely solely on memory. All CCSS agents are now using Balto. The implementation team is working with Balto to continually improve the information and responsiveness of this AI tool, so agents can spend more time focused on solving complex problems and delivering an even better experience for our patients and members.
Over 30 VNS Health Team Members Walked in the 41st Annual AIDS Walk!
May 20, 2026–On Sunday morning, May 17, over 30 VNS Health team members from across the organization came together in Central Park to walk in the 41st annual AIDS Walk. The money raised by the Walk will help support vital health services to those living with HIV. See the photos below!
The Queens Times Spotlights VNS Health Nurses Month Celebration
May 14, 2026–
The 2026 VNS Health Nurses Month Photos and Videos Are Here!
May 8, 2026–Throughout the month of May, to celebrate our exceptional, amazing nurses, VNS Health will be holding Nurses Month events in all five NYC boroughs as well as Westchester and Long Island. To view photos from each of these celebrations—plus videos of government officials giving special tributes to VNS Health—click on any of the links below to go directly to photos of that event, or scroll down. Manhattan — Tuesday, May 5 Queens — Thursday, May 7 NYC Councilmember Sandra Ung Addresses and Appreciates Our Queens Nurses Staten Island — May 12, 2026 NYC Councilmember Frank Morano Addresses and Appreciates Our Staten Island Nurses Bronx – May 13, 2026 Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson Addresses and Appreciates Our Bronx Nurses NYC Councilmember Amanda Farías Addresses and Appreciates Our Bronx Nurses Long Island — May 14, 2026 Jane Reilly Accepts 2026 Nurse of Year Award and The Raffle Video Westchester — May 18, 2026