A Message from our CEO and Board Chair

Dear Friends,

Welcome to VNS Health’s 2022 Benefit to support our Charitable Care and Community Benefit Programs. We are thrilled that we’re able to hold this event in person for the first time since 2019—and that you’re a part of it!

The theme of this year’s benefit gala is “The Future of Care. The Comfort of Home.” Since May, when we officially announced our new name and rebrand, you no doubt have heard “The Future of Care. The Comfort of Home.” many times. These evocative words capture the distinctive value of our organization and underline the central focus of VNS Health: delivering exceptional and compassionate care in the comfort of one’s home and community. Our vision is to make it as easy as possible for the people we serve—as well as our provider and health plan partners—to understand and access the full range of programs, services and solutions that will help them along their healthcare journey.

This year, we honor two esteemed leaders—Eugenie F. Doyle, MD, and Stephen A. Warnke—with the 2022 Lillian D. Wald Award. Named after the nation’s first public health nurse and founder of our organization, the Lillian D. Wald Award is presented annually to those who have made significant contributions to the health and welfare of others.

And what outstanding contributions they’ve made!

Eugenie F. Doyle, MD, Board Member Emerita, VNS Health, has had a long and distinguished career as a cardiologist prioritizing patient-centered health care. Her many professional achievements include serving as director of NYU Langone Health’s Pediatric Cardiology program, chief of Bellevue’s Children and Adolescent Cardiac Clinics, professor of pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, president of the NY Heart Association, and editor of the journal Pediatric Cardiology. Dr. Doyle devoted a significant portion of her career to the clinical management of young cardiac patients and to teaching medical students, house staff and fellows. She also worked closely with NYU Langone’s surgeons to develop a comprehensive model for optimal care of children with congenital and rheumatic heart disease. In 2012, she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Fordham University for “her years of dedicated service to children and their families, and for her generosity toward future generations of physicians.”

Stephen A. Warnke, Partner at Ropes & Gray LLP, is a seasoned, versatile, and highly respected New York health care lawyer. Stephen advises complex, nonprofit health systems, government-funded managed care organizations, and community-based human services agencies, as well as some of America’s leading health-sector businesses. Stephen is committed to giving back to the community through pro bono service, charitable engagement and mentorship. Stephen has served as a volunteer trustee on the boards of The Legal Aid Society, Legal Action Center, Pro Bono Net and Women’s Prison Association, all New York City-based charities. He guided many clients on the front lines of New York’s COVID response, for which New York Law Journal named him one of three finalists for “Attorney of the Year” in 2020 and Ropes & Gray honored him with its Outstanding Pro Bono Partner Service Award in 2021. For a decade, he served as the founding chair of FAIR Health, a national nonprofit created to bring greater transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information.

This year, we are pleased to once again have Kori Chambers, the Emmy Award-winning anchor of PIX11 News, as our evening’s Master of Ceremonies.

VNS Health is committed to ensuring that all people, especially those most at risk, have access to the nursing and rehabilitation care, behavioral interventions, and activities of daily living support they need to lead a healthier life, filled with inspiration and hope. We cannot do it without your help. Together with our supporters, grantors and donors, we were able to provide more than $51 million in charitable care and community impact to tens of thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers last year.

Thank you for being part of the future of care, and for joining us in this wonderful celebration of VNS Health’s vital community presence. Thank you, too, for supporting us throughout the year in delivering health and the comfort of home to our neighbors in need.