At HCA’s Annual Conference on May 8, 2024, we had the distinct honor of recognizing these exceptional home care and hospice caregivers, programs, patients, leaders and organizations. Read below about each award recipient, their accomplishments, and contributions to the field.
2024 Ruth F. Wilson Award Recipient
Sue Caputo, Senior Vice President of Business Development, VNS Health, New York City
HCA’s highest honor is given to a dedicated individual, who has significantly contributed to home care over their career.
Over her 45-year career, from her early days as a pediatric oncology nurse to her role as senior vice president of business development at VNS Health, Susan Caputo has never strayed from her commitment to ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to compassionate and equitable health care.
Caputo has been committed to ensuring that all New Yorkers, notably marginalized and underserved populations, have access to compassionate and equitable health care. Under her leadership, she increased hospice admissions by more than 20%; oversaw VNS Health’s expansion into Nassau County, and brought cardiac hospice, behavioral health, LGBTQ+ health and veterans’ health to the New York City home care market.
Among her incredible accomplishments including serving on the HCA Board, Sue has prioritized mentoring and nurturing the next generation of home care leaders.
2024 Caring Award Recipient (Professional)
Chymene Noel, RN, St. Mary’s Home Care, New Hyde Park
The award recognizes those who have exhibited exemplary compassion, skills and service and/or whose actions exemplify caring in the home care setting.
Chymene Noel is a registered nurse with St. Mary’s Health Care in New York City. She was recognized her unparalleled responsiveness to her patients ensuring the best quality of care at home, as well as being an ultimate team player with her colleagues.
For example, she recently added an extra visit to help a family in need to make sure her young patient remained at home where he was comfortable. The patient had a G-Tube that only his mom knew how to manage. Mom suffered an unexpected stroke and there was no one else who could step in. Chymene conducted a special weekend visit to train the boy’s father and other family members. Her willingness to pitch in ensured the boy was cared for, safe, fed and on a path forward as his mother healed. She did what she had to do to keep her patient at home.
Her responsiveness to her patients and her colleagues is without comparison.
2024 Caring Award Recipient
Bibi Ageday, HHA, Selfhelp Community Services, New York City
The Caring Award recognizes those who have exhibited exemplary compassion, skills and service and/or whose actions exemplify caring in the home care setting.
Bibi Ageday, a home health aide with Self Help Community Services in New York City, was honored for continually demonstrating care and compassion above and beyond her job description. Her nominator wrote, “It is Bibi’s true calling to care for others and share her positive outlook with vulnerable, frail older adults.”
Bibi currently assists a recently widowed Holocaust survivor, whose husband had just passed away. Her patient was already down and increasingly isolated and now she was recovering from a serious illness. Bibi’s encouragement and persistence helped her patient regain her strength and find her smile again.
Last year, her patient celebrated her birthday alone. This year, Bibi brought her a birthday cake and they dined together at a local restaurant.
2024 Home Care Champion Award Recipient
Hongwei Zhang, Senior Vice President of Operations, Consumer Directed Choices
The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a strong and model commitment to home care patients and agency partners.
Hongwei Zhang is the senior vice president of operations at Consumer Directed Choices. Her expertise in business intelligence, marketing and human resources has had a transformative impact on her agency and home care at large.
Her leadership has resulted in a 40% surge in referrals at CDChoices and expanded its geographical service area from upstate NY across the entire state.
One of her greatest strengths is her ability to combine data and analytics with an approach that never fails to center the needs and experiences of vulnerable and underserved individuals. More patients have been able to find home care and a caregiver of their choice, due to her efforts.
2024 Trailblazer Award for Quality and Innovation Recipient
Jennifer Newberry, DPS, Essex County Home Care, Elizabethtown
The award recognizes a home care or hospice provider agency, Managed Long Term Care plan or team that has implemented an innovative clinical model, workforce supports, patient or staff education program, or other initiative with improved outcomes in terms of client satisfaction, population health improvement, and/or cost reduction or avoidance.
Jennifer Newberry of Elizabethtown is the director of patient services at Essex County Home Care, one of the geographically largest counties in New York with a substantial aging population. Jennifer has always felt technology and innovation are the key to the next generation of rural health.
Jennifer has been the driving force behind its successful telehealth program to monitor patients’ vital signs remotely. Because of this, there has been a marked decrease in hospital readmissions and improved care within her agency. Due to its success, the telehealth program is now expanding to emergency medical services to reduce ER visits and hospitalizations, alleviating the burden on paramedics.