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March 28, 2024

Provider Services

Welcome to Provider Services. Here you’ll find stories about our CHHA, VNS Health Hospice and Palliative Care, and Partners in Care.

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Partners in Care Home Health Aides Get Their Own Online Resource Center

October 1, 2021–The 6,500 home health aides at Partners in Care now have an exciting, new and improved dedicated online Partners in Care HHA Resource Center. HHAs can get to our new online center from any smartphone, tablet or computer. Here, you will find recordings of CEO Dan Savitt’s weekly conference calls, the latest updates on COVID-19 including vaccinations, information on mobile phone resources, tips for caring for patients, and so much more. This new center can still be accessed from the Frontline website by clicking on the blue Partners in Care HHA Resources button at the top of the Frontline page. Other items posted on the Partners in Care HHA Resource Center include: A convenient list of every HHA Supervisor at Partners in Care and their phone numbers Access to the PPE order form Dates, times and phone numbers for upcoming HHA support calls Tips and information on how to use

Nine Things You May Be Surprised to Know About VNSNY’s HOPE Program

September 25, 2021–Since 2015, VNSNY Hospice’s HOPE (Hospice Outreach, Patient and Provider Education) Program has encouraged better access to hospice care among African Americans and Latinx in Harlem. Recently, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, HOPE has expanded to the Bronx as well. Here are nine things you may not know about the HOPE Program: 1. The HOPE Program is a key part of VNSNY’s effort to address health disparities. Nationwide, 48% of white Medicare beneficiaries enroll in hospice, compared with 8% of Black and 6% of Latinx Medicare beneficiaries. This stark disparity means that millions of Americans are missing out on the many benefits of hospice care at the end of life, which includes getting skilled symptom management while living with their loved ones at home, rather than languishing in the hospital. 2. There are many reasons for the disparities in hospice use. They include lack

An Interview with Jessica Fear, VNSNY’s New Senior Vice President of Community Mental Health Services (CMHS)

September 13, 2021–In May, Jessica Fear was appointed as the new Senior Vice President and head of VNSNY’s Community Mental Health Services (CMHS). This is Jessica’s second stint at VNSNY. Frontline spoke with her recently about her new role and her vision for CMHS.   Before we talk about your new position, can you tell us a little about your previous time at CMHS? First of all, I can’t talk about my role here without paying tribute to Neil Pessin, who recently retired from his role as Vice President of CMHS. He started the division and was at the helm for 35 years, ensuring its successful growth and consistent commitment to excellent care for the most disenfranchised New Yorkers. I’m thrilled to be able to continue that legacy. Neil brought me on in 2004, and I went on to work here for 10 years. Before that, I did many years of direct

August 2021 Patient Letters

August 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.   Manhattan— Along with her recent donation to VNSNY, a Manhattan resident sent a touching note about some important care that VNSNY provided to her a half-century ago. “My son, who recently turned 50, was born prematurely,” she wrote. “After his eventual discharge from Bellevue Hospital, we were visited by a VNSNY nurse. Her visit was very comforting and was much appreciated.” Another Manhattanite expressed his gratitude for Hospice nurse Alfred Sarte, stating how pleasant Alfred is to work with, and “how great he is at what he does.” “I wanted to take a moment to express my satisfaction with the Home Health

10 Things You May Be Surprised to Know About VNSNY Partners in Care

July 26, 2021–This article is the first in an ongoing series in which Frontline will be highlighting different lines of business, programs, departments and teams across the organization. Our aim in running this series is to enhance the VNSNY employee experience by spotlighting all parts of VNSNY, revealing things you may not know, and bringing our staff closer together. If you know of a VNSNY department or group that you think should be included in this series, please let us know by clicking here! Thanks to VNSNY Partners in Care home health aides (HHAs) and clinicians, thousands of older New Yorkers are able to stay in their homes rather than go into a nursing home or other facility. Here are 10 things you may not know about Partners in Care. 1. Partners in Care is the largest of VNSNY’s business units in terms of workforce size. In fact, the business line employs a

Hear What CMHS Staff Have to Say About Our Newly Renovated Bronx FRIENDS Office!

July 9, 2021–To help enhance the VNSNY employee experience, some Community Mental Health Services employees are coming back to find an all new, updated workspace at the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Clinic on East 153rd Street in the South Bronx. The clinic is home to a number of CMHS programs, including VNSNY’s Geriatric Outreach and Children’s Mobile Crisis Teams. Over the past few months, VNSNY Facilities staff have worked to update much of the office space, creating a cleaner, brighter and more welcoming workplace atmosphere. But don’t take our word for it: Our Frontline Roving Reporter recently sat down with a number of CMHS staff to get the inside scoop! Scroll down to hear what your colleagues had to say about their renovated office, and to see photos of the new and improved space!   “I started working at this office in July of 2019, and this is a major, major change. They removed the

May 2021 Patient Letters

May 21, 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.         “A Wonderful Job of Caring” Bronx—The daughter of a Bronx VNSNY Hospice patient called to give special thanks to licensed social worker Alisha Freeman and nurses Judith Spencer-Thomas and Selina Stewart-Williams, all of whom provided hospice care to her mother. She added that VNSNY Hospice had done “such a wonderful job of caring,” first for her father—who was also a hospice patient years earlier—and now her mother. “We Are So Grateful” “I am writing on behalf of my late father, and my mother, as the superb work of your staff sustained the both of them throughout his final year

“It is emotionally rewarding and fulfilling work,” says Reneicea Hughes, CMHS Psychiatric Social Worker

March 24, 2021–In celebration of National Social Work Month, we’re featuring short videos during March of VNSNY staff who provide social work services to our patients, plan members, and clients. In this video, Reneicea Hughes, Psychiatric Social Worker with VNSNY’s Community Mental Health Services, tells why she loves being a social worker. To hear Reneicea’s story, watch the video here below.

“Social Workers are people who wear a lot of different hats … We do it all!” says Nusheg Babikian, CMO Clinical Care Manager

March 17, 2021–In celebration of National Social Work Month, we’re featuring short videos during March of VNSNY staff who provide social work services to our patients, plan members, and clients. In this video, Nusheg Babikian, Clinical Care Manager with VNSNY’s care management organization (CMO), tells why she loves being a social worker. To hear Nusheg’s story, watch the video here below.