Stories and Reflections

BY TODD GEISE

Each month in the Journal we seek to highlight what JFS offers for the larger Western New York Community. As the agency continues to grow, the library of unique personal stories of those we help also continues to grow. There are similarities, of course, such as those impacted by the war in Ukraine and the displacement of so many; or, those experiencing depression and receiving care from our professional mental health clinic staff. But once we get beyond the common denominator, we are helping individual human beings. Each has a complex and oftentimes difficult story to tell.

JFS’ Health Home - a statewide program that JFS participates as an affiliate - is one program that currently supports more than 300 adults and children. The common element is that they are all Medicaid participants and have qualifying conditions that enable them to enroll in the program. Yes, this sounds a bit bureaucratic, and it is. But delving deeper into each of the 300 adults and children, we find 300 complex stories.

One of the most recent stories involves a young woman from a Frenchspeaking country in Africa. She originally intended to live in the New York City area but found herself in Buffalo with other family members. She gave birth prematurely to twins but struggled to understand the importance of post-natal visits with their pediatrician. She had setbacks, receiving little support from her family, virtually no transportation options, and in a new English-speaking country, could not easily communicate.

The children were successfully enrolled in Medicaid and they became JFS clients. One day, the care coordinator responsible approached me in complete frustration due to the language barrier. As I speak French, I was able to get on the phone more than once to work with the coordinator and ensure that transportation was arranged, doctor’s appointments met, and that the children were receiving the total care they needed.

A year later and after our services started to be less and less required as a result of getting them on the right path, I wonder about the twins. I will probably wonder about them for years to come in all honesty.

The Health Home program is really a lifeline for so many. From newborns to older adults, including our parents. Our desire to help them as much as we can is often just that, a desire. But there is help to alleviate some of the challenges older adults face.

In fact, about ten months ago I had the pleasure of meeting a group of older adults at an independent living complex. Some knew that it was time to look for support despite their current ability to maintain independence. Things we sometimes take for granted such as arranging multiple medical appointments, ever-changing technology to get an answer to a simple question, and transportation, are all examples of common reasons why people turn to JFS and its Health Home program.

For more than 160 years, JFS has worked with individuals of all ages and through a number of program offerings that have evolved and grown over the years. As we reflect on the common denominators that bring about a focus on certain circumstances, we are reminded of each of the thousands that have been helped and the thousands of unique stories that inform our work and values.

If you would like more information about the Health Home program at JFS, contact Jaime Williams, Health Home Manager at 716-883-1914 or jwilliams@jfswny.org.

Todd Geise is the Director of Marketing at Jewish Family Services of Western New York.