VNS Health
VNS Health is a New York-based nonprofit provider of home- and community-based health care, founded in 1893 as a pioneer of organized public health nursing.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
VNS Health is a nonprofit health-care organization focused on delivering medical, behavioral-health, hospice, personal-care, and supportive services in patients' homes and communities. Its roots reach back to 1893, when nursing pioneer Lillian D. Wald and Mary M. Brewster established the Nurses' Settlement on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The settlement developed into the Henry Street Settlement and helped establish a model in which trained nurses visited people in their homes, particularly patients and families who faced poverty, overcrowding, or limited access to conventional medical institutions. The organization became closely associated with several innovations in public health nursing. Henry Street Settlement funded the first nurse assigned to New York City's public schools, contributing to the creation of a citywide school-nursing program. Its visiting-nurse activities expanded steadily during the early twentieth century, and by 1940 almost 300 visiting nurses were providing care across New York City. The nursing service later became the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, commonly known as VNSNY. Over time, VNSNY broadened beyond traditional visiting nursing. Its workforce came to include registered and practical nurses, physical, occupational, and speech-language therapists, social workers, home health aides and attendants, physicians, registered dietitians, and psychologists. The organization also developed programs serving older adults, people living with chronic illness, individuals requiring behavioral-health support, and patients receiving hospice or end-of-life care. Its activities include home health, personal care, hospice and palliative care, behavioral health, care management, and health-plan or community-based services. VNS Health also maintains a research and policy role. In 1993 it established the VNS Health Center for Home Care Policy & Research to strengthen the evidence base for care delivered at home. The organization has explored information-technology applications and operational methods intended to improve home-care coordination and clinical delivery. It also acts as an advocate and intermediary for patients and providers in dealings with public agencies and regulators, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Department of Insurance, and state and federal lawmakers. On May 18, 2022, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York adopted the VNS Health name and brand. The rebrand reflected a broader identity spanning health care delivered at home and in community settings rather than nursing visits alone. VNS Health remains primarily regional rather than international, serving New York City and selected surrounding counties and areas of upstate New York. Its nonprofit structure distinguishes it from publicly traded health-care companies, although its government-funded programs and reimbursement relationships place it within a highly regulated health-care environment. The organization has received numerous national and regional awards from nursing, public-health, social-work, medical, and home-care associations. Its current president and chief executive officer is Dan Savitt.
History
VNS Health traces its institutional history to the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1893. Lillian D. Wald, a pioneering public-health nurse, and Mary M. Brewster established the Nurses' Settlement to provide nursing and social assistance in one of the most densely populated parts of New York City. The settlement's work was based on bringing care directly to residents rather than requiring patients to travel to hospitals or clinics. This approach connected clinical nursing with housing, sanitation, education, and broader social reform. In 1895, banker and philanthropist Jacob Schiff purchased a Federal-style townhouse at 265 Henry Street for the settlement. The organization expanded into neighboring buildings, and the institution became known as the Henry Street Settlement. Its nursing program developed a growing public role. Among its notable contributions was funding the first nurse in New York City's public-school system, an initiative that helped lead to the first citywide public-school nursing program. The model demonstrated how nurses could improve population health through prevention, education, and early intervention as well as treatment. The settlement's nurse service expanded throughout New York City during the first half of the twentieth century. By 1940, nearly 300 visiting nurses were providing care across the city. The nursing operation eventually separated in identity from the Henry Street Settlement and became the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. The organization retained the central concept that skilled professionals could deliver effective care in patients' homes, while adapting its services to changing medical needs, reimbursement arrangements, and community demographics. During the following decades, the organization broadened its scope beyond nurse visits. It added multidisciplinary services involving therapists, social workers, home health aides, physicians, dietitians, psychologists, and other professionals. Its programs came to address chronic disease, aging, disability, behavioral health, hospice, palliative care, personal care, and care coordination. This expansion positioned the organization as a large nonprofit home- and community-based health-care provider rather than a single-service visiting-nurse agency. Research became another important part of the institution's identity. In 1993, it established the VNS Health Center for Home Care Policy & Research to support systematic study of care delivered at home and to improve the evidence available to policymakers and providers. The organization also investigated information technology and care-management methods intended to coordinate dispersed clinical work and support patients outside institutional settings. Alongside research, VNS Health developed an advocacy role, communicating with legislators and government bodies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and New York State health regulators. The organization has received recognition from professional and public-health bodies, including nursing, social-work, medical, home-care, and community-health associations. Its history, however, also includes regulatory and legal scrutiny over government-reimbursed services. In 2020, it agreed to a $57 million settlement resolving allegations that certain home-care services billed to Medicare and Medicaid were not delivered or were incompletely performed. A separate matter resolved in 2024 involved alleged Medicaid billing for undocumented or undelivered services in a behavioral-health program. These cases illustrate the compliance risks faced by providers whose operations depend substantially on public insurance programs. On May 18, 2022, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York rebranded as VNS Health. The new name emphasized the organization's expanded range of health services and its focus on care across home and community environments. VNS Health now serves the five boroughs of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties, and parts of upstate New York. It remains a nonprofit organization with a regional operating footprint and a mission rooted in public health nursing.
- 2024
Far Rockaway Medicaid case resolved
[1]VNS Health pays approximately $954,416 to resolve allegations related to billing in its Far Rockaway Assertive Community Treatment program.
- 2022
Rebrand to VNS Health
[1]The Visiting Nurse Service of New York adopts VNS Health as its public brand on May 18, reflecting its broader service portfolio.
- 2020
Federal billing settlement
[1]VNSNY agrees to a $57 million settlement resolving allegations concerning Medicare and Medicaid billing for home-care services.
- 1993
Home-care research center established
[1]The organization establishes the VNS Health Center for Home Care Policy & Research to develop evidence for care delivered in patients' homes.
- 1940
Visiting nursing reaches citywide scale
[1]Nearly 300 visiting nurses are reported to be providing medical care throughout New York City.
- 1895
Henry Street premises acquired
[1]Jacob Schiff purchases a townhouse at 265 Henry Street for the settlement, supporting its growth and eventual association with the Henry Street Settlement.
- 1893
Nurses' Settlement founded
[1]Lillian D. Wald and Mary M. Brewster establish the Nurses' Settlement on Manhattan's Lower East Side, creating the institutional foundation of VNS Health.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit, mission-driven provider specializing in coordinated health care at home and in community settings, with a heritage in public health nursing and an emphasis on serving complex, older, chronically ill, and behaviorally vulnerable populations.
Skilled home health
Home Health
VNS Health's home-health activities bring nurses and other licensed clinicians into patients' residences. Services can involve nursing assessment and treatment, rehabilitation, social work, and coordination with physicians and other providers. The offering reflects the organization's historic model of providing clinically supervised care outside hospitals and institutional facilities.
End-of-life and serious-illness care
Hospice and Palliative Care
VNS Health provides hospice and palliative support for people with advanced illness and their families. Care is designed around symptom management, comfort, goals of care, and support for caregivers, with delivery in home and community settings where appropriate.
Mental-health and community behavioral health
Behavioral Health
The organization's behavioral-health portfolio includes community-based services for people with serious mental illness and other behavioral-health needs. Its Assertive Community Treatment work illustrates a multidisciplinary model intended to support patients in the community and reduce reliance on institutional care.
Personal care and home attendants
Personal Care
Personal-care services provide assistance with daily activities and household support for people who need help remaining safely at home. Home health aides and attendants complement the work of nurses, therapists, social workers, and other clinical professionals.
Health-care research · 1993
Center for Home Care Policy & Research
Established in 1993, the center conducts and supports research intended to improve the evidence base for home care. Its work connects clinical practice, health policy, technology, and the organization of services delivered outside hospitals.
Controversies
2024
Far Rockaway Assertive Community Treatment billing case
VNS Health paid approximately $954,416 to resolve allegations that its Far Rockaway Assertive Community Treatment program billed Medicaid for services not provided or not documented for 103 patients between 2014 and 2018.
2020
Home-care False Claims Act settlement
VNSNY agreed to pay $57 million to resolve whistleblower allegations that it billed Medicare and Medicaid for home-care visits that were not provided or were only partly completed, including claims involving inaccurate timesheets. The settlement reportedly did not constitute an admission of liability.
Medicaid enrollment and billing allegations
The organization paid $35 million to the federal Medicaid program to settle a civil case alleging that ineligible people had been enrolled in Medicaid plans. The available reference material does not specify the settlement year.
Brand decisions
2022
Adoption of the VNS Health brandStrategyBackground
The former Visiting Nurse Service of New York had expanded well beyond traditional visiting nursing into home health, behavioral health, hospice, personal care, research, and care coordination.
Action taken
On May 18, 2022, the organization rebranded publicly as VNS Health.
Aftermath
The new identity positioned the organization as a broader home- and community-based health-care provider while preserving its historical connection to visiting nursing.
1993
Creation of a home-care research centerStrategyBackground
Home-based care required stronger clinical and policy evidence as health systems considered alternatives to hospital and institutional treatment.
Action taken
The organization established the VNS Health Center for Home Care Policy & Research.
Aftermath
Research became a formal part of the institution's role alongside direct care, advocacy, and service delivery.
Recent events
- 2022
Visiting Nurse Service of New York rebrands as VNS Health[1]
Other
The organization changed its public identity from Visiting Nurse Service of New York to VNS Health, presenting a broader health-care brand for its home- and community-based services.
Sources2 sources
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