Members of THRIVE's Art Therapy Group celebrated Halloween with a pumpkin decorating contest. Thirteen patients painted, glued and transformed their pumpkins. Winners were selected by a panel of judges consisting of Maria LoTempio, Stephanie Vroman-Goodrich and Kevin Bidtah.
The Buffalo Urban League Young Professionals hosted a voting march event at Community Access Services. Participants heard from community leaders then marched from our Bailey Avenue location to cast ballots at the Gloria J. Parks Community Center. This event represented a special, historic moment in votership, being held on the first ever early voting day in New York State during a U.S. Presidential Election. There were refreshments and live music, as well. Thank you to Arica Rouse for the great photos and report!
Walking down the street in the west side of Buffalo, you might not recognize 73-year-old Latasha. Pretty and soft spoken with cropped hair and a fresh manicure, she looks much younger than that. But the moment she steps into Club Marcella she gets called to the stage, awarded with flowers, simply for being her. | Latasha is well known in the LGBTQ+ community. She’s a mother figure, cooking up meals for those who need it most and tending to her two cats and two dogs, rescued from a neighbor who could no longer care for them. She has suffered more setbacks than most people could handle. Curiously, she tells her story with no blame or cry for sympathy. She is unwaveringly resilient. | From age 8, Latasha remembers wanting to dress up and play with toys that girls liked. She didn’t have the language for it, but she knew she was transgender. Her aunt would yell at her
mom that she should make Latasha act like a boy, but her mom always defended Latasha saying, “Let her be.” Later Latasha started noticing older transgender women. They were out at night, as it was illegal at the time to “crossdress,” or wear clothing of the opposite gender, and these women were doing sex work. Latasha was curious about these women, the first transgender women she had met. For Latasha, prostitution was a learned behavior. | For much of the 1970’s, Latasha was a sex worker. It was sometimes dangerous. She recalls getting in a man’s car in Rochester and when he found out she was transgender, he was disgusted and cursed her out, leaving her on the side of the road. She was lucky. That man was Arthur Shawcross, also known as the Genesee River Killer. He murdered over a dozen women, mostly sex workers, in the 1970s and 80s. Eventually, one altercation where Latasha was attacked and wounded, forced to fight off her attacker led her to prison. Her arrest was on the same day that her mother, who had always been supportive of her, was murdered. Latasha went to Attica Correctional Facility. Not long after, a blood infusion led to Latasha and other inmates becoming HIV positive. She learned of her diagnosis two years later. At first, Latasha felt very sick but true to herself, she bounced back. | In prison, Latasha found a community of transgender women. She started taking hormones for the first time and felt her body change. “I started losing hair on my body,” said Latasha, “and I thought, it was working wonders!” Her breasts came in and she began to feel more like herself, though full of emotions. When Latasha was released from prison in the late 1980’s, she had a hard time getting
hormones. Her name, gender marker and presentation did not align and pharmacies were reluctant to fill her prescriptions. “It was easier getting my hormones when I was in jail,” said Latasha. | Latasha began seeing Dr. Shon. She loves coming to Evergreen because it gives her the opportunity to access more than just medical care. She receives hormone and HIV treatment from Dr. Shon, but also has developed a connection with her case manager, Aanya Wood. Her teeth are sparkling and white thanks to the dentistry program and she has even benefitted from the housing program and patient enrichment fund, where she was eligible for a new bed and stove. “Latasha is one of the most headstrong and resilient women I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting,” said Aanya. “In the face of all the violence and discrimination she and so many in our community experience, she offers such an inspiration to us younger girls. Although we have a long way to go, we truly have people like Latasha to thank for all the advances our community has made. Because of people like her, we have more legal, medical and social autonomy and I personally feel a little safer in world knowing that people like Latasha exist.” | For the past 15 years, Latasha has been undetectable and aside from her arthritis, she feels fantastic. She also has a community here in Buffalo and at Evergreen. Most years during Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience, she can be found at a MOCHA event, looking over the new generation of transgender youth, but this year with Coronavirus, she is planning on taking part in the virtual offerings set up by the Pride Center. To all of us at Evergreen, Latasha's resilience is an inspiration. - Melissa Meyer
As part of this year's Virtual Huddle, Connections is featuring photos taken over the course of 2019 for the staff slideshow. See more on the next page!
W
ith the upcoming holiday season and especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, adopting a trauma-informed care (TIC) lens when we're interacting with our patients or even our friends and family becomes even more important. For some of us, the holiday season is a time for excitement, joy and family gatherings. For others it’s a time when their losses are magnified, leaving feelings of anxiety, sadness or even anger. The same sights, scents and sounds that some people say make them feel warm, nostalgic and happy can also be very triggering for other people, resulting in flashbacks or intrusive memories. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many people who are used to large family gatherings or the rush of getting the best deals on gifts might experience a sense of loss they have never felt before. NAMI, the National Association on Mental Illness, states that nearly 64 percent of people report the holidays bring an increase in mental health symptoms. Now add to that the already overwhelming stress most of us feel due to COVID-19.
How can I be trauma-informed during this season?
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Slow down and pay attention to yourself and how the losses with the pandemic are impacting you
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Talk with your teams, your patients and your friends and family about what this season may bring up for them
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Be cautious about what and how you ask patients about the holidays remember not everyone shares the same experiences as you
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Don't forget to take care of you! You cannot pour from an empty cup. Put your oxygen mask on first because you can’t help anyone if you’ve passed out. We can continue with the metaphors, but we think you get the point!
Upper left: the Data Integration team shared a spooky Halloween Zoom meeting. Shown are Toni Hernandez, Dan Verzelloni, Julie Vaughan and Eli Jimerson. Upper right: Matthew Crehan Higgins, Ivette Chavez Gonzalez and Emma Fabian pose in front of Evergreen's billboard (featuring Ivette) in Jamestown. Lower left: Ivette again in front of the billboard. Lower right: Dawn Trotter, Maria Cruz and Elise Robinson staffed the lobby outreach table during PrEP Aware Week.
Mark your calendar! The submission
If you have follow-up questions for the Thursday update
deadline for the January 2021 issue of Connections is Wednesday,
from Ray and the team, you can submit them via email at
December 16. Be sure to get your
COVID19questions@evergreenhs.org.
content in before the deadline to guarantee placement. Kids, pets, recipes, your new home office -
In addition to Ray’s weekly email messages, you can find
we want to share them all! Send to
up to date information about how Evergreen is dealing with
EvergreenConnections via Outlook.
the situation by logging in to the ADP portal or checking the Evergreen website.
Evergreen staff were asked to submit examples of our 2019 wins to be displayed at the Huddle in March. We were overwhelmed with the responses! Here are a few examples of Team Evergreen's wins.
Birthdays Anna Ihle............................................... December 3 Lauren Boyle........................................ December 3 Valerie Francis................................... December 5 Adriane Argo...................................... December 5 Steven Rein........................................... December 5 Julie Mayer........................................... December 5 David McCready................................ December 6 Susan Hanners................................... December 7 Lisa Guariglia...................................... December 9 Dabrielle Wright................................ December 11 Kadie Desbordes............................... December 12 Christina Carter................................. December 12 Iesha Honeycutt................................. December 13 Daniel Auflick..................................... December 13 Carly Casali.......................................... December 14 Danile Verzelloni............................... December 15 Thomas O'Kell..................................... December 15 Matthew Crehen Higgins.............. December 15 Brittani McKay.................................... December 16 Andrew Kiener................................... December 16 Melissa Delgado................................. December 17 James Gerwitz.................................... December 17 Claire Buscemi................................... December 18 Ryan Trubits........................................ December 20 Anthony Roth...................................... December 20 Stefanie Warnick............................... December 21 Josephine Rivera............................... December 22 Jillian Fanning.................................... December 22 Toni Hernandez................................. December 23 Kyle Erlandson................................... December 23 Christina Turner................................ December 24 Laura Pasquarella............................ December 25 Justin Azzarella................................. December 27 Anabel Rivera..................................... December 27 Xavier Washington.......................... December 28 Zachary Rombough......................... December 28 Courtney Bradley............................. December 28 Alex Marranca................................... December 30 Kristina Moore.................................... December 31 Nancy Colon........................................ December 31
Manager's Training Program Congratulations and job well done to the following managers who have completed the Manger’s Training Program in 2020: - Rebekah Bongiorno - Marielena Camacho - Carly Casali - Matt Crehan Higgins - Kadie Desbordes - Garrett Dicembre - Jillian Fanning - Brittany Hesson - Corrin LaVigne - Chris Patti - Courtney Rhines - Theresa Shankland - Christina Turner
Annual Trainings Don’t forget your second round of annual trainings are due on December 31, 2020. Access your trainings through you Evergreen University profiles.
Best Places to Work Survey The Best Places to Work Survey is quickly approaching. There will be plenty of communications to come so keep your eyes open for more infomration. Evergreen came in fourth places last year so let’s see if we can keep up our momentum and place in the top three!
Anniversaries Maria LoTempio...........................................18 Years Helene Cacciato...........................................16 Years Johanna Aponte...........................................16 Years Rosalind Townsend...................................15 Years Laura Pasquarella......................................13 Years Nicole Coonly................................................10 Years Angela Torrie................................................9 Years Cathleen Niedermayer............................5 Years Rosemary Roche..........................................5 Years Ventenese Palmer.......................................5 Years David Setlock................................................5 Years Glendalisse Lopez.......................................5 Years Lisandra Rivera...........................................5 Years Andrew Verity..............................................4 Years Andrea Ace....................................................4 Years Joleen Rodriguez.........................................3 Years Heather Fangsrud.......................................3 Years Valerie Francis.............................................3 Years Jesse Gasbarro.............................................3 Years Adria Reed......................................................3 Years Kyle Erlandson.............................................2 Years Cyndie Huynh...............................................2 Years Theresa Oden...............................................2 Years LaTonia Lewis...............................................2 Years Theodore Wilson........................................2 Years Melinda Kingsbury....................................2 Years Venus Kaur.....................................................2 Years Dennis Kraft...................................................1 Year Gail Ghiretti....................................................1 Year Amber Hudson.............................................1 Year Tangela Watson-Bogan............................1 Year Lisa Guariglia................................................1 Year Nicholas Eichelberger..............................1 Year Sarah Smith....................................................1 Year Kristina Sykes...............................................1 Year
Marcia Derby shared these photos of the Southern Tier crew going out to vote on election day 2020. Thanks, Marcia!
Abby Depczynski
Jason Perez
Adria Reed
Jessica Schanne
Alan Jacyszyn
Jocelyn Leising
Alex Marranca
Johnelle Ferby
Alex McGann
Joseph Sessa
Anuj Jain
Kaily Golba
Brittany Price
Kayleen Coleman
Crystal Pereira-Finley
Kimberly Lombard
Dale Kingston
Kristy Mangel
Dan Auflick
LaTanya Walton-Brown
Emily Oaks
LeAnna Shanks
Emma Hathaway
Linda Colburn
Felissha Humphries
Lisandra Rivera
Greg Fulgham
Liza Pereira
Harold Colburn
Magali Maldonado
Recognizing Excellent Work at Evergreen from October
Marina Ward Marlyn Moore Matthew Faltisco Meghan Canfield Melissa Nagro Michael Ludwick Michael Blasdell Niaema Fox Rebecca Clark Rob Moore Rosemary Roche
Publisher/Layout
Shakiya Bell
John Carocci
Tiffany Valentin
1.
Zachary Rombough
2. Follow the prompt to record the Code Blue or Mr. Webber and say the exact location and building of the incident.
Dial extension 2222.
Copy Editor Melissa Meyer
Contributors
4. The Code Blue team and Security will respond to the incident.
Jocelyn Leising Shakiya Bell Arica Rouse Melissa Meyer Alicia Kohlhagen Marcia Derby
You'll have 30 seconds to record your message. If you're not done in 30 seconds, you'll be cut off and your message will be automatically broadcast. It's imperative that you say the location and building in your message: “Code Blue in the men’s lobby bathroom in the Elmwood building” or “Could Mr. Webber please come to the Mathews building counselor room?.” The Code Blue/ Mr. Webber Softkey has been removed from all phones.
Connections is the monthly newsletter for employees and Board members of Evergreen Health and its affilliates, the Pride Center of Western New York and Community Access Services. Please send us your story ideas, photos, feedback or just a friendly hello at Evergreen Connections via Outlook.
3. Hang up your phone. This will prompt your message to be broadcast to all Evergreen locations.
20 - November 19
Marcia Derby has come through for us again! Here are photos and a report from the Southern Tier's Care Coordination Week activities. The week featured virtual Zooms and emails with words of wisdom, along with breakfast pizzas, cookies and snacks at each office for staff to enjoy. Laurie Matson organized a selfie scavenger hunt contest where staff had the week to take selfies in a variety of categories such as in a ridiculously small space or with a dancing tube man. Care Coordination staff also voted on Superlative awards. Winners include:
Veronica Velazquez – Golden Girl Award.
Rebekah Bongiorno – Calmer of Storms Award
Marcia Derby – Spirit and Wonder Woman Awards
Indo Quinones – Red Carpet Award
Kyle Erlandson – The Gumby Award
Kizzy Tell – Fonzi Award
Thank you and great job to everyone in the Southern Tier!
Clockwise from far left: Emma Hathaway shared this photo of her wedding day. Best wishes go out to the happy couple! Katie Diebold loads up the trunk with turkeys for our patients and their families. With our outreach efforts affected by COVID-19, CAS has begun packing bags full of agency info, PPE and swag such as pens, notebooks mints, and other useful supplies. And of course, condoms. The bags have been distributed at shops, health fairs, food giveaways, balls and more. Kudos, CAS! The Pride Center has brand new door and window signage, designed by Jacob Marsh in Marketing.