Personal Care
Latest Personal Care News
Today is Transgender Day of Visibility: If You Do Nothing Else Today, Watch These Two Inspiring Videos
March 31, 2021–SelectHealth, the specialized Medicaid plan from VNSNY CHOICE, is recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility by highlighting two amazing transgender employees with inspiring video tributes. Talia Vaughn and Trust Robinson, both Outreach and Enrollment Coordinators with SelectHealth, share their experiences and uplifting thoughts on being transgender in these two videos below.
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!
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
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
Partners in Care HHA Michelle Brown Explains Why You Should Get the COVID Vaccine Now!
February 26, 2021–In this “Ask VNSNY” video, Partners in Care HHA Michelle Brown encourages you to get the COVID vaccine if you haven’t already. As Michelle says, “If we all do it, we can put an end to this pandemic sooner rather than later.” To hear Michelle’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! To schedule your appointment, you can call the HHA vaccine scheduling hotline at 212-609-4126. To watch more videos about getting the vaccine, please click here.
Don’t Miss This Inspiring Video Celebrating Partners in Care Home Health Aide Heroes!
December 16, 2020–On Monday evening, December 14th, VNSNY Partners in Care held its annual Service Awards program. This virtual event celebrated nearly 800 Partners in Care staff members and included an inspiring video spotlighting on 14 Partners in Care home health aide heroes and their passion for the important work they do. To watch this video, please click below.
Meichelle Huff, Home Health Aide, Partners in Care
November 7, 2020–“This is such a rewarding job.” Becoming a home health aide had always been a goal of Meichelle’s. While looking for work some eight years ago, she took an HHA training course and was immediately assigned several hours of work on cases scattered around New York City. When her supervisor came back to her and asked whether she’d consider a live-in position three days a week in Manhattan, she quickly said yes. It was a life-changing decision. “My client is an elderly, bedbound lady with Alzheimer’s who never spoke English and is nonverbal—but we have our own way of communicating,” says Meichelle. “I have a song that I’ll sing to her so that she knows that it’s me. As soon as she hears it, she starts reaching her hands out to me.” Meichelle admits that she was a little nervous to start with. “I had never bathed or changed anybody