The art therapy group at THRIVE Wellness held their annual pumpkin decorating contest for Halloween. Watch for more from the art therapy group in upcoming issues of Connections.
EVERGREEN
has consistently ranked as one of Buffalo Business First's Best Places to Work in Western New York.
Even so, for a variety of reasons, sometimes staff members leave. And sometimes, also for a variety of reasons, they come back. The "Boomerang Club" is large and growing larger all the time. Connections chatted with two of its members to get their unique perspectives on life at Evergreen.
Kate Gallivan was executive vice president and chief operating officer here at Evergreen
when it was still AIDS Community Services (ACS). "I had a very fancy title," said Kate. "I left in 1999 for a higher paying job with state benefits. It appealed to me because it was still in the HIV/ AIDS field – managing several contracts training people who worked in social services and foster care/adoption across New York State."
Like many of our Boomerangers, Kate struggled to find the same values and positive work
environment that were "business as usual" here at Evergreen; values she herself had played a large role in creating. "I missed the heart and soul of this organization – the way we treat our patients and the way we are treated as employees. I didn’t realize how important our core values were to me until I went somewhere else."
Kate returned to Evergreen in 2006 to work in prevention services. "After seven years of being
away, so much progress had been made in HIV/AIDS that directly impacted our work," she said, mentioning the rapid HIV test in particular as a game changer. "Our community educators and outreach workers were doing HIV testing! It was an amazing opportunity to be able to offer rapid testing in our education and outreach work."
Two things that didn't change, according to Kate, were our mission and our determination to
make a difference for the patients we serve. "I feel blessed to work in an organization that truly
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I'm grateful every day for our dedicated and talented staff. - Kate Gallivan
cares about our patients and our communities," she said. "I love that we are willing to take risks to change and improve the delivery of health and support services. I’m grateful every day for our dedicated and talented staff!"
Erikka Hill is another Boomeranger who has recently returned to Evergreen. Erikka was a
long-time care coordinator and has come back as the organization's transportation coordinator. "This place is almost magical," said Erikka. "There are so many great and wonderful people and memories about Evergreen that make you smile. That make you say, ' Wow, did that just happen? Did those people just make the best thing in my life even better? Can I really make a difference to so many people and still feel this tired, but still feel so good doing it?'
Erikka didn't decide to return right away. "I kept seeing employment opportunities at
Evergreen and I was saying to myself, 'No, I’m good at this job where I am now.' But as time went on I kept saying to myself and anyone else who would listen, 'Well at Evergreen they did it this way… well at Evergreen they didn’t do it like that… well when I was at Evergreen…' Finally I decided to take a leap of faith and apply for a job and BAM! I got the interview with a familiar face. They called me back two or three days later and the rest was history. It was like coming home after a long, long flight with bad airport food. I was so happy and I told my family and all they kept saying was, 'Its about time, that’s all you talked about.' I was so nervous and I really thought it was a
dream until I got my badge and keys to my cubicle. Then I was just over the top excited. I thanked God for working through so many people to give me this opportunity again. To come home."
Erikka describes her feelings on returning to Evergreen and seeing
what had or hadn't changed. "Coming back and seeing the absolutely amazing changes was crazy. Seeing all of the familiar faces from nine years ago was amazing. It was so good to see so many people that I still knew. Then it was bittersweet because the one person I was really looking forward to seeing was gone. Cornelia (Meredith), with her infection laugh and great sense of humor, I was so looking forward to seeing her and it took me three days to find out that she was gone."
"I was so happy with the changes Evergreen made, the new building(s),
people and places to see. The programs that had expanded and all the work to put it all together was incredible. I saw Ray Ganoe one day and I told him, 'I remember you were just a twinkle in my eye all those years ago and now you're all grown up doing the stuff around here.' Then we laughed about his infamous license plates. I can’t begin to explain how wonderful it is to be back here with this great place."
Erikka clearly has plenty to say about her return to Evergreen. She
finishes by observing, "Every time I get on the elevator and walk across the bridge on Elmwood I always say, 'Wow, I used to park right against this wall when it was outside.'"
Welcome back, Boomerangers. We're so glad to have you here!
C
Out For Business is the Pride Center's networking event for LGBTQ+ people in Western New York. It's a great way to connect with professionals across different industries. Out For Business was held at Big Ditch Brewery in October and in the Lobby Bar at Statler City in November.
Out For Business is the Pride Center's networking event for LGBTQ+ people in Western New York. It's a great way to connect with professionals across different industries. Out For Business was held at Big Ditch Brewery in October and in the Lobby Bar at Statler City in November.
This is a call for any questions you or your teams may have related to the collection, quality and reporting of data, information security, charts, dashboards, Excel tips and so on. Email your questions to deardata@evergreenhs.org and we’ll provide answers and advice in Connections’ monthly Dear Data column. Never fear, your identity will not be shared in Connections. Instead, DD will use a witty name relating to your question. So, be sure to send along any and all of your data questions or conundrums. See you next month! - DD
Clockwise from top left: The Pride Center held a Transgender Day of Awareness event. Attendees were encouraged to sign a trans flag which will be donated to the Madeline Davis LGBTQ+ Archive at Buffalo State College. Each week during the football season, Highmark and the Buffalo Bills select a community hero to honor. For week 8 they chose Kelly Craig, executive director of the Pride Center. Highmark and the Bills made a cash donation to the Pride Center, and a short video featuring Kelly and the Pride Center staff was shown at the game. Congratulations! Outreach for PrEP Aware Week at the Bailey Avenue location.
If you have any questions about COVID-19, please send an email to COVID19questions@evergreenhs.org. Mark your calendar! The submission
For questions about Evergreen’s COVID-19 vaccination program, you can email COVID19vaccinequestions @evergreenhs.org. Or, visit ADP or evergreenhs.org for more information.
deadline for the January 2022 issue of Connections is Wednesday, December 17. Be sure to get your content in before the deadline to guarantee placement. Kids, pets, recipes -we want to share them all! Send to EvergreenConnections via Outlook.
Publisher/Layout John Carocci
Copy Editor Melissa Meyer
Contributors Jocelyn Leising Nina Smith Julie Vaughan Heather Wilson Kimberly Clarke Melissa Meyer John Carocci 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.
A conversation with Day Cummings, LCSW, RN Planning for and coping with the holidays while grieving can bring up feelings and situations that can be uncomfortable. 2021 remains even more complicated as we settle into new routines and continue to adjust to changes and losses from the pandemic. Megan Andrews, Assistant Director of C&FS EAP will be joined by Day Cummings, LCSW, RN for an empowering discussion of how to navigate conversations and plans around the holidays.
Thursday, December 9, 2021 @ 12 p.m.
December Birthdays Jessica Stack.................................. December 1 Brian Orlikowski.............................. December 1 Jacob Perrello................................. December 1 Mia Magliazzo................................. December 2 Anna Ihle.......................................... December 3 Lauren Boyle................................... December 3 Kristin Rickert................................. December 3 Steven Rein...................................... December 5 Adriane Argo................................... December 5 Valerie Francis................................ December 5 Julie Mayer...................................... December 5 David McCready............................. December 6 Susan Hanners............................... December 7 Uma Khan........................................ December 8 Dabrielle Wright.............................. December 11 Kre Lay Paw..................................... December 11 Kadie Desbordes............................ December 12 Troy Crawford................................. December 12 Iesha Honeycutt............................. December 13 Ryan Hughes................................... December 13 Carly Casali..................................... December 14 Matthew Crehan-Higgins............. December 15 Thomas O'Kell................................. December 15 Daniele Verzelloni........................... December 15 Andrew Kiener................................ December 16 James Gerwitz............................... December 17 Melissa Delgado............................. December 17 Claire Buscemi................................ December 18 Rebekah Beckwith......................... December 19 Ann Marie Didio-Harbin................. December 20 Stefanie Warnick............................ December 21 Josephine Rivera............................ December 22 Aaron Grice..................................... December 22 Jillian Fanning................................. December 22 Toni Hernandez.............................. December 23 Kyle Erlandson................................ December 23 Christine Collins............................. December 23 Christina Parker.............................. December 24 Lakisha Montgomery.................... December 24 Kevin Hazelwood............................ December 25 Laura Pasquarella.......................... December 25 Linda Schmidt................................. December 26 Justin Azzarella.............................. December 27
Damaris Medina............................. December 27 Anabel Rivera.................................. December 27 Courtney Bradley............................ December 28 Taylor Dewitt................................... December 28 Xavier Washington......................... December 28 Zachary Rombough....................... December 28 Frisco Bremiller.............................. December 29 Alex Marranca................................. December 30 Nancy Colon.................................... December 31
December Anniversaries
Annual Trainings Due Soon! The second round of annual trainings are due on December 31, 2021 and can be accessed through your Evergreen University profile. All Evergreen Health, Community Access Services, Pride Center and Evergreen Health Foundation employees are required to complete these trainings. If you have any questions or any issues, contact Jocelyn Leising.
Employee Engagement Survey This year's Employee Engagement Survey has been released to staff and is open until December 17, 2021. This survey presents a great opportunity to learn what employees are really thinking and provides Evergreen with valuable information we can use to improve day-to-day operations and the workplace environment. Keep your eye out in your email for the survey link!
Ebony McCall......................................... 1 Year Latrese Myers........................................ 1 Year Sarah Smith........................................... 2 Years Gail Ghiretti............................................. 2 Years Dennis Kraft........................................... 2 Years Tangela Watson-Bogan....................... 2 Years Kristina Sykes........................................ 2 Years Amber Hudson...................................... 2 Years Nicholas Eichelberger.......................... 2 Years Kyle Erlandson....................................... 3 Years LaTonia Lewis........................................ 3 Years Melinda Kingsbury................................ 3 Years Theodore Wilson................................... 3 Years Jesse Gasbarro..................................... 4 Years Adria Reed.............................................. 4 Years Heather Fangsrud................................. 4 Years Joleen Rodriguez.................................. 4 Years Valerie Francis....................................... 4 Years Andi Ace.................................................. 5 Years Cathleen Niedermayer......................... 6 Years Ventenese Palmer................................. 6 Years Rosemary Roche................................... 6 Years David Setlock......................................... 6 Years Glendalisse Lopez................................. 6 Years Lisandra Rivera...................................... 7 Years Angela Torrie.......................................... 10 Years Nicole Coonly......................................... 11 Years Laura Pasquarella................................. 14 Years Rosalind Townsend.............................. 16 Years Johanna Aponte.................................... 17 Years Helene Cacciato.................................... 17 Years Maria LoTempio..................................... 19 Years
AN INTERVIE W WITH COMMUNIT Y ACCESS SERVICE'S E XECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KIM BROWN
K
im Brown, executive director of Community Access Services (CAS) dedicates her career to giving back to the community she came from. CAS and Brown have a shared mission to address the epidemic of HIV and other diseases that challenge the welfare of urban communities in Buffalo and Erie County by assuring the availability of comprehensive care services including prevention education and treatment. By offering a variety of services to help patients reach their health and life goals, like testing and counseling services, CAS is able to offer support for men and women to access healthcare and learn about healthy living. An Evergreen Health affiliate, CAS is always busy serving the community. This fall, they focused on two promotions: at-home HIV testing kits and Testing for Turkeys. Read more about these events, how the Evergreen Health Foundation’s donations impact people in the community and the recent recognition Kim Brown has been awarded. Can you explain to people who might not know what CAS does, including the services and population that you serve? We are an affiliative of Evergreen Health with an overarching mission of assisting communities of color with accessing equitable healthcare and addressing chronic illnesses, specifically HIV, that impact marginalized communities. As an organization, we provide HIV testing, education and prevention services to communities of color. We believe in ensuring that everyone has access to care. We have targeted zip codes for high-risk populations with 14215 being one of the primary zip codes, hence why we're housed in this section of the city of Buffalo. Our goal is to be accessible, whether it be through private transportation or public transportation to the community. We call our location the heart of the city of Buffalo. What services does CAS provide to the community? Our services entail recruitment and outreach, conducting community-wide events in hopes of reaching individuals who are at-risk to provide education about these services and HIV— focusing on how they can be safe and obtain testing services. We partner heavily with other communitybased organizations in the surrounding community. Pre-COVID-19, we did a lot of offsite events, to meet people where they were and spread the word of why it’s important to be tested for HIV and other STIs. In addition to our community-based services, we also provide services to people who are incarcerated in the Wende Hub. We do peer education training and provide linkage and navigation services to people coming out of the correctional facility and into the community. It’s a great way to ensure that people are reintegrated back into the community and they have the tools and resources necessary to address their healthcare needs. We really strive to meet individuals where they are. You mention HIV being a major factor in our education efforts. Can you tell us more about that? It’s no secret
The Foundation has been instrumental in securing funds to be able to provide for outside the box of what we're traditionally funded to do . - Kim Brown that people from communities of color often experience health disparities and discrimination within the system of healthcare. HIV has been disproportionately impacting communities of color since the very beginning of the epidemic. As communities of color, we don’t always have access to care or information regarding our health care options. Additionally, there’s a lot of stigma in the community around the risk factors associated with HIV, so to speak. We have a lot of people who shy away from knowing their status for a multitude of reasons: fear of being ostracized or judged. We know that with the healthcare system and its treatment of people of color have contributed to poor health outcomes. There is room for improvement to ensure health equity for communities of color. Additionally, we practice a harm reduction approach with all of our services and interventions. We assure people that we’re here for them. We don’t judge them and we’re on their side. This is a safe space. What has the impact been from donations through the Evergreen Health Foundation? We are given the ability to reach out of the box in terms of what we would generally provide under our grant-funded services. It has allowed us to provide food pantry services, which is something that we’re self-funded to do. We have also had the ability to provide the community with personal protective equipment (PPE) during COVID. At one point in time, it was very hard to get gloves, masks and sanitizer, so we wanted to do our part to ensure that the community had what it needed to remain safe during these unprecedented times. We’ve been able to effectively provide that to the community during our outreach. The foundation has been instrumental in securing funds to be able to provide for outside the box of what we’re traditionally funded to do. Can you tell me about some of the events you have going on? We are working in collaboration with the New York State Department of Health and the AIDS Institute to help promote at-home HIV testing kits, free of charge, to individuals who sign up through information provided on our social marketing campaign. You can also visit our website for more information on how to access these kits. People can actually get a test kit mailed to their home; they can do the testing from the comfort of their home. We have the opportunity to provide that person some support around the
results of that test, whether it be reactive or non-reactive. Can you speak about Testing for Turkeys? I’ve been here at CAS since 2018 and I believe this event predates me. It started off with the organization receiving a donation from one of our community partners and saying, ‘Hey, why don’t you distribute these turkeys to the people you serve?’ and we just grew it from there. We’ve been doing it annually and ensuring that anyone who comes in within the week prior and leading up to Thanksgiving would receive a free turkey for completing a HIV test with us. It’s greatly received. It is an opportunity for us to connect with the community and engage with them in a different way. We know that the need for the community we serve is great, therefore we try to go above and beyond to support the community. We are always looking for sponsors to support our events. Especially this event, it takes a lot for us to pull it off. When feasible, we like to give side dishes, too. It’s great when we get donations for that, as well. We would love to keep growing this event. Do patients receive a physical Turkey for getting tested? Yes! We’ve provided turkeys ranging from 16 to 20 pounds. We have some people who have larger families so we try to give them enough to feed their entire family and celebrate the holidays. Do individuals need health insurance to get tested? We offer HIV testing free of charge. For STI testing services and treatment, our Evergreen Health Primary and Specialty Care Clinic requires insurance. However, if someone is not insured or under-insured, that person can be supported to obtain insurance. There is also a sliding fee scale for patients who choose to pay out of pocket. You’ve been the recipient of two special awards this fall. Would you mind talking about them? This year I was nominated as a Buffalo Business First Women of Influence. It was a great honor to be surrounded by other recipients from different organizations and businesses with a heart for community. It was truly an honor, as I think of myself as someone who just wants to give back to the community from which I come. I think it’s my responsibility. I’ve been afforded so many opportunities so to have a hand in the community and be recognized for community-based services as an influencer was really amazing. In addition to that award, I also received the Black Achiever’s Award, which is a big deal. It’s nearing its 50th year in awarding honorees and it has been awarded to African Americans who have made a positive impact on the city of Buffalo. I’m just really honored to be among them. It was very humbling. I had a pretty busy September! Thank you, Kim, for the work you do in giving back to the community!
Our first pay day of 2022 will be Friday, January 14, 2022. Please be sure to check your pay statement carefully, and immediately after it becomes available, to ensure that your deductions and benefits are all correct. To review your deductions, log in to ADP WorkforceNow and follow link path: MYSELF > Pay > Pay Statements (you will find your benefits deduction information by viewing your current pay statement, under the blue section for "Benefits"). For assistance, contact Kim Clarke on the Evergreen Human Resources team at: