I was told by HR that I had a lot of RPTO that needed to be used before the end of the year. So, like any sensible person, I made an itinerary, pinched my pennies, used up every one of my airline points, packed and repacked camping gear, called my son to make sure I could crash with him and his wife in California, and set off in search of adventures. JANUARY My husband and I chose to go to Florida in lieu of buying each other Christmas gifts. We headed to Key West, Miami Beach, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Everglades National Park. We stayed in a luxurious resort suite in Key West; held onto our tent for dear life in 40 mile per hour winds at Fort Jefferson; were almost driven from Miami Beach because of the
cold, windy, rainy weather; and nearly stepped on a gator (or two) in the Everglades. As crazy as it sounds, I loved every minute. februARY What do you do when your sister asks you to be her personal tour guide on a trip to California? You say, “Yes”! I planned a varied itinerary so my sister would experience California’s diversity. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium; dined on Cannery Row; walked Pier 39; took a ferry to Alcatraz Island; drove down Lombard Street and rode the trolley in San Francisco; walked the bluffs of Santa Cruz; peered down in sheer joy, and listened to the raucous sounds of the sea lions resting under the Santa Cruz wharf; did the Jelly Belly Factory tour (and sampled and sampled); tasted
olive oils at Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company; enjoyed “a few” wine tastings near Napa; went to the Sharks vs. Sabres hockey game (Sabres won!); and hiked trails in Yosemite National Park. Yosemite was fantastic in February. The waterfalls were spectacular, and we saw bobcats two separate times. March Death Valley was in bloom! I’d been following this event since the National Parks Department’s December announcement of the possibility of a rare wildflower bloom in the desert. In January, the bloom started happening, and I knew it could be many years before it happened again. I always enjoy traveling solo — and this was the perfect opportunity to do it! I headed to Nevada, met Brian
Planty and his husband, James, in Vegas (they were also on a getaway); slept at a ranch; rode a horse through Red Rock Canyon; hiked and crawled through slot canyons, and photographed flower after flower in Death Valley National Park. At the end of my trip, I vowed to return to Death Valley. Little did I know how soon that promise would be kept! April/mAY I wanted to celebrate my birthday in California with my son. My husband had only been to California once before, so it seemed right to celebrate our April birthdays on the Pacific coast. We spent a day in Santa Cruz, walking mile after mile of breathtaking oceanfront. The following days brought almost freezing temperatures. We camped, nearly froze
to death in our tent, hiked, and climbed through caves in Pinnacles National Park; hiked through snow to visit the giant trees in Sequoia National Park; drove and hiked through awe-inspiring King’s Canyon National Park; listened to the rain patter on our tent in the desert of Death Valley National Park; toured Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate bridge; and purchased produce at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market near the Embarcadero in order to make dinner for my husband, son and his wife before returning to Buffalo. I loved visiting several National Parks, seeing my son, and taking time for me. Thanks, Evergreen, for making me use up all those hours of time. I couldn’t have done these trips without you! Connections
Photos on this page: Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida; Kim relaxes “on the rocks”; a San Francisco vista; Kim between two of the giant trees in Sequoia National Park; an alligator that we hope has already had lunch. Photos on next page: the sand dunes in Death Valley National Park; Alcatraz Island; King’s Canyon Roaring River Falls. All photos by Kim Harding.
JULY BIRTHDAYS Emily Smith........................................... July 2 Jonathan Sentz...................................... July 4 Danielle Shaw........................................ July 8 Aaron Chiz............................................. July 10 Joelle Toal.............................................. July 12 Ray Ganoe............................................. July 14 Renee Posey.......................................... July 15 Joseph Sieracki...................................... July 15 Gary Williams........................................ July 15 Ian Schunk............................................. July 16 Laurie Abbatessa................................... July 17 Shawn Moultrie.................................... July 17 Mark Mondanaro.................................. July 18 John Proctor.......................................... July 18 Keisha Leavy.......................................... July 19 Gloria Kornowski................................... July 19 Rebekah Bongiorno.............................. July 22 Andrew Mattle...................................... July 24 Shannon Curry-Izzo............................... July 25 Antoine Reese....................................... July 26 Cheryl Brunetti...................................... July 26 Linda Colburn........................................ July 27 Thomas Green....................................... July 27 Cecil Sutton........................................... July 29 Kathryn Kraft......................................... July 31 Monique Stays...................................... July 31
JULY anniversarieS Melissa Delgado......................................1 year Frances Frank...........................................1 year Aeriq Turman...........................................1 year Julie Mayer...............................................1 year Harry Berkoh-Asamoah........................... 1 year Gianna Batt..............................................1 year Jacob Perrello..........................................1 year Emma Fabian...........................................1 year Becky Siuta...............................................2 years Bianca Morris...........................................2 years Renee Hartson.........................................2 years Marlyn Moore.........................................2 years Steven Rein..............................................2 years Cameron Schraufstetter.......................... 2 years James Konidis..........................................2 years Stephani Miranda....................................3 years Christina Turner.......................................4 years Barbara Poff.............................................4 years Patrick Hildenbrandt............................... 5 years Tara Monaco............................................6 years Ileana Hernandez.................................... 10 years Dale Kingston...........................................10 years Norma Bocanegra................................... 11 years Your continued dedication and hard work are noticed and appreciated - Management Team
A dream that I have had was that I was in Hawaii, and I was being a tourist and translating for the island. — Magali Maldonado A A dream I once had was that I helped my sister deliver a baby boy. — Mindi Mietlicki A I am getting married next month, and I keep dreaming I’m going to fall down the two stairs I have to walk down! — Andy Kiener A I am a vivid dreamer every night, all night. I usually remember them, so I can’t pick out just one, although my superiors seem to show up frequently… I wonder what that means? — Nichole Frank A I recently had a nightmare I used to get when I was a server. It’s when everything goes wrong on your shift and no tips. — Jimi Konidis A When I was 7, I was watching a movie about zombies with my oldest brother. In the middle of the movie he fell asleep. I was so into the movie, I looked where my brother was sleeping, and all I saw was blood suckers coming in the window and going down the wall behind the sofa. I screamed for my brother to wake up. He didn’t know what was going on. We tried to open the door, but the lock got stuck. Suddenly the door opened, and we were running out and yelling for help. A man stopped to help, but he had a big mole on his right cheek, and I thought he was a zombie and started to hit him. — Glendalisse Vargas A I have nightmares about tornadoes. Thanks, Wizard of Oz. — John Carocci
Connections
My most recent excursion took me to the Florida Nature Culture Center for a Buddhist conference. The FNCC is a beautiful facility set in the Everglades, with Buddhist conferences held throughout the year on myriad of study topics. I gathered with friends from around the world to chant, dialogue, and study in order to deepen my understanding of faith as it exists in daily life. The grounds were beautiful, and the food was top notch (the head chef has been on the Food Network’s “Chopped”). I’ve been practicing Nichiren Buddhism and chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo faithfully for 18 years. Yes, Tina Turner is part of the worldwide lay Buddhist organization I practice with, as depicted in the movie “What’s Love Got to Do With It”. The organization is called the SGI, or Soka Gakkai International, which means value creating society. This Buddhism does not promote the absence of problems while living under a Bodhi tree, but rather is a religion that allows each of us to overcome and transform our obstacles, thus obtaining happiness for ourselves and others. The recent tragic event in Orlando had me contemplating many things, including the nature of religion and its function in society. The President of the SGI, Daisaku Ikeda, says, “The aim of a true religion is to free people from the chains of suffering. Religion should not function as a mere source of solace or sympathy, nor as an ‘opiate’ that offers an escape from reality”. I embrace all religions; for me, however, Buddhism is truly a dynamic religion that has real meaning and application in today’s struggling world. No time at the beach this trip, or late night bar hopping; nevertheless, a wonderful weekend to re-energize my daily Buddhist practice. — Steve
after hours evacuation In the event of an evacuation outside of normal business hours, we’ll need an accurate count of who is in our facilities. Employees working after hours should check in with the security guard on duty. Employees or volunteers running groups are asked to be responsible for those groups in the event of an evacuation. If the guard is making their rounds, there will be a clipboard posted at their station for employees to sign themselves in. Summer driving Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fatal injuries among workers in the United States. Most people assume winter is the season with the most treacherous driving, but summer poses its own set of problems. For example, the nice weather means increased long distance travel, and with school out of session roads are flooded with inexperienced teen drivers. To complicate matters further, summer is the season for higher bicycle and motorcycle traffic, and
construction projects can present a potential hazard. Because of these factors, it’s important to be vigilant in your awareness of your surroundings. To reduce your distractions, adhere to the law and ignore any phone calls or text messages while on the road. Keep sunglasses handy to aid in keeping an even light level. Even though it’s the law, more than 10% of drivers in New York don’t wear their safety belts. This dereliction can cause grievous injury in an accident. You should not only wear your belt, but remind your passengers to also wear theirs. As a refresher, if you have cause to drive during the course of your job duties, you are responsible for following all traffic laws. If an incident occurs during work hours, it must be treated as a workplace safety violation. Hopefully, with your help, the summer months can be fun-filled and accident free. Be well, and as always, feel free to bring any safety or security concerns to the attention of your Facilities team. Connections
The Sanctuary at Evergreen Commons was the setting for Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to sign legislation aimed at ending the opioid overdose crisis. The new laws increase access to treatment, improve prevention efforts, and place stricter limits on prescriptions for painkillers, which can lead to addiction. “New York is leading the way forward in the the fight against heroin and opioid addiction,” said Governor Cuomo prior to signing the bills into law. “With this legislation, we are taking an affirmative stand for our families and communities who have suffered from this epidemic’s debilitating effects.” The Governor went on to praise the Senate and Assembly for “their hard work and dedication to stopping this epidemic and creating a stronger and healthier New York”. Photo Courtesy of the Governor’s Office v
A TV show that I am so into nowadays is “So You Think You Can Dance”. — Magali Maldonado A My guilty pleasure has always been the Real Housewives shows. — Mindi Mietlicki A Now that Walking Dead is on hiatus I’m watching anything trashy/reality (Hoarders, Housewives, Judge Judy, Million Dollar Listing, Storage Wars). — Andy Kiener A I’ve been watching reruns of “The Dick Cavett Show” and “The Venture Brothers” on Hulu. I heartily recommend both of them. — Sal Sciandra A I can’t wait for the next season of Orange is the New Black! I am a sucker for some Sheldon Cooper, too. — Nichole Frank A Game of Thrones, Veep. — Jimi Konidis A Beauty and the Beast, Wynona Earp. — Lisandra Rivera A I tore through Lady Dynamite, and now I’m working on Battlestar Galactica. I’m kind of losing interest, though. — John Carocci
There’s $500 for you in Evergreen’s Employee Referral Program. Refer a qualified friend for an open position, and if they’re hired you’ll get $100 after they complete 30 days. You’ll get another $150 after they complete 6 months, and another $250 after they complete a year at Evergreen. Tell your friend to write your name on their application, then fill out the Employee Referral Form, and return it to HR
I
n March of 2015, the Information Systems department took on the job of streamlining the process of recording encounters with clients. Previously, all encounters were recorded on paper documents, then entered into AIRS. We still need to input this information into AIRS, but now we can record it more easily, completely, and accurately. The Penelope Electronic Case Management System has enabled the agency as a whole to eliminate the need for paper charts, and, more importantly, makes it possible for us to analyze and report on information being collected in order to better serve our clients. The Information Systems department’s growth has expanded our ability to convert existing programs to the new system, and reduced the time necessary to bring new programs online. Andrew DiRienzo has been converting programs to an electronic format. Since he began, we’ve been able to train more staff members, create more documents, and convert twice the number of programs compared to what was previously possible in the same amount of time.
IS has converted 36 programs in 15 months, and in the same time period we created 540 documents with 24,288 unique questions, which have been filled out 119,045 times. We’re at work converting 10 additional programs which will allow us to expand the capability of Penelope itself. We’re also building a Referral System for Penelope, which will give us the ability to track referrals made within the agency as well as to outside agencies. We’ll be able to see the flow of clients between programs, assess the greatest paths of referral, and, in turn, offer clients better care. We’re also developing a communication system which will allow users to send messages related to client care directly to the appropriate staff members, rather than going outside of Penelope to use Outlook. This will improve confidentiality and HIPAA compliance. Streamlining the input process has allowed us to pull customized reporting on information entered into the Penelope system. When he’s not busy pulling program-related reports for program managers,
Derek Miller has been working on a data warehouse which will have the capacity to pool information the agency inputs into many of our systems including Penelope, AIRS and Medent. In the coming months, we’ll see the work on this system come to fruition, and it will provide a much needed overview of data from all our systems. If you have any questions, concerns, or reporting needs, feel free to contact Derek at dmiller@evergreenhs.org Keep a look out for emails that will illustrate the referral and messaging processes in coming weeks. And, as always, if you have questions, concerns, edits to documents or process, or need additional training, don’t hesitate to contact us at lzasada@evergreenhs. org and adirienzo@evergreenhs.org Finally, I’d like to send a special thank you to staff that have been instrumental throughout this process: Derek Miller, Julie Vaughan (AIRS Queen), Nicole Coonly, Kevin Bidtah and all the users who have piloted the processes of Penelope through trial and error with me. Thank you! Connections
Connections J U LY 2016 PUBLISHER/LAYOUT
John Carocci
COPY EDITOR
Martha Sawicki
CONTRIBUTORS
Melissa Delgado Jakob Willoughby Steve Sanders Kimberly Harding Lindsay Zasada
Connections is a monthly newsletter for Evergreen employees (that’s you). Send your story ideas, photos, or just a friendly hello to John Carocci.