Connections May 2023

abrielle Wright is the new Program Director for the Corrections Health Initiative (CHI) at Community Access Services. CAS began providing services through the CHI in 2011, and in the years since it has expanded both in terms of the number of correctional facilities served and the services offered. For example, an HCV linkage and navigation service component was added in 2018. CHI works to provide linkage and navigation services and peer education (including sexual health education) to incarcerated individuals at seven Western New York correctional facilities. Serious health conditions such as cancer, high blood pressure or asthma are more common among incarcerated individuals than among the general population, and this holds true for infectious diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV as well. Correctional healthcare is often low-quality and difficult to access. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, mass incarceration has shortened the overall average life expectancy in the United States by almost two years. The CHI's mission is to improve the health and wellness of incarcerated individuals and help them maintain their health even after they are released, by offering tools and support to develop self management skills and apply personal strengths to achieve positive health outcomes. According to the State Department of Health, "When services are started while incarcerated, continuing these services upon reentry (into general society) can sustain gains in HIV/HCV health outcomes and mental health/substance use treatment."

Release from prison often brings a whole new set of challenges, including unstable family life, limited work experience or lack of work skills, mental health issues and more. CHI's services promote overall well-being and help address risk and social factors that can contribute to low quality of life, poor health and recidivism.

CHI staff assist those referred for HIV and/or HCV linkage and navigation services starting anywhere from 90-180 days pre-release to establish an action plan to address their health and supportive service needs in preparation for reentry into the communuity. Staff will conduct up to five sessions in-facility with referred individuals to conduct a behavioral risk needs assessment and develop a plan that sets the client up for success. Upon release, staff will follow up to ensure continuity of care is maintained. In addition to linkage and navigation services, incarcerated individuals are eligible to participate in a two to three week training class with a Corrections Health Educator and be equipped with knowledge on the transmission, treatment and prevention of various STIs. This class produces trained peer educators who will be responsible for sharing their knowledge with their peers in-facility as well as recruiting participants for future classes. As a community-based organzition, we pride ourselves on establishing relationships with healthcare providers to ensure seamless referral for services. When feasible, reentrants are referred internally to Evergreen or to an agency of their choice for care. CHI helps this marginalized community receieve the unconditional care they

deserve.

Dabrielle worked closely with Stephani Miranda, the previous CHI Program Director, to prepare for her new role at CAS. "I'm excited to see what’s in store!" said Dabrielle, also noting that some things will stay the same from her time as Senior Linkage Specialist. "I love that our work is endless, but fulfilling."

There are barriers to working for and with the incarcerated population. There are a number of rules and regulations CHI staff must follow when visiting the correctional facilities. "When we're inside, people express a lot of interest in our programs. But we're only authorized to help incarcerated individuals living with HIV and HCV, or those at risk. When we receive additional requests, we do our best to give out as many resources as possible. But it does hurt to be limited in the ways we can help."

Dabrielle was born and raised in Buffalo. "I LOVE snow," she said. "Can you believe it? I think it has something to do with me being a December baby." After earning her Masters degree from Medaille College, she worked at a mental health agency facilitating support groups. "I was interested in CAS because I was looking to switch over to the case management side of assisting others. This, and especially enlightening and educating our community, is what brought me to CAS."

It's clearly a great match. Good luck in your new position, Dabrielle!

You can alert your fellow employees of an on-campus emergency by dialing x2222 on your desktop phone. This paging system should only be used in true emergencies such as code blue (overdose response), medical emergencies for patients or staff, fire alarms, active attackers or any other true emergency. Dial x2222 from your desktop phone at Evergreen, the Pride Center or Community Access Services. The phone line will be silent; you won't hear a dial tone. Don’t worry, the phone is recording!

Say your message loudly and clearly into the phone receiver. Make sure to include the location of the incident. Repeat your message one more time, then hang up the phone. Your recorded message will be heard over the intercom system for all buildings. Your message will not play until after you hang up the phone.

If you have any questions regarding this system or any other safety protocol, please reach out to Robert Moore. You can also check out the Safety & Security section of the Hub on Blink. Stay safe, Evergreen!

Evergreen Health

and Community Access Services

hosted the first public meeting for the CAS Ken-Bailey Project: the opening of a new building at the corner of Kensington and Bailey Avenues. The meeting was open to community members to learn more about the project and ask questions about the building plans. It was an opportunity to hear from the community about services they would like to see at this new location and continue in our community engagement efforts. Learn more at this exciting new project at caskenbailey.com.

Publisher/Layout

John Carocci

Copy Editors

Jean Conway

Kristy Mangel

Contributors

Jean Conway

Megan Fagyas

Eric Poniatowski

Kim Brown

Jason Surmaceviz

Nancy J. Parisi

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.

ADP now provides a Total Rewards Statement to show the full value of your compensation beyond gross pay. While your pay is the largest portion of your compensation, this statement is a great tool to help you better understand the full value of the varied compensation types provided by Evergreen, such as your benefits and retirement plan investments. The 2022 statement is now available when you log into ADP and go to Myself > Pay > Total Rewards. Check out the new feature to learn more, and contact Human Resources with any questions.

If you have any questions about COVID-19, or our vaccination program, please send an email to COVID19questions@evergreenhs.org. Or, visit ADP or evergreenhs.org for more information.

Mark your calendar! The submission deadline for the June 2023 issue of Connections is Friday, May 19. Be sure to get your content in before the deadline to guarantee placement. Kids, pets, vacations, recipes -we want to share it all with Team Evergreen! Email EvergreenConnections via Outlook.

April 23 - 29, 2023 was Patient Experience Week at Evergreen. Patient Experience Manager

Collin Ranney said, "Patient Experience Week recognizes everyone who not only impact, but energize and enhance the Evergreen patient experience." This year's theme was "Together We Are Patient Experience" and staff from all over Evergreen (including Shadow, our therapy dog) posed

for photos featuring actual patient quotes that we've received from comment cards. The photos appeared on Rise screens in waiting areas throughout the organization (including the patient lounge at 206 South Elmwood) as well as on social media and Blink. Thank you Team Evergreen for all that you do for our patients, every day. It is much appreciated! See more Patient Experience Week photos on the next page.

Left to right: Eric Moeller, Aye Nwe MD, Joseph Genau MD. Photos by Nancy J. Parisi

MY

how we've grown! Evergreen currently operates five Primary & Specialty Care locations throughout Western New York. While each site is unique in terms of services offered and patient demographics, all of them follow Evergreen's guiding principles in order to provide respectful, non-judgemental, unconditional healthcare to patients. This is the first in a series of articles showcasing Evergreen's Primary & Specialty Care service sites.

7 Community Drive is our newest service site, providing adult primary care with a focus on the intellectually and developmentally disabled community.

7 Community Drive also provides primary care and podiatry services to the community at large. Joseph Genau, MD (Dr. Joe) is a physician at 7 Community Drive specializing in podiatry, a broad field which can include orthopedic, neurological and vascular issues. "What I love about my work is feeling like I'm really making a difference in people's lives," said Dr. Joe. "I like helping them to be able to perform all of their usual daily activities at a more comfortable level."

People with intellectual or developmental disabilities often face additional challenges to accessing healthcare. Eric Moeller, Nurse Practitioner at 7

Community Drive, said, "Many of our patients present with unique needs.

Communication is often a barrier to care. We rely on caregivers for background information, but we sometimes have to start with a larger workup to try and pinpoint what is causing a problem." Dr. Joe agrees. "It's very important to pay attention to detail and not leave anything to chance," he said. "It's essential to communicate with the folks involved in the care of our patients, like house managers or medical liaisons, so everyone is on the same page. We're direct medical advocates for our patients."

Many of our patients come to 7 Community Drive for day programs and physical or speech therapy, so providers and patients develop close relationships. "We see them often," said Dr. Joe. "Sometimes three or four days a week. We really get to know our patients very well."

Eric has been practicing primary care as a nurse practitioner for two years, and says what he loves most about the job is working with patients. "They

are extremely genuine. We have some characters that will keep you on your toes." Dr. Joe adds that the most important thing when working with people with disabilities is to treat them just like people without disabilities. "Joke around with them and really get to know them."

7 Community Drive was an existing medical practice before becoming a part of Evergreen, but Dr. Joe said the transition was an easy one. "The Evergreen culture is terrific, all-inclusive and non-judgmental. That's the way healthcare should be. Our job is to provide the absolute best care for our patients no matter their background. This is something that we've been doing even prior to the transition to Evergreen."

If you would like to schedule a patient appointment at 7 Community Drive, please contact 716.847.2441 (option 5) or you can use MH-Primref in Medent and route to our scheduling department.

Editor's Note: watch for more Primary & Specialty Care spotlights in upcoming issues of Connections!

This month we salute the Wellness Superstars on Evergreen's Mental Health/Behavioral Health team. Mental Health Services help people improve their emotional state, a key part of health and wellness. We provide a multitude of counseling services to people with a variety of mental health issues. Our caring team of professionals can help anyone suffering from anxiety or depression, living with a chronic illness, experiencing grief or trauma or other concerns. Our Mental Health Services meet patients where they are and allow them to determine their own goals. We embrace our patients' unique needs and are particularly sensitive to the LGBTQ+ community, including transgender and gender-expansive individuals.

Evergreen has mental health programs available for staff as well, such as EAP and Univera mental health options. EAP offers four free counseling sessions per concern. Sessions are completely anonymous. For

more information or to schedule an appointment, visit eap.cfsbny.org or call 716.681.4300 (Erie County) or 800.888.4162 (outside Erie County).

Univera offers a variety of mental health services as well, including free personalized health support, online access to therapists and psychiatrists, and a 24/7 nurse line for assistance anytime. Their on-staff care management team cam help with common conditions such as depression or anxiety as well as more complex issues such as schizophrenia or opioid use. Services are free of charge for members, though there may be a cost for Telemedicine depending on your insurance plan. For more information call 800.348.9786.

And, don't forget our own team! Employees can get confidential counseling right here at Evergreen from our Mental Health/Behavioral Health team. Contact the team to find out if you're eligible or for more information.

Compete Head-to-Head with Others in This

Quarter's Challenge: Step in Success

Key Dates

Sign-up/Registration: May 1st – June 2nd Challenge Begins: June 3rd Challenge Ends: June 30th

Prizes:

Weekly Prizes and One Grand Prize

Be on the lookout for an email this week!

The saying goes “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” but we couldn’t let the great work of the CAS team go unmentioned. "This past month," explained CAS Executive Director Kim Brown, "several members of the CAS staff attended the Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit in Las Vegas. The Summit’s ongoing focus has been on the implementation of biomedical tools in prevention and treatment efforts to ultimately end the HIV epidemic in our communities. The Summit featured sessions on the need for a national PrEP program, community participation in research, sex positivity, insurance for PrEP and many other topics. As expected, our staff had an opportunity to network and participate in numerous workshops and plenary sessions, but this summit wasn't like any other. While on a break, the team was approached by a woman who observed our swag bags indicating HIV prevention work. She identified herself as a person living with HIV since 1986 who is currently out of care due to her recent relocation to Las Vegas. The CAS team sprang into action, utilizing their skills and abilities to locate care for the woman. Because of their efforts and compassion for serving, the team was able get her linked with a next day appointment at an agency in Las Vegas which provides healthcare and support services to individuals living with HIV. The team took it a step further and followed up with her upon their return to Buffalo, to find that she has attended her first appointment and was very thankful for the support from the team at CAS. This is what unconditional care looks like!"

Top photo,

Thank you Kim Brown for the story and photos, and Kudos to the CAS team for a job well - and unconditionally - done!

left to right: Dabrielle Wright, Sandra Aviles, Teresa Lee and Kandice Hood at the Summit in Las Vegas.

Bradley Heil

Angella Tetkowski

Jerome Robinson

Jack Burd

Fransheska Caballeros

Robert Smith

Alexius Richardson ..................................

Melanie Deyoe

Julius Torres..............................................

Ellan Ford

David Capretto

Allison Mitchell

Robin Thornton

Eric Marburger ..........................................

Brittany Hesson

Emma Fabian ............................................

Helen Graves

Rosalind Townsend

Benjamin Goldenberg

Michael Blasdell

Michelle Schultz

Matthew Egner

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Kaitlynn Cruz ............................................. May 17

Tiffany Ervin May 18

Kyle Botsford ............................................. May 20

Kate Walker May 24

Adria Reed May 24

Roosevelt Terry May 25

Alyssa Shon

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Parker Massaker ...................................... May 26

Elizabeth Woleen May 27

Alonzo Griffin ............................................ May 27

Grant Rogers May 27

Roberto Torres May 28

Aye Nwe May 28

Deiona Baldwin May 30

Helene Cacciato May 31

Harry Berkoh-Asamoah May 31

This training will uncover the fundamentals of a difficult conversation whether it be with an employee, a peer, or your manager. While no one likes to have uncomfortable conversations, they are necessary and can be extremely helpful in the workplace. After this training, you will have the tools and confidence to tackle difficult conversations. To register, contact the Training and Development team.