The Longest Journey Begins with a Single Step Each spring, hundreds of our friends and neighbors come together at AIDS Walk to prove this old saying true. This year’s Walk is Saturday, May 6 in Delaware Park and you can be sure Team Evergreen will be out in full force! AIDS Walk is an important fundraising event for Evergreen. It’s also a chance for people from all over Western New York to gather in honor of those we’ve lost, and to support those who are still with us. Each walker has a unique story to tell, but we all share a common goal: a safer, healthier world without HIV. AIDS Walk is a reminder to the community that HIV cannot be ignored, that everyone is at risk, and that, as bleak as things can sometimes appear to be, there’s always hope for the future. As usual, the event will feature some new surprises along with traditions that have been part of the event for years. The theme is “keep walking, keep talking”, and the goal is to encourage conversations about HIV-related issues including stigma, PrEP, and access to care. One thing that won’t change is the feeling of satisfaction walkers and volunteers enjoy, knowing they have helped improve the lives of hundreds of HIV+ individuals in our community who depend on Evergreen’s programs and services every day.
Connections
Editor’s Note: it’s not too late to get involved! If you want to join Team Evergreen as a walker, contact Rob Baird. If you want to help out as a volunteer, contact Rachel Voelckle-Kuhlmann. Or, join us on May 6 and help cheer on our walkers.
Community Wellness Program | Eligible members can participate in health education programs at no cost though the Community Wellness Program. These programs are designed to inform you and your family about a variety of health topics including smoking cessation. To register for a program, please contact the provider. To search for smoking cessation classes and providers in your area, visit the BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York website at www.bcbswny.com or call the customer service telephone number on the back of your member identification card. Lifestyle Management Coaching | To speak with a certified health coach regarding smoking cessation, call 1-877-878-8785 and ask to be transferred to a health coach. Health coaches are trained professionals that will help guide employees to better health. Coaching takes place in person, over the telephone or online and can help employees create a fitness plan, improve nutrition and quit smoking. Coaches can answer any questions you may have about smoking cessation resources, help you to create a quit plan, and set up scheduled appointments and follow ups to give you the extra support you need. Roswell InhaleLife Program | The Roswell InhaleLife smoking cessation program is a scientifically based program that has helped people quit tobacco successfully for more than 10 years. InhaleLife uses a comprehensive approach to effectively address all three aspects of tobacco dependence: physical, psychological and behavioral. The program includes phone-based treatment sessions scheduled at your convenience, unlimited toll-free telephone access to quit coaches for the duration of the treatment, recommendations on various aspects of medication (type, dose, duration) if appropriate, fulfillment of up to 6-weeks nicotine replacement therapy (patch, gum or lozenge), and a Quit Kit of materials designed to help you quit tobacco through active self-management. To enroll in the program, call 1-877-500-2393.
We’ve known it for a long time, but now it’s official... Kevin Bidtah is a Health Care Champion! Kevin was recognized by Business First in a feature on standouts in the health care field. Congratulations, Kevin!
Micro-aggressions are brief, everyday indignities. They can be verbal, behavioral, or environmental. They can be intentional or unintentional. They are communicated to people of color with an insulting message behind them that often cause psychological distress and harm. In other words, micro-aggressions are words, actions, or situations that are humiliating and degrading to one’s identity, and an insult to one’s culture. They cause internal pressures and situational defense mechanisms. What can we do at Evergreen to understand micro-aggressions and their impact? Examine intentional or unintentional microaggressive behaviors and their impact. Understand that while micro-aggressions may seem minor, they can be offensive and insulting. It is important to not take staff passions, concerns, cultures, or perceptions lightly. Here are some examples of micro-aggression shared by people who have experienced them: “Why do you sound white?” | “You must be so happy that you look white...” actually, I’m Puerto Rican. | “So what does your hair look like today?” she said as she pulled my hat off without my permission. | “Are you even legal?” | “The limited representation of my race in your classroom does not make me the voice of all black people.” From Psychology Today: many micro-aggressions are so subtle that neither target nor perpetrator may understand what is happening. Studies show that people of color frequently experience microaggressions in day-to-day interactions with friends, neighbors, co-workers, teachers and employers in academic, social and public settings. They are often made to feel excluded, untrustworthy and abnormal. Although they may appear like insignificant slights, or banal and trivial in nature, studies reveal that micro-aggressions can have powerful detrimental consequences to people of color. They have been found to: assail the mental health of recipients, create a hostile and invalidating work or campus climate, perpetuate stereotypes, lead to physical health problems, saturate the broader society with cues that signal devaluation of social group identities, lower work productivity and problem solving abilities, and be partially responsible for creating inequities in education, employment and health care.
The Micro-Aggression Process Phase 1: Incident - an event or situation experienced by the participant. Example - telling a person of color “you speak so preppy.” Phase 2: Perception - participant’s belief about whether or not the incident was racially motivated. Example - person of color may ask themselves “so a black person can’t talk proper English?” Phase 3: Reactions - participant’s immediate response to the incident. Example - person of color may be thinking: “Should I go off? No, then they will think I’m an angry black person. Should I not say anything? Or should I tell someone?” Phase 4: Interpretation- the meaning made of the incident. Example- person of color may think “They clearly just disrespected me and my race, and insulted my intelligence.” Phase 5: Consequence - behavioral, emotive or thought processes which develop over time as a result of the incident. Example - consequences may vary depending on longevity of behavior, and the perception of how the incident was handled.
May Birthdays Jerome Robinson..........................May 3 Tyler TenEyck.................................May 3 Robert Smith..................................May 6 Luann Bogdan................................May 7 Misty Wolff......................................May 9 James Konidis...............................May 9 Salvatrice Russell..........................May 9 Santos Martinez............................May 10 Rosalind Townsend......................May 13 Emma Fabian.................................May 13 Michael Blasdell.............................May 14 Natalie Jackson.............................May 17 Angela Torrie..................................May 17 Leonora Umuhoza.........................May 18 Kyle Botsford..................................May 20 Brian Kempf....................................May 23 Kate Walker.....................................May 24 Grant Rogers..................................May 27 Rico Perry........................................May 30
Helene Cacciato........................May 31 Harry Berkoh-Asamoah..........May 31
May Anniversaries Elijah Jimerson.....................1 year LaTanya Walton-Brown.....1 year Tyler TenEyck........................1 year Kate Walker...........................1 year Stephanie Killian...................1 year George Ludlow.....................1 year Ricardo Quiros......................1 year Robert Baird..........................2 years Thomas Fronczak................3 years Rashida Williams.................4 years Jamie Keuck.........................4 years Theresa Woehrel..................5 years Corinne Henderson............7 years Julie Vaughan.......................7 years Cornelia Meredith................11 years Theresa Shankland.............11 years Laurie Matson......................13 years