VNS Health Joins Other Leading Organizations in Signing Mental Health Pledge

VNS Health recently joined hundreds of other leading U.S. organizations in signing the Mental Health Pledge. This pledge states:

“As we continue through challenging times, we reaffirm that employee mental health and well-being remain as essential as ever. That’s why we’ve come together to pledge to continue prioritizing the well-being and mental health of our employees through the uncertain times that lie ahead—and maintain our investments and commitments in this critical area.”

You can see the full pledge along with the organizations and companies that have signed it by clicking here.

“We are honored to commit to the Mental Health Pledge,” says Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer Tracy Dodd, who signed the pledge on behalf of VNS Health. “We believe this is yet another way to communicate that we care about the well-being of our current and future employees, and we are strongly committed to supporting all aspects of their health, including mental/behavioral health.”  

As part of this commitment, VNS Health offers a number of resources to support team members’ mental and emotional health—see the links posted below. “We’re also very focused on developing additional support programs for employees, such as self-defense and safety awareness training,” says Tracy. “You’ll be hearing more about these soon, so stay tuned.”

VNS Health Mental Health and Emotional Support Resources

• For management, administrative and non-union professional employees and UFT-represented employees, our Employee Assistance Program through New Directions is a free, confidential resource to help you and your family members overcome life’s challenges. Counseling with a therapist is available 24/7 to help you manage stress, relationships, family issues and more.  Call 800-624-5544 or log in (company code “vnsny”) and choose the counseling method that works best for you.
• For employees represented by 1199 SEIU, free, confidential counseling services are available through the union’s Member Assistance Program. To talk to a counselor, call (646) 473-6900. To learn more about the program, visit the 1119 website by clicking here.
• We also continue to offer support calls for Home Health Aides and all who support them once a week on Tuesdays at 12 pm OR Thursdays at 1 pm (45 minutes each). For the call-in phone numbers as well as the most recent schedule, go to hha.vnsny.org or click here. 
• In addition, we’ve posted advice on Frontline from our own behavioral health team on how to deal with stressful events like gun violence, which you can read by clicking here.
• Finally, to promote physical and mental relaxation and peace of mind, we also offer virtual meditation and yoga classes—for more information on these, click here.