Find Out What’s Happening … News from Around VNSNY
Welcome to the latest edition of “News Briefs from Around VNSNY”— featuring quick updates on recent news and virtual events across the organization.
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Need an idea for a quick day trip? The beautiful Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk, Connecticut, is featuring an exhibit called “Health, Healing & Addiction in 19th Century America,” open to the public through October 17th. It covers the history of health care, including the extraordinary breakthroughs that led to the birth of modern medicine and public health. The exhibit also looks at rising addiction rates, which were pervasive in the 19th century through easy access to unregulated, over-the-counter “remedies.” Also on display are rare artifacts, instruments, costumes, and photographs from the Lockwood and Mathews families, as well as loans from private collections and public institutions—including antique items from VNSNY! Click here for tickets and more information about this fascinating exhibit.
On April 14th, VNSNY President and CEO Dan Savitt was among those distributing 8,000 free facemasks to Chinatown residents, many of whom started lining up at 7:00 a.m.—two hours before opening! The event, which took place at VNSNY’s Chinatown Community Center, was a huge success, providing some much-needed in-person (masked) contact after months of pandemic-induced distancing. Click here to check out a fun video of the event.
Coming Soon: Inclusive Culture eLearning Course
This month, VNSNY will launch Inclusive Culture, an e-learning course that will be available to staff on Workday Learning. The goal of the course is to help each of us contribute to a welcoming and respectful workplace for each other, regardless of how we identify—race, gender, religion, culture, sexual orientation—simply put, what makes each person unique! Inclusive Culture was selected with input from staff from across the organization and is responsive to feedback that came through the recent Diversity & Inclusion Survey. It is also aligned with efforts of several employee groups: The Anti-Racism Council (ARC), out@vnsny, TransAction, and the CMHS Diversity Committee. Inclusive Culture will be offered to over 4,000 current employees, and to all new hires as they join VNSNY. “Inclusive Culture is a self-paced program that will offer valuable insights and education for everybody at VNSNY,” says Linda Reid, Director of Workforce Planning and Diversity and HR Liaison to ARC. “This foundational program will help every employee actively contribute to a workplace culture that more effectively embraces diversity and inclusion. And that, in turn, will improve the employee experience, enable us to achieve our commitment to zero tolerance for racism, and become the regional employer of choice—all organizational objectives.” Stay tuned for more information as the course launch date approaches.
Batter Up! VNSNY Softball Season Highlights
Congrats to coach Willie Sanchez and the VNSNY softball team, now in first place! In a May 17th doubleheader in Central Park, our team beat Cauldwell 15-10 and Blame Carlos 15-5. Earlier in the month, the team notched its first win of the season, beating Vanbarton Group 9-7 with the help of stellar play in the field by Carlin Brickner, who put his defensive skills on display despite having missed several seasons—and with zero practice to boot. Go team!
New York Physical Therapy Association Honors Roger Herr
Congratulations to Roger Herr, Vice President, VNSNY Home Care, who has been awarded the Dr. Marilyn Moffat Distinguished Service Award from the New York Physical Therapy Association. The organization’s highest honor, this award recognizes members who have made an outstanding contribution to the field of physical therapy. “My volunteer leadership in my professional associations started early in my career at VNSNY,” says Roger, who currently serves as the New York association’s Chief Delegate. “The colleagues I have met across the state and country are a great network in practice, policy and advocating for effective changes in our constantly changing world.”
VNSNY Anti-Racism Council Forms Book Club
Need some recommendations for your summer reading list? VNSNY’s Anti-Racism Council (ARC) has launched a book club, which will be hosting its first virtual meeting on Wednesday, June 16th at 4:00 p.m on Zoom. The current title up for discussion is How To Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Click here to sign up for the group.
COVID-19 Vaccine Teams Get a Heartfelt Thanks
On Thursday, May 20th, VNSNY honored the life-saving work of our Vaccine Clinic and homebound vaccine program core staff and volunteers. More than 100 members of these amazing teams attended the event in the third-floor Grand Café at 220 East 42nd Street. “We’ve collectively vaccinated over 9,000 staff, friends, and family through the clinic, and nearly 2,000 (and counting!) with the ongoing homebound program,” says Annie Miyazaki-Grant, Chief Compliance & Privacy Officer. Senior leaders were in attendance, and core team leads shared thanks and recognized key milestones. A slideshow and kudos from vaccinees were also in the mix. “It’s been an honor and a true privilege to work with an incredibly talented, dedicated and fearless group of volunteers,” says Andria Castellanos, EVP & Chief of Provider Services. “I am immensely proud of this Herculean accomplishment.”
Veterans News: Backpacks for Life Send-Off
Also on May 20th, VNSNY’s Veterans Program, in collaboration with Backpacks for Life, hosted a send-off at Sunrise Senior Living in New Dorp, Staten Island. The celebration marked the culmination of a 20-day donation drive to support homeless and at-risk veterans and their families. “People generously donated goods for men, women, and children, and made monetary contributions as well. It was a huge success,” says Joe Vitti, US Army Veteran and Director of the VNSNY Hospice Veterans Program, who recently made a radio appearance on The Joe Piscopo Morning Show to discuss the initiative. “The support, dedication, and enthusiasm from across our organization was truly overwhelming.” And while the drive might be over, the need for contributions is not! Contact Joe at [email protected] to make a donation.
National Nurses Week, traditionally observed from May 6 to May 12 each year, is now a month-long celebration—a fitting honor for nurses, who have been such a powerful and heroic force over the past year. During May, VNSNY hosted weekly half-hour live events, scheduled at varying times to accommodate different schedules. All nurses across VNSNY received invitations to the celebrations, which included a thank-you segment from President and CEO Dan Savitt, an opportunity for leaders and colleagues to voice their appreciation, nursing trivia, and raffles for gift baskets. A heartfelt thanks to all of our nurses!
Marki Flannery Receives Top HCA-NYS Award
On May 5th, former VNSNY President and CEO Marki Flannery was presented with the Home Care Association of New York State’s highest honor, the Ruth F. Wilson Award, given in recognition of an individual whose work has had a dramatic effect on home care. Congratulations, Marki! Click here to watch a brief video tribute to Marki, recorded by VNSNY staff when she left VNSNY.
New Pre-Leader Course Hones Staff Members’ People Management Skills
Pre-Leader Foundations is a new five-class development series, taught live over Zoom, that is open to all VNSNY individual contributors—meaning staff who haven’t been in leadership roles yet and who do not have direct reports. The course helps you assess your own leadership skills, determine whether being a people manager is the right path for you, and hone essential strengths and techniques. The first class, Is Leadership the Right Path? ran on May 25th and 26th and June 2nd. “While these classes are not a promise of a promotion, they offer a great opportunity for ambitious VNSNY individual contributors to explore their career aspirations and gain valuable leadership skills,” says Marina Milonova, an Organizational Development Specialist with Human Resources. “This initiative is also about creating more equity for career development—we have invited employees to be proactive and self-enroll in this development opportunity, in contrast to many of our past programs which were manager nomination-driven. We hope it paves the way to providing more opportunities for employees across the enterprise.”
Project HOPE Webinar Helps Communities Cope with COVID-19
Together Let’s Crush Covid-19—A Community Conversation: Surviving, Thriving & Rebuilding was the theme of a webinar about the impact of COVID-19 and solutions for helping New York City’s hardest-hit communities cope with the pandemic. Hosted in April by VNSNY’s Project HOPE and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the event included panelists Dr. Olajide A. Williams of Columbia University; New York City Councilman Mark Levine; Tina Monique James, Global Public Health Advisor; and VNSNY’s own Dr. Ritchell Dignam, Chief Medical Officer for VNSNY Provider Services and Medical Director for VNSNY Hospice. You can view the webinar in its entirety by clicking here.
VNSNY Hospice Physician Maya Garala Heads to Capitol Hill
After a rigorous selection process, VNSNY Hospice Team physician Maya Garala, MD, has been designated as a “My Hospice Ambassador” by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), an affiliate of the Hospice Action Network (HAN). My Hospice Ambassadors establish and maintain significant relationships with members of Congress and also mobilize hospice and palliative care advocates, all with the goal of helping lawmakers and the public understand the value of the Medicare hospice benefit and Palliative Services. According to Dr. Garala, “Our patient population is getting older and older, yet a surprising number of people don’t even know what hospice is—or the many important benefits it has to offer. I’m looking forward to doing my part to advocate for this vital service.”
Once again, the SelectHealth Special Needs Plan from VNSNY CHOICE was a proud sponsor of the (virtual) AIDS Walk NY 2021. More than 200 people registered for this year’s VNSNY SelectHealth team, as participants in the New York event banded together with AIDS Walks in San Francisco and several other cities to support the fight against HIV/AIDS. We hope that next year’s walk will be in-person, and that VNSNY and our friends and families can walk together to help end the epidemic!
VNSNY Community Mental Health Services in the News
Congratulations to Neil Pessin, Leah Blumberg and Susan Rabinowitz of VNSNY’s Community Mental Health Services (CMHS), whose article COVID-19 Crisis Exposes Missing Social Determinant of Health Domain, has just been published in Behavioral Health News. As its title suggests, the piece elaborates on how the COVID-19 pandemic brought community-healthcare disparities to light, with an emphasis on the vital importance of broader access to telehealth for disadvantaged populations. Click here to read the article in its entirety.
Carol Odnoha, Director of VNSNY’s Nurse-Family Partnership, was honored with a 2021 Excellence in Health Care Award from the United Hospital Fund, which salutes the efforts of a clinician or administrator who has led an initiative that addresses disparities in health outcomes, particularly among communities of color. Carol was fundamental in establishing VNSNY’s NFP, which pairs first-time mothers with specially trained nurses who provide health, parenting and career guidance from pregnancy through the child’s second birthday. Carol and her team maintained a critical lifeline for their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic, when access to doctors and medical care was particularly challenging. Congratulations to Carol and her entire team!
Community Collaborations Rolls Out New Web Page and Community Presentations Series
Just launched this week: an engaging new web page from the Community Collaborations team! The web page features an easy-to-navigate calendar of upcoming VNSNY community events and health education presentations, as well as health education resources and videos and photos highlighting VNSNY in the community. “We envision the Community Collaborations webpage as being a resource for the community,” says Melissa Henry, Community Relations Manager. “This is another way for us to create awareness about VNSNY’s services and engage the community.” The Community Collaborations team has also announced a series of upcoming community presentations. These include Gender-Affirming Surgery: What To Expect at Home (Thursday, June 10, 2-3 p.m.) and LGBTQ Health Care Bill of Rights (Thursday, June 17, 2-3 p.m.), both hosted by VNSNY in commemoration of Pride Month, and a presentation titled Coming Together as an Anti-Racist Community (Thursday, June 24, 2-3 p.m.), which continues VNSNY’s work to combat racism and discrimination in the workplace and the communities we serve. The Community Collaborations web page will be updated monthly with various presentation topics.
