VNS Westchester home healthcare non-profit enters the Rockland market

The largest independent non-profit home healthcare company in the Hudson Valley has officially moved into the Rockland County market.

VNS Westchester is the company and home healthcare is its speciality.

Recently the NY State Department of Health gave VNS a license to do business in Rockland, adding to its geographic range that  already covered Dutchess, Putnam and the Bronx, in addition to its namesake county. Only select home healthcare companies were given approval by Albany to reach new markets and VNS was one of them.

Lou Nemnom, president of VNS Westchester, told the Rockland County Times that he intends for VNS to become the top option for home healthcare in all five counties. Currently, he said, the company holds a 28 percent of market-share in Westchester and over 50 percent in Putnam after only a few years doing business there.

“We’re pretty excited about Rockland,” Nemnom said. “Most people don’t know that Rockland County has the number one population growth in the whole state.”

VNS hosted a reception for fellow healthcare and home healthcare companies on March 27 at the Pearl River Hilton. Over 100 persons turned out for the event.

“We’re here to introduce ourselves to you,” Nemnom told the audience. “We are VNS Westchester. We have 110 years in Westchester and we are the number one home health care agency.”

VNS handles over 1,200 patients daily, Nemnom said. “We see the most vulnerable members of society. The average age  is 78 and the fastest growing segment is over 90…It’s not an easy business. Anyone who thought homecare is easy is mistaken.”

Nemnom’s own father is 92-years-old. “Like most other older people, he’d like to age at home,” Nemnom said. And that is the mission of VNS, to provide healthcare from the comfort of a patient’s own residence.

A VNS press release stated a need for “skilled nursing, rehabilitation, social work and home health aide services” precipitated their entrance into the Rockland healthcare market.

Chaim Lieberman and Yede Weiss of Community Home Health Care said they were enthusiastic about VNS’ entrance into Rockland. “VNS reputation is fantastic, we don’t have to research that,” Lieberman said. Community Home Health Care was a co-sponsor of the event.

Randy Englund of Bio Scrip said his firm is a “newlyl controlled provider” for VNS.  “We are excited to be involved with the VNS expansion,” he said.

According to an explanation on its website, VNS Westchester “helps patients live as comfortably as possible in their own homes whether the patient is an infant, child, adult, or senior.”

VNS’ services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance plans.