Personal Care
Latest Personal Care News
Last Month We Asked: “What Is Your Favorite Holiday Tradition?”
December 15, 2025–Over 400 Home Health Aide team members responded to our November raffle question— “What is your favorite holiday tradition?” The responses were heartwarming. One tradition—spending time with loved ones—was a clear frontrunner for the most beloved part of the holiday season, getting named in 74% of responses. Many HHAs also mentioned decorating their homes (37%) and cooking special meals (51%). Not surprisingly, more than a third of those who responded said they enjoy dedicating their free time to helping others, with many expressing the joy they feel in assisting their clients with their own holiday traditions. As we do each month, we took the names of all the HHA team members who participated in the November raffle question, put them all together, and drew three at random. The winning team members, who each received $100, were Rosario Perez, Kemona Bailey and Claudia Guerron. Remember, to be included in our monthly
Documentary Highlights NORC Program and Aging Safely in Community
November 22, 2025–The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) has released Aging in Community: A New York First Model, a new documentary that offers an in-depth look at New York’s innovative Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) program. The film features the powerful story of transformative friendship between VNS Health Personal Care NORC nurse Jana Kozlowski and her patient Bess Friedman, a widow who is navigating the challenges of losing her husband. In the video, Bess credits the bond and friendship she shares with Jana for helping her regain her sense of worth. “Jana is everything you could dream of,” said Bess. “She really listens to you.” Through stories like that of Jana and Bess, the documentary showcases how NORCs provide a comprehensive network of social and health services that help older adults remain independent and age safely in the community of their choice. To view the film, visit NYSOFA’s NORC
Care That Connects: HHA Giselle Roman Shines on Fox 5’s “Native New Yorker”
November 7, 2025–On Friday, November 7, Giselle Roman, one of our Personal Care extraordinary home health aides, was featured on Fox5’s Native New Yorker, sharing a joyful dance with her 92-year-old patient, Olivia. This isn’t just care. It’s connection, compassion, and pure NYC spirit.
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!
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 ESPRIT Award Winner: Rosa Marcus
October 27, 2025–When a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak hit Harlem over the summer, Rosa Marcus, Director of Support Services for VNS Health Personal Care, moved fast. She pulled together a list of Home Health Aide team members who were working in the affected community and coordinated with her team to quickly get critical safety information out to them. This is the kind of rapid response that Rosa has become known for over her 45 years at VNS Health. Her skills were honed even more sharply during the pandemic: When our offices were closed due to COVID, she helped keep over 6,000 HHA team members regularly updated and feeling engaged, a task she describes as “gargantuan.” What makes Rosa extraordinary isn’t just her longevity—it’s her ability to see both sides of the health care equation. “I deal a lot with patients’ complaints and concerns, and I also deal with the HHAs’ concerns,” she explains.
Without Home Health Care, What’s at Stake?
October 13, 2025–That’s the question being asked in a series of one-minute videos that that our Government Affairs and Communications teams have collaborated on and that our Social Media team is pushing out on all of our social media platforms. To view the first of these important videos, click on the image below. The fact is, a lot is at stake. For next year (2026 is less than 3 months away!), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed an unprecedented 9% cut to Medicare home health care reimbursement rates. We’re talking millions of dollars of cuts to the care we provide! This proposed reduction comes on top of cuts and underpayments since 2020 that have already sharply reduced access to home health care for millions of Americans—including thousands of our own patients and Medicare enrollees throughout New York State. CMS is expected to announce their final decision in the
2025 Personal Care Honor Awards: Here’s the Full List – and Photos!
September 30, 2025–The 42nd Annual Personal Care Honor Awards Ceremony was held on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 in midtown Manhattan. Here below are photos of the festive event as well as a complete list of all the Personal Care team members who received Honor Awards. Congratulations to all the winners! Sally Kirton, HHA Supervisor, received the VNS Health Rewards Supervisor Superstar Award. Sally has some of the most challenging cases to fill, yet she and her team achieve remarkable results. She’s also a champion of VNS Health Rewards, recognizing her team often and ensuring that VNS Health’s Home Health Aides know their work matters. She is often praised for her kindness, patience, and compassion — she is truly a caregiver to caregivers. Diana Isabel Cuero Marroquin, HHA, won the VNS Health Rewards Hiring Wizard Award for being, quite simply, a hiring hero! Diana has referred seven new aides to VNS Health —
“When My Clients Are Happy, I’m Happy.” Meet Our 2025 Home Health Aide of the Year Winner!
September 30, 2025–For Karen Williams, being a Personal Care Home Health Aide means showing up every day with a smile—and never giving up. When she tells her clients “I’m not leaving,” she means it. Karen joined VNS Health in 2009 and has provided care and companionship to dozens of clients since then. Currently, she cares for an older couple with dementia, seeing to their groceries, cooking meals, doing laundry, going with them to doctor’s appointments—everything they need so they can continue to live in their home. Although the couple speaks primarily Greek and Karen does not, they understand one another, communicating seamlessly through gestures and intuition. And over the years, she’s also mastered their Greek-style food preferences. Even on her days off, Karen answers her clients’ phone calls and has been known to come in if she can help the care team navigate a complex issue. “They need me,” she says of