FIRST
impressions are important for any organization, but here at Evergreen they’re absolutely critical. Every patient or visitor who comes to us for help gets a warm, friendly welcome along with compassionate, professional services. Our secret weapon is a staff that’s more than up to the challenge of meeting all of those needs, every time. Amanda Thornton works the front desk at Testing & Sexual Health. Her duties include checking people in for their testing, scheduling anoscopy and PrEP appointments as well as fielding phone calls. Amanda also coordinates with different departments throughout the agency to make sure patients have everything they need. “My personal thought about the front desk is to be welcoming to everyone who walks in the door,” said Amanda. “I try to make sure their experience is positive so that they’ll want to come back again and seek out other services at Evergreen.” Making our patients comfortable — physically and emotionally — is a priority for Amanda. “Hopefully my work allows patients to feel good about their decision to come to Evergreen,” she said. “We have patients here for testing and others who come in for PrEP or anoscopy services. We’re empowering each patient who comes in to understand their health better and take care of whatever issue they might be dealing with.” Amanda and the rest of the Testing & Sexual Health team have a big impact on the health of our patients. “I
only see a limited scope of the patients’ care,” she said. “But when they’re linked to care after the test results come back, I feel like we’ve really helped them and made their quality of health much better. We do such necessary work here. It’s so unusual that a patient can go to one place and be able to receive so many different services all under one roof. We’re making a positive and lasting effect on the community. I love being a part of this wonderful organization. We’re a place of acceptance, belonging and, more importantly, help to all.” Amanda grew up in Lancaster. After high school she attended SUNY Fredonia and graduated with a degree in Women and Gender Studies with a minor in public health. “I focused my studies in sexual health and methods of contraception.” At Fredonia she was president of a group that had a student-run STI/birth control clinic. “We sold emergency contraception, pregnancy tests and had free condoms available to the student body.” Amanda lives in a wonderful apartment with her girlfriend. “We don’t have any pets because she is allergic to pretty much all house pets, except reptiles and I am not a fan. I love spending time with family, going out to breakfast, and in the summer I love going to the farmers’ market.” Evergreen is lucky to have a “first impression” like Amanda. So many of our patients face multiple challenges to good health — stigma, judgement and many more. Amanda is working hard every day to put our patients and their needs first, and that’s a great first impression! Connections
Clockwise from left: Andrea Ace’s friend Bella throws shade. Sally Russell with her retirement cake. Best wishes, Sally! Grant Rogers took this snap of Tank bundled up for the cold weather. Oops, Andy Kiener did it again... went to see Britney in Vegas. Lisandra’s daughter Trinity smiles for the camera.
W
e’re in the middle of flu season and it’s especially important to do everything possible to slow or stop the spread of seasonal illnesses. According to the CDC the most effective way to avoid getting sick is to wash your hands regularly. A recent study at Michigan State University found that only 5 percent of Americans wash their hands long enough to kill most infections. It seems silly to have to review how to do something as simple as washing our hands, but here are some tips to help us all get it right: Wet your hands completely with lukewarm water and apply soap. Rub your hands and lather the soap, making sure to get between your fingers, the back of your hands and nails. Continue this for at least 15-20 seconds. If you’re unsure about the time hum “Happy Birthday,” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” twice. Rinse your hands well under running water. Dry using a clean paper towel or air dryer. Shut taps off with a paper towel. Any soap will work as it’s been found that anti-bacterial soaps are no more effective than normal soap. In a pinch an
alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used to supplement regular hand washing. It should not be considered a replacement, however, as many germs aren’t affected by it. It also won’t clean anything soiled like washing with water will. You should make every effort to wash your hands thoroughly in these situations: • When dealing with a sick patient or co-worker • When preparing or eating food • Before and after treating a wound • After using the restroom • After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing • After handling an animal • After contacting any garbage It’s also important to note that a large number of illnesses enter the body via the T-Zone. This includes your eyes, nose and mouth. Try to limit contact with these areas, especially if you haven’t washed your hands recently. It will greatly help to prevent potential sickness. As always we strive to keep staff happy and healthy so we can pass that along to our patients. C
My favorite comfort food is macaroni and cheese — Deion Simmons b A piping hot bowl of chili is my favorite comfort food, with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. — Kimberly Brown b My favorite comfort food by far is the classic cheeseburger and fries combo. If you’re not living in comfort what are you doing with your life? — Sal Sciandra b Homemade macaroni and cheese. The boxed stuff doesn’t hold a candle to the homemade kind! — Andrea Ace b I love flan! — Jeffrey Santiago b Anything with cheese. — Matthew Crehan Higgins b Carbs and cheese! — Rachel VoelkleKuhlmann b My favorite comfort food is Ben & Jerry’s The Tonight Dough. For the duration of the pint, all my cares are thrown away. — Melissa Murray b My favorite comfort food is yellow rice with gandules, salad, plantains or stuffed potato ball with meat and turkey. I love to eat Spanish food. — Magali Maldonado b Egg salad, or just bread and butter as long as it’s Tuscan bread from Wegmans. — John Carocci
Diversity Furthers Our Philanthropy & Community Relations As we strive to advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, it’s important for us to not only identify, but support like-minded organizations who reflect our mission. By supporting these organizations, we collectively work toward furthering a greater impact of change and common good in our community. At the Evergreen Association, we’re excited to formalize this growing movement of charitable giving with our own internal sponsorship initiative. In the next few weeks, be on the lookout for an email from Ekua Mends-Aidoo, Equity & Inclusion Officer, explaining our new sponsorship process as well as the goals and criteria for selection moving forward. As our initiative takes off, we plan to focus on overarching themes each year to guide our lens of support.
Connections
Birthdays Lisandra Rivera.....................February 2 Felissha Humphries...............February 3 Odalis Norales.......................February 4 Joseph Osborne.....................February 5 Rachel Parrino......................February 8 Steven Thompson..................February 9 Joleen Ortiz...........................February 9 Damian Mordecai..................February 9 Lauren Jamieson...................February 11 Lori Anthony.........................February 11 Indoallana Quinones.............February 13 Stephanie Vroman-Goodrich......February 14 Carrie Rich............................February 15
Sunday, February 18 - Family Day
It’s an afternoon of free games and activities at the
Tuesday, February 20 - Free Skate
Take the ice with Sabretooth and skate around the r
Liza Pereira...........................February 16 Christine Marrano.................February 17 Jakob Willoughby..................February 19
Wednesday, February 21 - Free Sk
Fearless is loving winter in Buffalo! Lace up your ska
Jocelyn Leising......................February 20 Robert Diaz...........................February 21 Sheila Marcheson..................February 22
Thursday, February 22 - Free Skat
Visit us in East Aurora for an afternoon of free ice sk
Ian Eastman..........................February 24 Melissa Nagro........................February 24 Clare Malachowski................February 24 Charles Hunt.........................February 25 Kimberley LaVare..................February 25 Victoria De Leon....................February 26 Stefanie Lyons.......................February 27 Steven Jagord........................February 28 David Setlock........................February 29
Saturday, February 24 - Family Da
Get active and stay warm inside the Niagara Comm
Anniversaries Lovejeet Atwal................................ 1 year Jocelyn Leising............................... 1 year Kevin Kaiser................................... 1 year Lauren Jamieson............................ 1 year Heather McCarthy.......................... 1 year Amy Usiak...................................... 1 year Christine Marrano.......................... 2 years Byron McKinney............................. 2 years
at UB
“home of the Bulls,”UB’s Alumni Arena!
e at KeyBank Center
rink at KeyBank Center — just like the pros!
kate at Canalside
ates and join us at Canalside, then enjoy a free hot beverage on us.
te at Healthy Zone Rink
kating and refreshments!
ay at Niagara Community Center
Xavier Washington......................... 2 years Joseph Sieracki............................... 2 years Jacob Marsh................................... 2 years Kristin Rickert................................ 2 years Adam Eisenhauer........................... 2 years Sergio Ponce.................................. 3 years Thomas Green................................ 4 years Saw Min......................................... 7 years Nicole D’Addario............................. 8 years Kimberly Harding........................... 8 years Joshua McClain.............................. 9 years Jerome Robinson............................ 10 years John Carocci.................................. 24 years
munity Center. Sports activities, games, and plenty of family fun!
Congratulations Everyone!
High-Five Recipients from December 14 to January 12 >>
High-Five. Noun. A gesture of greeting, good-fellowship or triumph in which a person slaps the upraised palm of the hand against that of another. At Evergreen, we love to give high-fives! Here’s a list of everyone who was lucky enough to get their upraised palm slapped this past month. Well, really they just got a virtual high-five. But, that’s still pretty cool. We’ll be featuring our high-five recipients each month so be sure to slap someone’s hand, virtually, who deserves it!
Connections
A Amanda LaFleur A Anthony Roth A Brian Orlikowski A Christina Mihalitas A Christina Turner A Christine Marrano A Danielle Shaw A David Setlock A Eli Jimerson A Emily Oaks A James Thompson A Jennifer DeMarsh A John Carocci A Joseph Sessa A Kim Lombard A LeAnn Shanks A Leslie Anderson A LJ Atwal A Luann Bogdan A Maria Cruz A Matthew Crehan Higgins A Mike Lee A Mindi Mietlicki A Nakia Fears A Rose Serrano A Sal Sciandra A Santos Martinez A Shawn Moultrie A Theo Herman A Tina Cornell A Trish Hopkins
Taking Care
OF THE ONE WHO WEARS YOUR NAME TAG
by Tom Fronczak LCSW-R
It’s February! We’re already a whole month into 2018, and if you squint really hard, spring is on the horizon. Yeah! With the stresses of these past few months – snowstorms, closings, shoveling, tax preparation and the State of the Union address to name only a few — now is a good time to revisit those New Year’s resolutions and see how we’re doing. The New Year is a demarcation of time; the line between ‘what was’ and ‘what is’. It’s also a time for the “3-Re’s” — reassessment, recommitment and renewal. If we take a moment to examine our lives courageously and mindfully as far as what is working for us on the one
hand, and, on the other, take note of where we’re getting hung up, we could refer to this as the State of Our Own Inner Union. Perhaps you’ll agree that this is an exercise worthy of our valuable time. Buddhists often talk about “the 10,000 joys and the 10,000 sorrows” taking place in our lives and the world around us at any given moment. Our personal experience is a function of where we place our attention and what we choose to let our minds dwell upon. For example, do we focus on gratitude and appreciation, or do we have a habit of looking through a lens of deficit, focusing on what’s missing, imperfect or deficient in our lives? We
don’t have a problem identifying when we’re feeling good. We love these moments when life isn’t a problem and we feel connected to ourselves and others. In these moments we’re experiencing more joys than stresses. At these times, our energy is up as is our curiosity and excitement about life. We all have things in our lives that are going well (we woke up this morning, we have a job, the check-out clerk smiled at us, etc.). On the other side we all have areas that add to our stress (or distress) level. Some are obvious, but other times we may simply notice we’re lacking in energy, a bit more tense, shorter of patience, quicker to judge (others and ourselves), having problems sleeping or maybe drinking more than is wise. This is an imperfect world where we experience the roses and the thorns — sometimes simultaneously! Work may feel overwhelming, or maybe we face financial, relationship, health or other stresses. Life can be difficult. Because we have a nervous system, we react to these situations and our moods can fluctuate as a result. When we’re stressed we often feel isolated, with lower energy, thinking “there’s something wrong with me” and this disconnection can further exacerbate the symptoms. I invite you to pause, take a few breaths and notice where you feel supported and cared about in your life. What’s going well? What do you appreciate and find yourself grateful for? Let those images and feelings grow and move through you. Experience them fully and deeply as you recreate them in your memory. Literally hold that experience (the images, feelings, thoughts and entire embodied experience) in your mind for 20-25 seconds. The latest research in neuropsychology informs us that we can begin to literally create positive changes in our brains as a result. And, on the other side of that
continuum, ask “where is it that I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed?” Take note of where it hurts or what is the unmet need, frustration or longing. The inquiry then becomes, “what does that part of me need in order to feel better?” and then you can offer such care to yourself. Here we’re talking about self-care and self-compassion. Taking care of the one who wears your name tag. But none of this happens without pausing, making the space to notice (mindfulness) and then the willingness to offer kindness, care and tenderness (self-compassion). We all have ways that we take care of ourselves. It may be talking with a friend, spouse or partner, a supervisor or someone from our EAP program. For some finding respite may involve taking a walk in nature, exercising, getting to bed earlier, eating more whole unprocessed food, taking time for self-care that includes yoga or meditation, a hot bath, massage, going out to lunch with a friend, listening to your favorite music, playing with your kids or grandkids, giving time and attention to your dog or cat, prayer... you get the idea. So now I ask, what works for you when you’re feeling stressed? What are the ways that you replenish and offer yourself the care, time and attention of which you are so deserving and worthy?
What Do You Do to De-Stress? If you would like, take a moment and email me (Thomas Fronczak via Outlook) 3-5 things that you do to provide self-care when you’re feeling stressed. We’ll publish them in next month’s Connections (we’ll list names along with ideas, but if you prefer to have yours listed anonymously please let me know). Let’s use this opportunity to support each other as we navigate both the joys and stresses not just in the work we do, but also in this thing called life which we all share! Connections
My sweet, kind friend. You are missed. You are loved. Always. Y Dear Georgey Porgey, those we love never go away. They walk with us every day. Unseen, unheard but always near. Still loved and still missed very dear. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you. Such a happy, kind spirit. We love you until we meet again. Y You always brightened everyone’s day. Even though we only spoke passing through, you were always welcoming and warm. You will be greatly missed. May you find peace where you are now. Y I love and miss you so much. There is not a day that passes that I don’t think of you. In the few short months that we got to spend together you were an amazing person that taught me everything I know. This world is a sad place without you. Until we meet again my love. Y We miss you so! Thanks for the stories, the memories and the love. Y My favorite memory of George was working late on Tuesday nights and George singing and dancing in the lab. I hope you are dancing Georgie. I love you. Y I will always remember the last time I saw George and the big smile that was on his face. He lit up the room and gave me a new appreciation for the song by the Divinyls “I Touch Myself”. I never figured that one day a dollar would mean so much from a jukebox. RIP George. Y May your soul continue to rest in peace. Y I didn’t know you George, but I hope wherever you
are you’re happy and at peace. Y George, I didn’t know you but it is so clear how much you meant to so many, especially your Evergreen family and clients. You are so missed. Y You are one if the kindest, most genuine souls I have ever met. I am grateful to have known you! Y I loved you from the moment I met you. Always fun! Y You were always a warm and friendly person who could make me smile. My heart breaks with the loss of your presence. Y Your kindness, humor and love of your fellow men will never be forgotten. Thank you for being such a wonderful person. I will miss you. Y Hawdy!! RIP very special angel. Your soul was seen by so many. Your energy was around everyone. We love you. Y Primo Jorge! Love and miss you. Peace. Y Rest in peace sweet George. Y We had such a great time hanging out and I miss your hugs when we would see each other. I miss my friend. I love you. Y I am so glad that I was able to get to know you and work with you. You are one of the sweetest and most genuine people I’ve ever met and I will never forget your kindness. You made everyone smile and feel special. To put it simply, the world was a better place with you in it. We miss you so much. Y Always a smile and a joke for all. Miss talking of Dansville and growing up. Missed so much. Rest in peace my friend. You will always be remembered as one of Evergreen’s finest!