• Message from the Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services


Throughout its remarkable history, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York has always seized the moment and responded with both vision and purpose on behalf of those in need. Our founder, Lillian Wald, was guided by a steadfast belief that the health and well-being of her patients, their families, and their communities depended on the connections that bind us together. Today, VNSNY remains steadfast in our commitment to delivering high-quality, compassionate home and community-based care to all of our patients, young and old. To that end, in 2016, we are putting a greater emphasis on patient-centered, community-centric care, preventive health, chronic disease management and care coordination, all areas where VNSNY excels.

A dynamic organization, VNSNY has taken the lead in forging strategic collaborations with other organizations, large and small, to create innovative new frameworks for care delivery and care coordination for patients. Our nurses are front and center not only in providing the highest quality of care, but also in using specialized knowledge of population health management and complex care management. In addition, VNSNY leverages technology to provide all of our clinicians, including field to office-based staff, with robust tools for reporting, collaborating, and data sharing across the care continuum. We also use technology to communicate with our partners and have a rich source of patient data that drives our evidence-based care.

With home care playing an increasingly important role in the management of patients with both acute and chronic conditions, VNSNY’s nurses are filling a need that puts them at the forefront of medical practice and the health care industry in 2016 and beyond. As such, VNSNY is committed to recruiting the highest quality nurses and providing them with state-of-the-art tools and support. We hope you will consider becoming a part of VNSNY, as we work to make the future of health care a reality.

Explore Nursing Careers at VNSNY

• Interdisciplinary Care Team Manager

Shannon Whittington
My role, as an ICTM, is to serve as a liaison between the clinicians, doctors, hospitals, and various individuals who are responsible for care delivery. I feel empowered to provide care to an acutely ill population and have the privilege of working with a team of highly skilled clinicians who can provide outstanding care to these patients, many of whom come home from the hospital sicker than ever. Many people believe we only provide care for the elderly. Although they constitute a large portion of our practice, we also service young adults, infants, and children. In home health care, it’s all about observing the patient in their home environment and knowing that this is their “normal.” And approaching the patient with cultural sensitivity helps us to identify with him/her and put them at ease while we provide necessary care.

The passage of the Affordable Care Act has prompted healthcare organizations to be innovative in delivering care. No longer is home care a separate entity. VNSNY has strategized partnerships across the healthcare continuum to promote transitional care. We are succeeding in reducing hospital readmission rates with the alliances that we have formed with various providers across the metropolitan area. By assuming shared risk, we connect with institutions individually to develop initiatives to promote improved outcomes.

We all have the same goal ultimately, which is to keep our patients well. By developing strategies and sharing responsibility, we can promote optimal care to a vulnerable population.

• Public Health Nurse

Helen Drivas
As a VNSNY Coordinator of Care (COC), I develop a patient’s care plan, initiate the start of care and have overall responsibility for coordinating patient care with other healthcare professionals, including medical doctors and rehabilitation therapists. I have worked as a COC in Upper Manhattan for over 25 years. I know everyone in the neighborhood including the “supers” and have taken care of generations of families. What is unique about home health care nursing is it allows you to spend time with patients and that translates into better outcomes. This may include providing patient education, making referrals, obtaining authorizations, and advocating for patients. While it does not all happen in the course of one day, it is all part of the role. And to be successful in the role, you have to organize your day, have good time management skills, but also be adaptable and allow for flexibility.

No two days are the same, and they are never routine. Even after all these years, I am motivated by the desire to provide excellent patient care. I am fortunate to work on a very cohesive team of nurses and rehabilitation therapists. We are resources for each other, and we learn from one another. When I started, there were no cell phones or beepers. Today, technology has made it possible to not only email or text colleagues, but from our VNSNY laptops (“pen tablets”), we receive case assignments and enter notes using either a keyboard or a pen. Patient records are completely computerized and completely secure. Your pen tablet also allows you to order services and supplies for your patients. While colleagues in other health care companies dislike their pen tablets, I could not live without mine! Technology in health care serves us well and VNSNY makes certain we are well equipped.

• Associate Home Care Consultant

Michael Weiner
I began my career at VNSNY as a new nursing school graduate. While I valued the exposure to hospital-based nursing as a student, it was not a role I chose to pursue. When the opportunity to join VNSNY as an Associate Home Care Consultant came along, I did not hesitate. As a Home Care Consultant, I evaluate referrals to VNSNY Home Care by providing bedside assessments of patients, who are scheduled for discharge, to determine their fit for home care services.

VNSNY’s Transitional Care Model is a plan for providing care to a patient as he or she moves from one setting to another. Typically, this move is from the hospital or ED to home, a nursing home, or a long-term care setting. Regardless, a great deal of information must move with the patient including the level of care that was provided in the clinical setting, the discharge orders and the medications. The flow of information is critical for care and avoiding rehospitalization. Due to its scope, VNSNY has the capacity to provide multidisciplinary care to patients, and we speak their language. Our clinicians reflect the diversity of New Yorkers and it’s a great resource to ask a colleague to speak with a patient in their native language. Nursing is the frontline of patient care whether it is office, home or hospital-based. I value the role I play in overseeing the safe transition of patients to the home setting and am confident in the care they will receive by VNSNY clinicians.