Commencing on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, between the hours of 9 AM and 2 PM, seniors will be able to call in to Brooklyn Neighborhood Services (BNS) to schedule appointments (in person or virtually), with an on-site, Registered Nurse, provided by the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY). The VNSNY nurse will provide health-related information, support and direction to our senior community through health assessments, health education, and health care linkages to needed health services. Working in collaboration with our BNS NORC team, the VNSNY nurse will help to support seniors to live successfully in their home and community.
VNSNY is a leader in home-based health care for more than 128 years, providing a wide range of in-home services for those in need of short-term care, ongoing chronic health care, end of life care and mental health services and supports.
Establishing a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) in District 36 was a vision of former District 36 Council Member, Robert E. Cornegy Jr., as Bedford Stuyvesant is one of NYC’s first Age Friendly Neighborhoods, that developed the Aging Improvement District, under the leadership of former District 36 Council Member Albert Vann. In 2017, District 36 was designated a NORC, and BNS was appointed Administrator of the first NORC Program in the district. Now an on-going project to create and support initiatives that enhance the social, physical, and psychological lives of our seniors. The designation has been a monumental accomplishment for our district and continues to flourish and continually provide resources and services to our most cherished population.
Funding for the NORC Program is made possible by the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA). “Providing direct assistance to older adults since the establishment of the Age Friendly Neighborhood Initiative (AFN) in 2015, has been a most rewarding experience for us at BNS and we look forward to continuing the success of the program,” said BNS Executive Director, Richard M. Trouth.
“We look forward to our collaborative work with the staff of BNS to address the health needs of District 36 seniors. Our experience working with NORC programs throughout NYC has shown that NORCs have been extremely effective in assisting seniors to successfully age in place. We know that seniors will benefit by our shared dedication to home-based support services” said Rhonda Soberman, Manager of Program Development, VNSNY.