Historic Community Health Care Org Gets a New Name: VNS Health

By Chandra Wilson

HEALTH - After 125 years continuously evolving to meet the changing needs of New Yorkers, the Visiting Service of New York is changing its name VNS Health, a move that makes it easier to understand and access all the health services offered by the organization, and better reflects its mission and focus. It also puts the ethos of the organization front and center with a new tagline: 

The Future of care. The comfort of home.

In an announcement that came out on May 18th, VNS Health President and CEO Dan Savitt summed up the rebrand. “This transition to VNS Health represents an historic turning point for our organization,” Savitt said. “Strategically, it supports our forward-looking pillar of growth and diversification, and culturally, it unites us as one organization and one team with one clear mission. It also allows us to expand the reach of our mission while simplifying the health care experience for millions of people in New York and beyond.”

VNS Health is an organization that has helped New Yorkers weather some of the greatest challenges the city has faced during the past century. On any given day, more than 10,000 VNS Health team members deliver care, expertise, and resources to 43,000 individuals and their families in all five boroughs, plus Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties. The new name honors that history, as well as the organization’s founder Lillian Wald, America’s first public health nurse, and puts focus squarely on health—which is what drives the organization.

While the name change does not impact the way VNS Health is structured, it does better unite all parts of the organization, which prior to the rebrand had different names, including VNSNY Home Care, Hospice and Palliative Care, Partners in Care, and more. 

As VNS Health, all parts of the organization unite under one name—making clear the holistic approach to improving the health of individuals and the community that VNS Health offers.

To share the news of the rebrand with patients, members, their families and partners, a new consumer advertising campaign introducing VNS Health to the New York community launched on May 18th. At the heart of the campaign is the message to consumers that VNS Health is more than just a health care team – they’re your neighbors.

“This is a new day for VNS Health,” notes Catherine Callaway, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Development. “We want New Yorkers to be aware of our name change and all that we offer to them and to their families, so they’ll consider VNS Health for their health care needs.

To learn more, visit vnshealth.org.