White Plains, NY– June 11, 2014.  Westchester Visiting Nurse Services Group, Inc. (WVNS), the parent organization of VNS Westchester (VNSW) and its affiliate, Westchester Care at Home (WCAH), announced three new appointments to its governing Board at its May 27 meeting. VNSW is the largest independent Medicare-certified, not-for-profit home healthcare agency serving Westchester, the Bronx, Dutchess, Putnam and Rockland. Its NY State-Licensed agency, WCAH, provides personal care services in the same five-county area.

Kyle O’Loughlin-Cahill, FACHE, (photo above) was elected Board Chair, replacing Patricia W. Siebecker, who retired from the Board in May.  Ms. Cahill has served on the WVNS Group Board since 2010 and has more than 20 years of leadership experience at a wide range of healthcare organizations in the region.  She has extensive background in strategic growth, financial analysis and management, regulatory compliance issues and quality improvement, among other areas of expertise.  She is currently a Consultant in Quality Management at the Oscar Health Insurance Company in New York City.  Prior to that she was Interim Administrator at Episcopal Health Services of Long Island - Bishop Henry B. Hucles Nursing Home, and Director, Performance Improvement, Corporate Compliance and Regulatory Affairs in the Continuing Care Division of Catholic Health Services of Long Island. She has also served as Administrator and Health Services Administrator, respectively, at the Northern Riverview Healthcare Center in Haverstraw and at Kendal on Hudson in Sleepy Hollow, among other facilities. Ms. Cahill has a BSN in Nursing and an MPA in Health Services Management. She is a licensed Registered Nurse and Nursing Home Administrator and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Administrators.

“I look forward to working with the Board and Management team to build an even stronger VNSW as we look forward to another transformative phase in healthcare in Westchester County and beyond,” said Ms. Cahill.

Additional Board appointments include:

Dr. Amy Ansehl, a member of the WVNS Group Board since 2011, was elected Vice-Chair. She has served as Executive Director, Partnership for a Healthy Population, Director of Public Health Practice and Assistant Professor in the School of Health Sciences and Practice at the New York Medical College since 2000, and was recently promoted to Associate Professor. She has extensive experience developing strategic partnerships with nonprofit organizations, public health departments, and governmental agencies to promote public health.  Dr. Ansehl has secured major grant funding for numerous academic and public health programs, including multi-year funding from POW’R Against Tobacco to help VNSW implement smoking cessation programs throughout Westchester.  She serves on numerous community-based committees, including the Westchester Children’s Association and the Westchester County AIDS advisory council. A registered nurse and board-certified family nurse practitioner, she holds a BSN and MSN in Nursing Science and recently received her doctoral degree in Nursing with a specialty in leadership and administration (DNP). Dr. Ansehl was honored as one of the County’s Top Health Leaders of 2012 by Westchester Magazine for her work promoting health literacy, especially among people in high-need communities.

James R. Martell, an Audit partner In KPMG’s New York Healthcare and Not-for-Profit practice, was newly elected to the Board in May.  He has more than 30 years of industry experience providing audit and advisory services to healthcare providers and non-profit organizations. In addition to his financial audit experience, Mr. Martell has expertise in the areas of financial due diligence assistance, reimbursement, financial management and third-party reimbursement. His industry knowledge spans all facets of the healthcare industry, including hospital-based skilled nursing facilities. Mr. Martell has a BBA from Iona College and is a Licensed CPA.  He is a frequent presenter at professional conferences on topics relating to audit updates, and is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the New York State Society of CPA’s and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is Immediate past president of the Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle. Mr. Martell was recently honored as “Man of the Year” by the Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle.