VNSNY in 2017 — The Year in Review
As 2017 draws to a close, here is a look back at just some of the many important accomplishments and milestones that took place at VNSNY over the past year.
January
VNSNY Gets a New CEO. Christopher Olivia, MD, becomes VNSNY’s new President and Chief Executive Officer.
Cafés, Round 3. The third round of VNSNY Cafés get underway. The breakfast events are a chance for Provider Operations staff to mingle informally with colleagues, listen to some relaxing music, get a bite to eat, and hear updates about the organization and our new Value-Based Care reimbursement model.
CHOICE Town Halls. VNSNY CHOICE Health Plans begins the New Year by hosting five Town Hall meetings for its staff. The gatherings are a great opportunity to review CHOICE progress, get input from across the divisions, and make plans for the future.
Supporting Homeless Mentally Ill New Yorkers. In a new Medicaid collaboration with St. Barnabas Medical Center in the Bronx, VNSNY’s Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) division launches a Critical Time Intervention (CTI) initiative, in which care coordinators supervise patients for the first six months following their discharge from the medical center’s psychiatric unit. During this six-month period, the coordinators work to establish their clients in stable housing, visit them regularly to make sure they are sticking to their treatment plan, arrange for clinical care—including with VNSNY’s own psychiatric treatment programs, where appropriate—and travel with them to appointments.
February
SAGE Certification for the CHHA. VNSNY’s certified home health agency is awarded Platinum certification by SAGE (Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders), confirming that more than 80 percent of the workforce in VNSNY’s Home Care division has successfully completed the SAGE training.
Braving the Blizzard. When Winter Storm Niko hits on February 9, the snow drifts pile up across the city, schools are closed, and cars, trains and buses are struggling to cope—but the frontline staff across all corporations of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York remain true to our mission and commitment, heading out to care for elderly, chronically ill and homebound New Yorkers throughout our service area.
Patient Satisfaction on the Rise. The scores from the February 2017 Press Ganey surveys show that VNSNY’s patient satisfaction scores rose during February in five out of seven categories. In four of these categories, this was the fourth monthly increase in the row. In more good news, Angela Barody, Vice President for Quality and Customer Service, reports that the February scores placed VNSNY ahead of its 12 area competitors in almost every category.
March
Happy 150th, Lillian! On March 10th, we celebrate the 150th birthday of Lillian Wald, founder of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and one the most influential and celebrated pioneers in the history of nursing, social work and civil rights. To commemorate the event, VNSNY salutes 10 winners of the Lillian Wald Pioneering and Innovation Award. This award, created in honor of Lillian’s 150th birthday, is being given to VNSNY employees from across the organization who have shown particular initiative and innovation in their work, as Lillian did in her day.
Frontline Staff in the Media Spotlight. When a surprise mid-March winter storm, Stella, drops up to two feet of snow in some areas, The New York Beacon features a photo essay about VNSNY’s frontline staff who braved the blizzard to call on homebound New Yorkers.
April
NFP Earns Top Marks from NYC. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene gives VNSNY’s Bronx Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program an “excellent” rating in all categories. In their comments, the city evaluators note that “Services provided by this vendor are always comprehensive, timely and in compliance,” and that “Service delivery is excellent.”
VNSNY Ads Hit the Streets. VNSNY’s Marketing team relaunches its successful “Now What?” advertising campaign, which is rolled out in local newspapers and rotating digital displays at bus stops near medical centers on Manhattan’s Upper East and West Sides. This year’s media plan is coupled with a strengthened digital presence, including search optimizations and online banner advertising.
Community Paramedicine Pilot Begins. VNSNY kicks off a new Community Paramedicine collaboration with the Mount Sinai Health System, in which specially trained community paramedics call on patients at home who require immediate care, then consult virtually with a VNSNY Call Center nurse and a Mount Sinai emergency physician—often avoiding the need for a trip to the Emergency Department that may otherwise have occurred.
May
U.S. Representative Makes a House Call. Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who represents New York’s 13th District—an area that runs from Manhattan’s Upper West Side and Harlem up through Washington Heights in northern Manhattan and includes a slice of the Bronx—pays a home visit to a VNSNY CHOICE member. For Representative Espaillat, this visit is a chance to thank VNSNY for keeping his constituent safely at home and away from the emergency room. Last year, approximately 15,000 people in the 13th District received home care services through VNSNY, whjle another 1,000 of his constituents received VNSNY home hospice services in 2016.
Nurses Week Kudos. In honor of National Nurses Week, Bonnie Lauder, Director of Quality for VNSNY Hospice and Palliative Care, is recognized with VNSNY’s Joan Marren Leadership Award for her evidence-based care leadership and her work as an innovator, while Elsa Lam, Interdisciplinary Team Care Manager for VNSNY’s Acute Care Clinical Services in Manhattan, receives the Marilyn Liota Award for her outstanding patient care, staff support, leadership potential and contributions to the VNSNY community.
VNSNY Hospice Nurses Make National Today Show Appearance for Nurses Week. For a group of VNSNY nurses, this year’s National Nurses Week celebration includes a turn on national TV. When NBC’s Today Show kicks off its Nurses Week coverage on a Monday morning in early May, a dozen members of the VNSNY Hospice and Palliative Care team gather on the show’s outdoor plaza to join co-host Hoda Kotb in giving a live televised shout-out to America’s nurses. VNSNY’s spirited contingent was on set at the Today Show broadcast to help carry out a special surprise for VNSNY Hospice Nurse Madeline Hass.
Celebrating NFP’s Moms. News 12 Bronx airs a segment on the VNSNY Nurse-Family Partnership’s Mother’s Day Celebration, hosted at the Mott Haven branch of the New York Public Library.
June
VNSNY Research Prompts UHF Report. Why do some high-risk patients refuse home health care services after they’re discharged from the hospital? The non-profit United Hospital Fund (UHF) publishes a report exploring that question, prompted by ground-breaking research led by Kathy Bowles, director of VNSNY’s Center for Home Care Policy and Research and van Ameringen Professor in Nursing Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania, along with colleagues from several other institutions.
Staff Named as Hartford Institute Fellows. Three VNSNY staff members are named as Fellows/Advisors of NYU’s Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing. Rose Madden-Baer, Senior Vice President, Population Health and Clinical Support Services, Susan Northover, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services, and Margaret McDonald, Associate Director, Research Studies at the VNSNY Center for Home Care Policy and Research, have all been given two-year Fellowship appointments by the Hartford Institute, which is the geriatric arm of the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing.
Showing Our Pride. On June 25th, more than 70 VNSNY staff and friends march in the NYC Pride March—the first time VNSNY has officially participated as an organization. View the video.
Cafés Start a New Cycle. A new cycle of VNSNY Cafes begins, with a focus on VNSNY’s charitable care mission.
July
SelectHealth Receives Quality Bonus. The New York State Department of Health (DOH) announces that, as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s program to end the AIDS epidemic, it is awarding a multi-million dollar payment to the VNSNY CHOICE SelectHealth special needs plan (SNP) for meeting or exceeding HIV/AIDS Quality Measures in 2016.
VNSNY Hospice Goes to Washington. Representatives from VNSNY Hospice and Palliative Care traveled to Washington, DC in mid-July to participate in the 2017 Hospice Action Network (HAN) Advocacy Intensive. The event, which brings together hospice programs from across the nation, offers attendees guidance on advocacy techniques, and also includes a full day of meetings on Capitol Hill with elected representatives to discuss hospice-related issues.
New Electronic Health Records System. It’s announced that, starting later this year, VNSNY will be implementing a new electronic health record (EHR) management system, HomeCare HomeBase (HCHB). An industry-leading, cloud-based home health software with a proven track record, HCHB is currently being used by 7 of the 10 largest U.S. home health and hospice providers.
August
QAPI Kickoff. VNSNY implements the new QAPI (Quality Assurance Performance Improvement) program developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
125th Anniversary Photo. On August 20th, staff members representing the diverse services, programs and divisions of VNSNY in 2017 gather in the Oculus at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, for a group photograph commemorating VNSNY’s 125th anniversary.
SAGECare Training for HHAs. As part of VNSNY’s ongoing LGBT educational initiative, the more than 8,000 home health aides in Partners in Care start attending specialized SAGECare training sessions designed to raise awareness of cultural issues and sensitivities around sexual orientation and gender identification.
September
Welcome, Lester! VNSNY expands its ranks of top leadership when Lester Schindel joins the organization as Executive Vice President for Strategy and Physician Network Development—a role that involves leading the development and execution of VNSNY’s strategic plans and corporate development initiatives, and working to optimize the relationship of VNSNY and its physician networks with other clinical partners and insurers. Read our Q&A with Lester.
Frontline VNSNY Website Is Launched. In early September, VNSNY unveils its new Frontline VNSNY website, allowing staff to find all the latest news about VNSNY in one convenient online location.
SelectHealth Campaign. CHOICE SelectHealth, VNSNY’s Special Needs Plan for Medicaid-eligible individuals with HIV, launches an ad campaign aimed at New Yorkers who qualify for SelectHealth coverage but are not yet enrolled. The campaign includes poster ads in New York City subway cars and at bus stops and subway stations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, as well as print ads in selected local publications throughout SelectHealth’s service area. Read about the campaign.
October
ACE Program Returns. After a three-year hiatus, VNSNY’s Achieving a Culture of Excellence (ACE) Leadership Program resumes on October 5th with a kickoff meeting at 1250 Broadway. Click here to read about the program.
VNSNY Employees Provide Disaster Relief. In the wake of the devastation left by Hurricane Maria in late September, VNSNY staff collect supplies for residents Puerto Rico, and staff members Alicia Schwartz and Sasha Arana travel to the island in person to assist in the relief effort. Also in October, Kerry Symon of Community Mental Health Services travels to Northern California to counsel victims of the wildfires there. Read about their experiences here, here and here.
November
Farewell, Marki. After 35 years of amazing and distinguished service at VNSNY, Marki Flannery, Executive Vice President and Chief of Provider Operations, leaves to pursue new opportunities.
A Big Evening for VNSNY’s Children & Family Services. VNSNY’s 2017 Benefit Dinner was held on the evening of November 1st at the Pierre Hotel. The event raised more than $1 million for VNSNY Children & Family Services programs.
VNSNY Brings Back the ESPRIT Awards! VNSNY marks the return of the ESPRIT awards by recognizing 11 outstanding staff members from across the organization for the way they exemplify VNSNY’s core values of Excellence, Service, People, fiscal Responsibility, Initiative and Teamwork. To read profiles of each award winner, along with excerpts from the nominating letters written by their colleagues, click here.
Gender Affirmation Program Update. In November, Frontline VNSNY reported on our specialized post-op care program for gender affirmation surgery patients. Since the spring of 2016, VNSNY’s gender affirmation surgery team, led by Shannon Whittington, an Interdisciplinary Care Team Manager with VNSNY Home Care, has provided post-surgical care for close to 100 patients. Read about the program.
SelectHealth Covers Transgender New Yorkers. CHOICE SelectHealth expands its eligibility pool to include New Yorkers who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming, regardless of their HIV status.
December
TV Segment Features VNSNY Experts. BronxNet TV features VNSNY Diabetes Educator Yael Reich and CHOICE Care Coordinator Alicia Schwartz in a segment on how to manage diabetes and other conditions over the holidays. View the video!
Holiday Celebration in Chinatown. On December 21st, VNSNY’s Chinatown Community Center hosts a mid-day holiday event for local residents. Approximately 150 people, mostly elderly, attend the celebration, which, among other activities, includes healthy yoga exercises.
VNSNY’s Longest-Serving HHA is Profiled. A featured article on the Frontline VNSNY website profiled Patricia Watson, VNSNY Partners in Care’s longest-serving home health aide. Patricia joined Partners in Care in 1976, when Gerald Ford was president, inflation was high, and the country was celebrating its bicentennial. Read her profile.
