Healthcare workers have been on the front line of the pandemic since it first hit in early 2020, and over two years later, that has not changed. VNS Health (formerly Visiting Nurse Service of New York) is a nonprofit that has been serving some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers in their homes for over 125 years, and has been diligently working to help patients stay healthy in their homes.

 

May marked National Nurses Month, as well as National Nurses Week (May 6-12), and once again, was an occasion to honor all nurses who go above and beyond to care for their patients, including those who care for those most vulnerable to COVID-19, often providing at-home care to people facing the ends of their lives. Social workers like Joan Gasser have also been working hard to provide meaningful care to their patients in their homes, despite the ongoing complications which the various waves of the pandemic have brought.

 

Gasser told Norwood News she started her healthcare work only after getting involved in social work which, itself, stemmed from her prior work with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC). “It really got me interested in working with people and creating change, or helping to create change and seeing people in the neighborhood taking control of their living situations,” she said.

 

In 2009, Gasser began her work with VNS Health after her mother became terminally ill and had to receive round the clock care. “They were able to keep her comfortable and allow us to spend time with her and have conversations, and just to be with her,” she said. After listening to a hospice nurse from California speak about her work, Gasser brought in her resume to VNS Health, out of curiosity. She was deeply moved and eventually began her career as a hospice social worker.

 

The goal of hospice care is, as Gasser put it, to help people die well. The job has been rewarding for Gasser despite being frustrating at times. The frustrations, though, have more to do with the system she works in rather than the work itself.

“There’s rarely enough [human] resources for people, so you’re fighting to get [them]. It’s not enough; some people need more,” she said. Also, according to Gasser, home healthcare for those who are nearing the end of their life falls under the standard Medicaid and Medicare plan. This is not readily available information despite a majority of Bronx residents being on said plan.

 

Gasser explained that, usually, hospice social workers would go into homes as a third party to care for dying patients but because of the pandemic, their work had to change. “We were doing telehealth visits,” she said. “We switched to not doing home visits. We went back to the field in July. It wasn’t as rewarding as being with them face to face.”

 

She explained how the pandemic resulted in another crisis for terminally ill patients which came on top of their actual illnesses. With the high numbers of deaths, funeral homes were booked to capacity and were unable to take in more reservations. Meanwhile, hospitals were also full, leaving terminally ill clients unable to receive needed hospital care during the worst points of their illness, making hospice care that much more important.

 

“We lost health aides,” said Gasser. “Some of them died because they got sick. We didn’t lose any of our hospice nurses, but some of them became very ill, which resulted in them being out for a while.” Gasser did lose a social work colleague, however, which she described as “devastating.”

 

Another reason for losing home health aides was that some left the field entirely during the pandemic, meaning they had less people to cover the patients. Gasser explained how between insurance and the pandemic, their work became even more intense and frustrating.

 

Once in-person home visits resumed, she said getting back out there was a little daunting [as not everyone was fully vaccinated] but by that point they at least had the necessary PPE to do their job, as well as sufficient COVID-19 testing kits and other protocols to keep them safe while they worked.

 

“Our work [during the earlier stages of the pandemic] was similar to what we usually had to do,” Gasser said, but added that some families later needed more concrete services, like applying for new COVID-19 related benefits. She said the virtual work also continued in some cases, even when home visits started up again. “It was difficult, because talking over the phone was not as comfortable for the clients and patients as being in person,” she said.

VNS Health also had to provide more bereavement support to their patients’ families. “Because families were losing family members to COVID, we had to help them get through COVID and the isolation,” she said. “They were experiencing losses at different levels.”

 

As a result of the pandemic, some hospice workers were also charged with caring for patients who were discharged from the hospital after having COVID-19, though this was less frequent. “We had one gentleman… he was struggling, so we had one nurse come in, as did I,” Gasser said, adding that luckily, the man in question recovered and got taken off hospice care eventually.

 

Of course, like most most nursing homes amid the height of the crisis, some homes in which VNS Health operates had COVID cases, according to Gasser. “We had some who died unexpectedly because of COVID, not their [original] diagnosis,” she said. “It was hard on the families. There was a lot of blame going around about what the facilities weren’t doing. It was hard because they were doing what they could do, but it [COVID-19] was very quick, and ran through the different facilities. They did lose a fair amount of people.”

 

Beatrice Santa-Wood, media and creative strategist at VNS Health, further explained the situation. “Even though there were shortages, our nurses were in people’s homes throughout the pandemic, and we were a lifeline for a lot of patients. A lot of people have a hard time finding these services elsewhere, so the people we’re treating are some of the most vulnerable and wouldn’t be able to find help.”

 

Now, more than two years into the pandemic, Gasser said the work of hospice workers has definitely gotten easier. She only wishes there were more resources.

 

Norwood News reported on calls by home health workers last February for fairer pay during a “Faith for Fair Pay” rally held in Co-Op City, organized by elected officials, including Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Assembly Member Chantel Jackson (A.D. 79), and Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez (A.D. 80), along with faith and community leaders and advocates.

 

Fernandez is currently running for election in Senate District 34, as the incumbent senator in this senatorial district, State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, battles Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) in her own bid to win New York’s 17th congressional seat. A similar home healthcare workers’ rally was held on Fordham Plaza in 2021, as reported.

“People need access to services, and I just wish it was easier and more available,” Gasser said. She also hopes that more people will utilize the hospice services that are available to them. “For those with Medicare, it’s covered; everything we do is covered,” she said.

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Santa-Wood said such work remains vital as at-home care helps prevent overcrowding in hospitals when there are surges of COVID-19, and it also keeps their patients safe at home and away from the virus.

 

Gasser had one piece of advice for readers based on her experiences: get out and vote. As reported, NWBCCC and others have long been pushing for the passage of the New York Health Act. State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), who leads the State health committee and is currently running for reelection, addressed the status of the pending legislation during a recent Schneps media debate. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) also addressed his stance on the pending legislation during a recent debate hosted by NWBCCC.

 

Meanwhile, Gasser said, “People have to realize the power that they do have,” she said. “Do something to make a difference, whatever that is. It all counts.”

 

Election Day is Aug. 23 and early voting commences on Aug. 13. Click here for more information. Check out our Neighborhood Notes feature for news and updates of other health-related matters of public interest.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story. 

 

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story referred to Joan Gasser as a hospice nurse. In fact, VNS Health has since clarified that she is a hospice social worker. We apologize for this error.