Each year support remember and belonging understand
year on December 1 we celebrate World AIDS Day, an annual day of solidarity and for people affected by HIV and AIDS. On World AIDS Day, and every day, we remember the people we’ve lost to HIV and AIDS-related illnesses and fight for the health belonging of people living with HIV. Commemorating this significant day helps us to understand more about HIV and AIDS and the people who live with them.
Onboarding is such an important part of welcoming all of our new employees and guiding them to learn about all of the valuable programs offered at Evergreen, Community Access Services, and the Pride Center of WNY. In 2024, 152 new employees participated in our orientation program. Putting on this event each month is truly a team effort. Formal presentations, informal tours of workspaces, a delicious lunch, photos, setting up badges, and a meticulous collection of new hire documents make orientation an impactful experience. This is all thanks to 30+ leaders that contribute each month!
Huge congrats to Dr. Michael Godzala who has been promoted to Medical Director for Behavioral Health! Dr. Godzala exemplifies the core values of our organization through his unwavering commitment to providing compassionate, patient-centered care. He demonstrates empathy and understanding in every patient interaction, fostering an environment where individuals feel heard and respected. His approach not only enhances patient satisfaction but also inspires colleagues to adopt a similar ethos in their practice. In addition to his clinical expertise, Dr. Godzala possesses outstanding leadership qualities. He is a natural mentor, taking the time to support and guide fellow staff members while promoting a collaborative team culture.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Godzala on his new position!
Note: watch for a full-length profile of Dr. Godzala in an upcoming issue of Connections
THRIVE Wellness held its annual art show and open house in November. The event was a great opportunity for patients and staff alike to learn about the programs and services offered at THRIVE Wellness. Patient artwork from the art therapy group was on display as well.
Community Access Services hosted a health and wellness expo at the CAO Saunders Center on November 13. Staff from CAS and Evergreen signed up new Primary Care patients and offered blood pressure checks. Attendees also got free haircuts as well as a produce bag filled with goodies. Thank you to Ellann Ford, community engagement coordinator at CAS, for the great photos!
LASTmonth's issue of Connections introduced the Information Governance and Security Committee (IGSC). This month we're going to take a deeper dive into the IGSC and its importance to Evergreen. The IGSC focuses on all aspects of data management at Evergreen, including governance, compliance and security. Working with senior management, Corporate Compliance and other stakeholders, the IGSC optimizes our use of data while ensuring compliance with internal and external regulatory requirements.
"We drive initiatives to improve and assure the value of information assets in terms of quality, efficiency, usability, and interpretation," said Chris Mihalitsis, corporate compliance specialist. "Our goal is to ensure consistent implementation of best practices for all aspects of information management, security and quality. We use benchmarking, process improvement, and customer feedback to achieve our goal."
Establishing effective communication channels for data owners and data stewards is a big part of the process. "The exchange of ideas leads to consistent improvement in data practices across the organization," said Chris. "The ISGC will provide training and support for staff members who interact with data and information in any way, including entry, review, usage, analysis, protection, retention and destruction. Trainings will cover best practices, cybersecurity awareness and technical stewardship."
As Evergreen grows and becomes a more complex organization, it can be difficult to regulate sofware use. "Software as a service option for data have increased exponentially.
An example of software as a service is geomapping websites which plot data points for visualization purposes. The IT department cannot regulate these services as anyone can create an account and utilize the websites. These tools are great, and we’re so lucky to have folks that are motivated to use data to tell stories of patient and service successes. However, HIPAA and confidentiality laws are broken when patient-protected health information is entered into these software/websites." Chris notes that the IGSC is developing strategies to spread awareness and prevent HIPAA breaches, such as a software survey to assess what folks are using. "Once we collect this data, we can help staff use software and websites safely with HIPAA regulations in mind."
Credit card payments from patients is another area where data security is crucial. Evergreen follows the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCIDSS), which requires measures to keep credit card information secure when patients pay for services. Examples include not writing down credit card information when taking payments over the phone, securing documents containing credit card information and shredding them when no longer needed, and encrypting credit card information stored on Evergreen’s systems.
"The IGSC facilitates interdepartmental efforts to maintain compliance," said Chris. "IT, Corporate Compliance, Finance, and Clinical Services work in conjunction to review these standards each year and fill any gaps when necessary. Evergreen is charged to complete a PCIDSS survey annually, and since IGSC has taken the lead on completing it, Evergreen has been PCI compliant since 2020."
Staff in the Watkins Building celebrated the Fall/Halloween/ Thanksgiving season by decorating their doors. Some of the doors were spooky, others were fun, but they were all awesome!
Left: Team Evergreen came through for the students at Academy School 131, many of which are unhoused or are living at or below the poverty line. We were able to collect donations of clothing, hygiene products and school supplies for the students thanks to the generosity of our staff!
Right: the Pride Center's annual friendsgiving celebration.
Lower center: the FunC's lunchtime game break was a success!
Publisher/Layout
John Carocci
Copy Editors
Jean Conway
Emily McGorry
Kristy Mangel
Maggie Carrig
Contributors
Eric Poniatowski
Christopher Cline
Ellann Ford
Connections is the official monthly newsletter for employees and board members of Evergreen Health and its affilliates, the Pride Center of Western New York and Community Access Services. You can submit photos, comments or a "hello" via Outlook at Evergreen Connections.
Aanya Wood, specialty care program manager, received the 2024 Patti Jones Award from our friends at GLYS. The Patti Jones Award honors those who continue the legacy of Patti Jones, a great advocate and mentor for Buffalo's LGBTQ+ community, who passed in 2021. Aanya was presented with the award at the annual GLYS Gayla. Congratulations, Aanya!
Jessica Stack
Richard Manuel
Brian Orlikowski
Jacob Perrello ...........................................
Mia Romeo
Alexandria Jansens
Britney Campbell
Anna Ihle
December 1
December 1
December 1
December 1
December 2
December 2
December 2
December 3
Marquis Steele December 4
Brittney McDonald-Allen December 5
Adriane Argo December 5
Valerie Francis
Julie Mayer
Robin Matos
December 5
December 5
December 5
Denise Hutchison ...................................... December 6
David McCready.
Susan Hanners
Ramone Bibbs
Melinda Felix
Heather Czaska
Nicolas Warren
Dabrielle Wright
Andrea Davis
Chris, Juliana
Alissa Green ...............................................
Troy Crawford
Kadie Desbordes
Carly Casali
Daniele Verzelloni
Matthew Crehan Higgins
December 6
December 7
December 8
December 8
December 8
December 10
December 11
December 11
December 11
December 12
December 12
December 12
December 14
December 15
December 15
Thomas O'Kell December 15
Andrew Kiener December 16
James Gerwitz December 17
Melissa Delgado December 17
Christopher Cline ...................................... December 18
Rebekah Beckwith December 19
Ann Didio-Harbin December 20
Stefanie Warnick
December 21
Brooke Zybczynski December 21
Jillian Fanning
December 22
Toni Hernandez December 23
Kyle Erlandson December 23
Christine Collins December 23
Christina Parker December 24
Lakisha Montgomery December 24
Lisa Holmes ............................................... December 24
Mekhi Moore December 25
