Evergreen, to paraphrase Walt Whitman, contains multitudes. We're a medical facility. We're a pharmacy. We're a counseling center. We're a Harm Reduction center. And we're a producer of special events.
Moira Fragnoli is Evergreen's event and volunteer specialist, planning and producing our events both big and small. "My primary responsibility," said Moira, "is planning and providing support for events held by Evergreen Health, Community Access Services, the Evergreen Health Foundation and Pride Center of WNY."
Moira joined Evergreen in November of 2023. "Planning for the Huddle was in high gear, and I got to jump right in!" Huddle and Pride are two of the larger events Moira has worked on, but there are a variety of smaller events as well, including upcoming employee engagement events like Food Truck Week and Team Evergreen Day at Six Flags Darien Lake. "I have had an absolute blast! Up next on the docket… Dining Out For Life."
Planning can be complicated even for a smaller event. Depending on the event, this can range from consulting during the planning process to hands-on involvement all the way through. In addition to securing venues and communicating with vendors, an important aspect of Moira's role is making sure we're in compliance with legal, security, financial, and safety standards. "This allows me to work collaboratively with staff members across the agencies – definitely an added perk!"
There are countless details, big and small, that go into producing a successful event. "The
most satisfying part is the moment when you get to sit back, look around, and see people enjoying themselves. Event planning can be chaotic, challenging, and exhausting at times, but it’s all worth it. Best example: being backstage at Pride during the local drag sets, seeing the crowd and performers have a blast, even in the pouring rain. At the end of the day, it’s all about the people we are serving."
There are challenges, of course, but Moira says that the challenges she faces in her role are universal for any event planner. "As hard as we try, we cannot make everyone happy. There will always be someone who wishes we had a different venue, different food, different music, etc. It’s important to be able to distinguish between constructive criticism and a complaint that is not necessarily related to the event itself."
Moira is relatively new to Evergreen, but she's already one of our biggest cheerleaders. "I’m sure I sound like a broken record talking about how much I love Evergreen! I've had some not-so-great work environments in my past and I'm continuously blown away by the positive, supportive vibe at Evergreen. I feel appreciated and supported by my team, supervisor, and colleagues every day. I'm so happy to be here!"
One of Moira's goals for the future is to implement feedback from post-event surveys to make sure events continue to grow and improve year after year.
Moira grew up in Fairport, a suburb of Rochester. She earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University at Buffalo. "This is when I fell in love with Buffalo! I took a
brief intermission from my time here when I moved to Ithaca with my then-boyfriend/ now-husband so he could get his Masters at Ithaca College. While there, I worked as a Prevention Coordinator for the Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County, where I conducted trainings on substance use and abuse, including Narcan trainings, and planned events for the organization. When we moved back to Buffalo, I began working at Buffalo State University, wrapping up the tail end of a community harm reduction grant. When this was complete, I went to work for the Office of University & Presidential Events at my alma mater, UB. In this role, I planned and facilitated University-wide events, including Commencement and the Distinguished Speaker Series. While I enjoyed this work, I could not ignore the pull to return to community-focused work. When I saw the posting for event and volunteer specialist at Evergreen, I felt like the stars were aligning. This role allows me to combine my love of event planning with my passion for harm reduction and community engagement. From my very first interview, I knew I had found the place for me!"
When she's not at work Moira enjoys hot yoga, reading, hiking, traveling, trying new vegan restaurants, and spending time with husband Anthony and cats Boo and Zucchini.
The last word? "I love events and helping people bring their vision to life. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any event-related questions!"
Moira, we're so glad to have you on Team Evergreen. You're doing a great job, and we can't wait to see what you have in store for us at future special events!
The Fun Collective (aka FunC) Employee Resource Group's series of clean-up sessions continued in the neighborhood surrounding the Evergreen Lofts. The next neighborhood clean-up will be Wednesday, July 24 at 800 Hertel. Staff may volunteer (with supervisor approval) for any half hour shift between 11am and 1pm. RSVP to Evergreen Training and Development on Outlook.
Community Access Services kicked off the Juneteenth celebration with its annual street fair.
EVERGREEN'S
annual Patient Experience
Week is an opportunity to focus on patient satisfaction. Last month we examined engagement and support, one of the five pillars of patient experience. This month we look at another of the pillars: loyalty and reputation. Collin Ranney, patient experience manager at Evergreen, says that loyalty and reputation create a foundation of trust between patient and provider.
Trust between patient and provider is crucial. It encourages open communication, essential for creating and implementing effective treatment plans. It fosters a sense of continuity of care, allowing providers to better understand a patient's history, preferences, and unique needs. This leads to improved patient retention levels.
A strong reputation attracts new patients as well as skilled healthcare professionals. Talented doctors, nurses, and support teams are more likely to join a reputable healthcare institution, creating a positive cycle of excellence. A strong word-of-mouth reputation can be created by providing consistent levels of superior service and patient experience.
How are Evergreen's patient loyalty and reputation levels? Here are some numbers.
A 94% of patients would recommend Evergreen to other people.
A 96% of patients rated their overall patient experience above average.
Watch for more about the pillars of patient experience in the next issue of Connections.
Team Evergreen was out in full force at Buffalo's annual Juneteenth Parade.
Leadership at Community Access Services is dedicated to fostering an environment that acknowledges hard work. Each quarter, an employee who has exhibited a commitment to achieving the essential functions of their role, provides satisfactory customer service, and contributes to the efficient functioning of the team is chosen to be the CAS Champion.
This quarter's CAS Champion is Ellann Ford. Ellann is a community engagement specialist health educator working under the Multiple Service Agency–Community Development Initiative through the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute. Ellann is responsible for promoting CAS programs and building the agency’s reputation amongst our target populations through planning-awareness raising events and contributing to the overall public relations and outreach strategy of the agency. Ellann is also responsible for engaging community partners and stakeholders in a meaningful way to encourage dialogue and solutions to barriers to care. Ellann hosts a bi-monthly community synergy meeting, bringing necessary resources together accomplish this. This activity had been placed on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however this year Ellann successfully revitalized the initiative, bringing together close to 20 community-based organizations and/or service providers with the hopes of hosting a large-scale health and resource fair for Fall 2024. In addition to community engagement, Ellann provides rapid HIV testing and linkage and navigation assistance to individuals in the priority population. Service linkages include but are not limited to primary/specialty care, behavioral health, prevention services, and patient education. Ellann will reach the 1-year service mark with CAS in July 2024; however, it feels that she has been with the organization since its inception. Ellann exhibits a can-do attitude and champions the success of all CAS’ services and initiatives. Ellann meets every task with great effort and is unafraid to explore ways to improve areas of challenge. Ellann seeks out feedback and applies it to improve upon her performance. We're pleased to have Ellann as part of the team and as our CAS champion. - Kimberly Brown
Publisher/Layout
John Carocci
Copy Editors
Jean Conway
Kristy Mangel
Maggie Carrig
Contributors
Eric Poniatowski
Kimberly Lombard
Melissa Delgado
Christopher Cline
Andy Kiener
Collin Ranney
Tiffany Torres
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.
Brick and stone repair/replacement continues at the Commons. Thank you Stephanie Green for these great behind-the-scenes photos of how the new stonework is created and installed.
EMPATHY
is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves recognizing and appreciating another person's emotional experiences and responding with compassion and sensitivity.
A simple “I am sorry you are going through that” or “I understand that must be difficult” goes a long way. Often, our patients are calling in need and at times of uncertainty about their health. They can often be anxious, upset, or frustrated before you even receive their call due to extended phone wait times or other outside issues. It is important to practice empathy. Although you may not be the one who can directly solve a patient’s problem or tend to their need, expressing empathy and a willingness to help are crucial. It is important to acknowledge a patient’s concerns, communicate regret for any inconvenience or discomfort they may be experiencing and demonstrate a genuine commitment to address their issue or need.
A warm call transfer can significantly improve a patient’s call experience. Rather than immediately transferring a patient to another extension, a quick summary or statement about what the patient needs to the staff member on the other end of the extension goes a long way. This can significantly reduce patient anxiety and frustration, making a patient feel heard and valued. When healthcare staff demonstrate empathy, patients are more likely to feel understood and supported, leading to increased trust, satisfaction, and an enhanced patient experience.
Jovino Morales
Mary McCann
July 1
July 1
Jesse Gasbarro July 1
William Moore
July 3
Danielle Hilton July 5
Colin Davis
July 7
Tierra Redding .......................................... July 12
Joelle Toal ................................................. July 12
Kaitlyn Glovack ......................................... July 12
Ray Ganoe July 14
Ian Schunk
July 16
Kristin Rivera July 16
Laurie Abbatessa
Thomas Foels
Keisha Leavy
Eric Poniatowski
Jayden Mitchell
Amber Doran
July 17
July 18
July 19
July 20
July 20
July 21
Heather Wilson ......................................... July 21
Rebekah Bongiorno ................................. July 22
Molly Kovel ................................................ July 23
Jack Maggi
Aanya Wood
July 23
July 24
Cassie Farmer July 25
Heather Fangsrud July 25
Melissa Miller July 25
Shaminah July 26
Chris DeVoe
July 27
Linda Colburn July 27
Jenna Suhr July 27
Cecil Sutton ............................................... July 29
Shaina Beck............................................... July 30
Nicole Callahan ......................................... July 31
ANNUAL TRAININGS
The first round of annual training are now live on Evergreen University and will be due on September 30. Annual training is required for all staff to complete and contain company trainings, policies, and acknowledgments. Trainings you are required to complete will be automatically assigned in your Evergreen University profile. If you have any questions, please contact Evergreen Training and Development at evergreentraining&development@evergreenhs.org.
A group of our Southern Tier employees recently used some of their Volunteer Time Off (VTO) hours working at Jamestown Public Market's mobile market, or ‘farmers market on wheels’, which brings fresh, local produce directly to our community, particularly to high needs areas.
