Meet Our 2020 ESPRIT Winners!
Diana Vargas, Supply Chain Coordinator, PPE Inventory Management & Distribution
November 7, 2020–“I love to interact with people and to be of service.” After COVID-19 burst on the scene and VNSNY’s office staff transitioned to working remotely, Diana had only been working from home for two weeks when she heard that volunteers were needed to hand out personal protective equipment, or PPE. “I didn’t even know what that was at first, but I was eager to help,” she says. “I love to interact with people and to be of service. I was also having a conniption because I was home-schooling my 10-year-old and couldn’t handle fractions. So it was good timing!” Her new role was also an excellent fit. Before long, with the help of a team she wound up managing, Diana had completely reorganized VNSNY’s PPE supply rooms, optimized the inventory, and set up schedules to make the best use of staffers’ time, all while making ongoing daily improvements to streamline
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Willis Partington, Lead Bereavement Counselor, VNSNY Hospice
November 7, 2020–“At its simplest level, my role is about supporting our bereavement team in any way that’s needed.” “My role at VNSNY is a bit complex,” says Willis, “but at its simplest level, it’s about supporting our bereavement team in any way that’s needed.” For example, due to the pandemic, he pivoted to using a webinar format to lead the most recent VNSNY Hospice Memorial Service—an annual tribute to VNSNY Hospice patients who have died within the past year. “Until this year, we’ve always held the service in person, usually in a house of worship,” he notes. “This year, due to COVID-19, we made it virtual, but we tried to keep the same spirit, with music, a slide show, and readings from representatives of our hospice program, including a Social Work Fellow.” The annual hospice service was the model for last summer’s poignant VNSNY Virtual Memorial Service, which Willis also led,
Nicole Onorato, Research Analyst II, VNSNY Center for Home Care Policy & Research
November 7, 2020–“What I do is help our principal investigators figure out the best ways to get things done.” As a Research Analyst II with the VNSNY Research Center, Nicole helps the Center to be as productive as possible by devising the best ways to support different initiatives across the organization. “My role is to support the principal investigators in their research,” she says. “They come up with the big goals. What I do is help them figure out the best ways to get things done.” Recent activities Nicole has been involved in include helping interviewers transition from in-person interviews to phone interviews, and working with a team of researchers to develop and implement a survey aimed at gaining a better understanding of how COVID-19 has impacted Partners in Care HHAs. The Research Center conducts randomized trials as well as secondary-data analysis projects, studying data VNSNY has already collected to come up
Jeri Goodman, Social Work Clinical Manager, VNSNY Clinical Operations Support
November 7, 2020–‘It’s really important to me to be available any time a social worker needs to talk through a tough case, needs help identifying appropriate resources or interventions, or just needs support.” With a primary responsibility of supporting VNSNY Home Care social work services, Jeri spends much of her day coordinating with and providing clinical consultation to social workers as well as managers and other field staff, helping them address the complex social needs of VNSNY Home Care patients.. “I’m committed to fostering an understanding of how social work intervention can help improve patient health outcomes,” Jeri says. “It’s really important to me to be available any time a social worker needs to talk through a tough case, needs help identifying appropriate resources or interventions, or just needs support. Our social workers are highly skilled and experienced, but they’re out there in the field alone every day, and it helps to
Yelena Borovskaya, Senior Enrollment Coordinator, VNSNY CHOICE
November 7, 2020–“I’ve worked for VNSNY for a long time. If a job needs to get done, I’ll get it done.” An almost 30-year VNSNY veteran, Yelena spends her long, busy days managing the daily activities and workflow of her department, which focuses on referral, eligibility, and enrollment processes for CHOICE MLTC members. She also uses her vast experience and knowledge to offer guidance and support to enrollment coordinators whenever they need help. Over the past few months, Yelena’s days have gotten even longer. “One of the enrollment coordinators in our department got sick, so now I’m covering most of his responsibilities as well,” she says. “Our enrollment is also growing due to the coronavirus so we are busier than ever, but I’m happy to put in the extra time. I’ve worked for VNSNY for a long time, and if a job needs to get done, I’ll get it done.” Living with
Mary Ann Arneel, Clinical Director, Intake Services, Business Development
November 7, 2020–“At the end of the day, it’s really not about me but about what the patient needs.” As Clinical Director for Regional Intake in Business Development, Mary Ann oversees the day-to-day operations of a team of onsite managers and clinical and non-licensed staff who work with our referral sources to identify patients in need of home care. As was the case within many departments across the organization, one of her greatest challenges last spring lay in transitioning her team to working remotely, making sure that nothing—and nobody—slipped through the cracks during the chaotic early days of the pandemic. She credits her team for their flexibility, dedication, and support. “As the saying goes, there is no ‘I’ in team,” says Mary Ann. “As director, I’m given a directive, and it’s my job to make sure that our operational needs are met, but I don’t just delegate—I see myself as a working
Michael Ambrosini, Director, Corporate Community Relations
November 7, 2020–“I’ve always been a connector, and connecting volunteers with opportunities to serve is an extension of that.” In charge of engaging and overseeing the volunteer workforce across VNSNY, Michael plays a critical and valuable role in the organization. “There are two main buckets of volunteers,” he says. “Administrative and fundraising volunteers, who are office-based or working remotely from home, and Friendly Visitor volunteers, who service hospice patients and their families in their homes and assisted-living facilities.” When the pandemic hit, notes Michael, his team had to pivot—and quickly. “We had to completely change the way we utilized volunteers, because they couldn’t come into the office or enter homes or care facilities anymore,” he says. “Early on, we shifted to using our volunteers to help us source protective equipment for our field staff.” VNSNY’s volunteers heard the call to action and immediately stepped up to find PPE that would protect the
Tiffanie Taiste, Clinical Care Manager, VNSNY Care360° Solutions
November 7, 2020–“My goal is to ensure that each and every patient I make contact with is linked to ongoing supports and services.” For Tiffanie, a clinical care manager with the VNSNY’s care management organization, Care360° Solutions, time is of the essence. “Due to our time-limited ability to service clients, each and every case we’re assigned is high priority,” she says. A social worker with a master’s degree who just celebrated her one-year VNSNY anniversary in September, Tiffanie’s caseload consists primarily of individuals with a dual diagnosis or co-morbidities such as medical, mental health and/or substance use histories. “My clients’ challenges can vary,” she notes, “and may include housing or financial difficulties, home care needs, nutrition issues, mental health needs, or simply the need for social, emotional or family support. My goal is to ensure that each and every patient I make contact with is linked to ongoing supports and services. Connecting
Cyril Catedrilla, Physical Therapy Assistant, VNSNY Home Care
November 7, 2020–“I try to make sure that all of my patients are happy and feel loved and taken care of.” Fun, compassionate, empathetic, and hardworking, Cyril is known for his warmth, his smile, his dedication, and for consistently going above and beyond the call of duty. “I always look at life with a positive attitude, and my sense of humor takes me through my day,” he says. “In terms of patient care, most of my patients are lonely and alone, and I might be the only person they see, so bringing a bit of humor to their day is important. I try to make sure that all of them are happy and feel loved and taken care of, which actually transfers to them feeling more encouraged and energized to get better.” “Cyril always ensures his patients get the treatment and time they deserve, taking into consideration their individual lifestyles, not just
Dawning Greenstreet, Nurse Supervisor, Community Mental Health Services
November 7, 2020–“We all really work together to figure out ways to make the best of a challenging situation.” Dawning is program manager for CMHS’s Parachute program, a collaboration with Healthfirst that provides care to plan members with serious mental health disorders, who are high utilizers of emergency and inpatient services. The program’s goal is to optimize services and protocols for these individuals. Dawning manages the Parachute team’s day-to-day operations and also serves as its nurse clinician. “The program helps clients improve their coping and communication skills, and also works with their support networks,” she says. “My role includes doing medication reconciliation and coordination for whatever is going on with clients medically.” When COVID-19 struck the region, Dawning also took the lead in making sure the entire CMHS staff had the personal protective equipment they required. She collected data on what the needs were in each CMHS program, and helped make sure