AFTER
Xavier Washington graduated college with a degree in biochemistry, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the sciences, he just didn’t know what exactly. Then
he dipped his toe into healthcare and hasn’t looked back since. Now, he is working as a medical technician at Evergreen Health — a job that not only aligns with his passion for the medical profession but also his values and priorities as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. In our latest Team Evergreen interview, we chat with Xavier about life at Evergreen and what his experience has taught him about the importance of self-care. — Block Club Tell us a little about the medical technician role. What do you do exactly? Basically, I'm a medical assistant with a different name. I'm responsible for checking in patients, getting their medical histories, vital signs, getting them linked to whatever services they need, doing the blood-work and all the lab stuff that goes with it and anything else the provider might need from me. A How did you get into this line of work? After college, I had a million parttime jobs. I bartended; I worked at Canalside. But I also started working in the healthcare field in group homes, and I really loved it. I would see the clinical staff and the nursing staff at work, and that made me want to go more toward those sorts of roles. So, I did. And I knew I wanted to work at Evergreen because I'd heard good things and because I identify as a gay man. I knew that I wanted to make an impact in the community and support underserved populations. Evergreen allows me to do that and so much more. A How did your previous positions prepare you for life at Evergreen? When I worked in the group homes, we had one nurse who would come out once a week, but she had five other sites, so most of the medical responsibilities fell on the house staff. We would get prescriptions, pass meds. That prepared me for everything that I’m doing now. A What do you like most about your job? I love the interaction with people. I don’t like to sit down for too long, so I can never see myself working a data job in a cube. I knew that I loved to be around a wide variety of folks, and this job really allows me to do that. A What makes you good at your job? I like to think that I’m a pretty easygoing person, and that helps because I work in sexual health, and we want patients to feel comfortable enough to tell us about their sexual activities — what they engage in, what they don’t, things like that. So, I like to think I make people feel comfortable enough to open up and be honest and know they’re not being judged. A What makes Evergreen a great organization to work for and with? This is probably my favorite job ever. This is the first company I’ve worked for that actually cares about its
employees. The president of Evergreen makes himself very known and is very friendly. You can go up to his office and talk to him. Any other job I worked at, I never met the executives; they just never really cared. The attitude was always, “Oh, just leave your problems at home.” I like that here they really support you if you’re having a bad day. You definitely have coworkers you can lean on, and they allow you to be open and honest here. That’s what I love. A What’s one thing your coworkers have learned about you since you started? That I'm a huge geek on the inside. I love comics, video games and anything to do with superheroes or fantasy. A What have you learned about yourself in your three years here? Definitely the importance of self-care. In my old job, we had unlimited overtime, so I would just work and work and work until I burned myself out. Here, I have learned to notice the signs of going too hard and what I can do to stop it before it becomes a problem. I’m better at asking for help and noticing when I’m starting to get burned out before it gets to that point. That’s something I’ve had to work on over the past couple of years, because I like to think I’m superman and just do everything on my own without asking for help. A What steps do you take to avoid burnout? If I’m in the middle of the workday, I’ll sometimes step away for even a five-minute break, and that helps. Also, over the past year or so, I’ve gotten interested in gardening, so I’ve been doing a lot of that. I have a million house plants now. I can barely keep up with them, but that’s something I like to do in my spare time. And I know this sounds weird, but on my days off, I look forward to laundry, cleaning, cooking — all that sort of stuff. Just having that time and not having to rush to get it done after work or before work is really nice. A What do you like to cook? Well, I don’t like to cook for myself, but I do like to cook for others. I think it was coming from working in the group homes, where we’d have to make dinner for like 15 people. So, even now when I’m at home and I try to prepare a small meal for myself, like spaghetti, I always end up making enough for like 10 people, which is a great excuse to have friends over. A If you could invite any three famous people over for dinner, who would be at the top of your list? One, Freddy Mercury. I fell in love with him after seeing the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Two, Gianni Versace. He is probably my favorite designer. I love the bold prints, the logos, the colors. And because one of my favorite TV shows is “American Horror Story,” particularly the Coven season, I would love to have a sit down with Cordelia Goode (aka, the Supreme Witch). She was one of the strongest, most loving characters in the show, and I love a good, strong female lead. A Same. Thanks for chatting with us, Xavier!
Thomas Foels, M.D. is Evergreen's new medical director for population health. The population health program is relatively new, so we asked Dr. Foels about what it is and how it helps our patients. "I will provide input to the Executive Team in three important areas," said Foels. "First, I will assist Evergreen in adapting to the seismic changes occurring in healthcare payment models, specifically the transition from “volume-based” to “value-based” reimbursement and the increasing focus on performance-based incentives. These market transitions are occurring very rapidly and it's important for Evergreen to align these new payment models with our mission to provide optimal health outcomes to all of our patients." "The second area of focus is how to best measure, monitor, and improve health across populations of individuals (otherwise known as population health). Future healthcare funding will require us to demonstratte impact and improvement, not only in the health of individuals we see during office-based encounters, but also in the health of patients who are not routinely engaging in care. Evergreen has a significant advantage in this regard because we have traditionally embraced a population-based focus and we have an abundance of resources that address both the clinical and the social needs of our patients." "Lastly, it will be increasingly important to articulate the value Evergreen brings to our community; how can we best describe the many unique services we provide and the outcomes we achieve to various external audiences." Dr. Foels may be a new staff member, but he has played a variety of roles with the agency over the years. He served on Evergreen's Board of Trustees for over a decade. "In that time I have witnessed the amazing advances in HIV/AIDS care and the transformation of what was then AIDS Community Services into the multi-disciplinary service organization Evergreen is today," said Foels. "From its origins at the onset of the AIDS epidemic, Evergreen has played a leadership role in identifying new and important opportunities to expand the reach of its services across the community. This includes efforts to reduce transmission of STIs through education and screening, the needle-exchange program, PrEP, the growth of primary care services along with providing comprehensive services in behavioral health and harm
Get the Most Out of Your Helpdesk Request Be on the lookout for a new and improved Helpdesk coming soon! These changes will make it easier to navigate the system and find the assistance you're looking for. Here are some tips to get the most out of your Helpdesk request so that it will be completed in a timely and satisfactory manner: • Before filling out the request, look for instructions or prompts in a green box. • Fill out the entire request. Try not to leave any boxes blank. • Use as much detail as you can. The more information the better! • Review the entire request and make any edits before hitting save to submit. Bottom line: adding as much information and detail as possible will allow your request to be resolved faster! If you have any questions about these upcoming changes, please email bernard@evergreenhs.org. - Lauren Voelkle
Clockwise from top left: James Thompson poses with his picture/article featured at the Live Well WNY conference. Nicole Dommer, Lindsey Kelly and Lavine Hatten attended the Health-Con Conference in Las Vegas. LaTanya Walton-Brown and Nakia Fears hold their FunC flowers. Thank you to Kim Lombard for this great photo taken after the Community Access Services site visit. Proud dad Robert Cunningham shares this photo of son Tommy (#17 front row) who was the winning goalie from the Williamsville North lacrosse team, which won the annual game honoring fallen soldier and North alumni staff sergeant Billy Wilson. Details are skimpy on this one, but here's Shari DeMarco with a new friend.
The Urban Fruits & Veggies Farmers Market at Evergreen will return starting June 13 and continuing every other Thursday through October 11. Come to the Staff Lounge from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. for a great selection of fresh, affordable locally-grown produce. We accept cash, Visa and MasterCard, EBT, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Checks.
A Adria Reed
A
A Brianna Cabrera
A
A Dale Kingston
A
A Dave Setlock
A
A Dawn Ganoe
A
A Felissha Humphries
A
A Garrett Dicembre
A
A Gideon Belin
A
A Harold Colburn
A
A Harry Berkoh-Asamoah
A
A Ian Schunk
A
A Jacob Cole
A
A Jessie Dorman
A
A John Carocci
A Rachel Voelkle-Kuhlmann
A Josh Matecki
A Ricardo Quiros
A Joseph Pignatora
A Rob Baird
A Julie Rapp
A Robert Cunningham
A Kaitlyn Hamm
A Shelby Arena
A Kayleen Coleman
A Shondra Brown
A Kristy Mangel
A Stefanie Warnick
A Kyle Botsford
A Steve Jagord
A Margaret Prell
A Suzanne Weessies
Publisher/Layout
A Mariana Gonzalez
A Tiffani Williams
Copy Editor
A Michael Canty
A Ventenese Hollins
Contributors
A Natalie Jackson
A Yolanda Sims
A Rachel Parrino
Connections June 2019
John Carocci
Amy Usiak Jocelyn Leising Melissa Delgado Kristen O'Connor Lauren Voelkle Block Club
Connections is the official monthly newsletter for the employees and Board members of the Evergreen Association and its affilliates (aka you). Please send us your story ideas, photos, feedback, or just a friendly hello to Evergreen Connections via Outlook. Thank you!
Birthdays Liz Miller......................................June 1 Kristy Mangel................................June 2 Suzanne Weessies..........................June 4 Alyssa Sherman.............................June 4 Adam Yahya..................................June 5 Sashira Quintana...........................June 5 Ileana Hernandez..........................June 6 Tara Monaco.................................June 6 Victoria Godfrey............................June 7 Shontae Scott................................June 10 Margaret Barnett...........................June 14 Katherine Marrero........................June 16 Alan Jacyszyn................................June 16 Adam Eisenhauer..........................June 18 Ashley Kuss...................................June 19 Brianna Cabrera............................June 19 Sandra Aviles................................June 20 Dawn Ganoe..................................June 20 Salvatore Sciandra.........................June 23 Emily Oaks....................................June 24 Alice Ayala Larregui......................June 25 Eliud Kosgei..................................June 25 Kyle Berberich..............................June 26 Jacob Marsh..................................June 26 Megan Bhatti.................................June 29 Quinn Lee.....................................June 29
1 p.m. - 2 p.m. | Elmwood Avenue and Surrounding Areas 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. | Jamestown 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. | Bailey Avenue 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. | Evergreen Lofts
Anniversaries Alicia Williams..............................1 year Susan Symonds.............................1 year Jonathan Puma.............................1 year Marcia Derby................................1 year Sarah Hairston..............................1 year Nicholas Maggi..............................1 year
Congratulations to the managers who completed the Manager Training Program Jillian Dagastino | Krista Orrange Stephanie Vroman-Goodrich Kaitlyn Gately | Dave Haefner | Julie Mayer
Alan Jacyszyn................................1 year Matthew Edson.............................1 year Kaily Golba...................................1 year Michele Messina...........................1 year Marques Elder...............................2 years Erika Szymanski............................2 years Michael Canty...............................2 years Christina Monroy..........................2 years Jamie Major..................................3 years Robert Smith.................................3 years Luann Bogdan...............................3 years Melissa Mayhew............................3 years Jessie Dorman...............................3 years
Evergreen’s Diversity and Inclusion Council will hold the second Neighborhood Cleanup from 1 – 4 p.m. on Friday, June 28. We’ll be cleaning up the areas around Evergreen’s Elmwood building, Evergreen Lofts, Bailey Avenue and the Jamestown office to spread the Evergreen spirit and give back to our neighbors and surrounding community. Buffalo volunteers will meet in the Staff Lounge before their shift. Volunteers will receive gloves, a safety vest, garbage bags and a route map. The Cleanup will take place rain or shine so bring proper shoes and outerwear. Snacks and water will be provided for all volunteers. Look out for an email with details on how you can sign up for the Neighborhood Cleanup!
Jacob Perrello................................4 years Liza Pereira...................................4 years Julie Mayer....................................4 years Susan Buck...................................5 years Kristen Bechdel.............................5 years Shannon Curry-Izzo.......................6 years Kathryn Diebold............................8 years Ray Ganoe.....................................13 years Elisa Luciano................................19 years