Left to Right: Julie's sister (and Jocelyn's mom) Jeanne models the headband mask holder and 3-d printed mask holder, Meg Bhatti models the finished produc
ct at Evergreen.
My niece Monica and sister Jeanne (along with a few helping hands) started making headbands for healthcare workers who were having ear pain due to wearing a mask all day long. The headbands have two buttons sewn on and the mask can be attached there instead of the ears. They put out the word to a few friends and the requests began pouring in. The headbands have been distributed to nurses at ECMC, Buffalo General, Mercy and Sister’s hospitals as well as at the McGuire Group nursing home.
All proceeds are being used to help families struggling to survive during
this time. They were able to help over 20 families in need.
I purchased 35 of them for the staff here and gave them to Matt Crehan
Higgins, AVP of Enhanced Medical Services, to distribute.
But wait – there’s more! We also heard about a Boy Scout who developed
a pattern for another type of mask holder to be used for 3D printing. He was giving this pattern away for free. I asked my husband Karl if his company has a 3D printer and they do. Now his company is making about 20/per day (3D printing takes a really long time) and sending them to Monica to distribute to hospitals in the area. ECR International has facilities in Dunkirk and Utica, so they are creating holders for hospitals in those areas as well. I don’t think I’ll get my hands on any of these soon since the hospitals really need them.
FYI – for those who don’t know, employee engagement specialist Jocelyn
Leising is my niece so this is her sister and mom we're talking about! Her other sister Natalie (my Goddaughter) is a neuro-ICU nurse who volunteered for the COVD ICU at Buffalo General so nurses who had children or adult parents to care for could avoid the COVID unit. - Julie Mayer, AVP of Health Information
RANDY
first heard about Evergreen because of its testing services. His friend was HIV positive and Randy knew he was at risk, so he wanted to get tested. Once he met with a counselor, Randy became aware of the primary and specialty care and supportive services Evergreen provides. He became a regular at the THRIVE Wellness Center, playing board games with the staff and attending cooking demonstrations. Since then, Randy has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and diabetes. The THRIVE Wellness Center helps keep him on track. He credits James Thompson, health & wellness program manager, for recent health wins. “James teaches me about the do not’s and the do’s. I’ve been trying my best to follow them,” said Randy. For example, certain foods make his sugar go up because there is too much starch. He has been learning how to make better choices. “Another thing you’ve been doing is learning how to read nutrition labels,” said James. “Yeah,” Randy responded. “I love doing that because I learn a lot reading at the same time, because I’m not really a good reader and he helps me with that, as well, by helping me read these packages. It helps me read more. Like I said, I enjoy his company.” Having a friend to talk to, like James, is incredibly beneficial. “It made it a lot more easier when James comes over ‘cause I can lose stress by talking with him,” Randy continues. “I don’t have no one else to talk to and when James is over, he teaches me. So, he’s not just a diabetes councilor for me. He’s an all counselor for me. When I need it the most, he’s there. With him, it’s a different kind of counseling.” Because James is a good listener and offers help and support, Randy trusts him and takes his suggestions. James and Randy work on a personalized course of action, instead of a standard lesson plan. By identifying areas that he wants changes and creating a plan to reach his goals, Randy is more likely to follow through with the course of action and feels more accomplished when he succeeds. Recently, Randy has lost close to twenty pounds, his sugar levels are under control and another favorite staff member, Laura Pasquarella, has even noticed his weight loss. “I’m grateful I’m starting to lose weight. It’s not where I want to be but it’s a starter. Matter of fact, Laura noticed that I lost a lot of weight. ‘Cause she sees me a lot and she knows me really well.” Randy continues that her noticing his weight loss made him feel good about himself. Randy tries to get as many of his services as possible at Evergreen. His care coordinator has been noticeably beneficial to him by speaking with his landlord regarding a recent misunderstanding that could have led to eviction. She has even gone to appointments with him. “A couple of months ago I hurt my head. I got a concussion and I went to a follow up. She met me there and went with me,” continued Randy. It’s especially helpful that she goes to new appointments with him where he may not know what to expect. Randy is grateful for the help that Evergreen Health has given him. Evergreen treats all aspects of Randy, from primary and specialty healthcare, to counseling, housing assistance and nutrition. He tells James, “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now talking about it.”
PROTECTING PHI & PII WHEN WORKING REMOTELY ·
If you can, work in a closed space away from family to protect any PHI & PII that may be displayed on your screen;
·
If you leave your computer, be sure to lock it (Windows key + L) so PHI & PII is not visible;
·
Clear your desk of paper documents when you are finished for the day;
·
Paper documents with PHI & PII should be shredded. No shredder? Lock the documents in a safe space until you are back at the office and can use one of Evergreen’s Shred-it bins;
·
Electronic documents that contain PHI or PII must be saved in your personal PHI folder on the H drive, do not save them to your desktop. You will need to connect to the VPN in order to save to or retrieve from your PHI folder.
·
Shut down your computer and other equipment and store in a secure place at the end of each work day.
A FRIENDLY REMINDER Laptops and other electronic Evergreen Health devices are for work purposes only. Family members should not be given access to these devices to play games, surf the internet, etc.
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT AUTHORIZATIONS Evergreen Health recently changed its contract signing policy. Only members of the Executive Team, Executive Directors and the AVP of Grants Management may sign contracts. Business Associates Agreements must be signed by the CEO. Please remember to submit all contracts, agreements and MOUs to Compliance through the ticketing system using the “06 Compliance” ticket for review prior to them being signed. - David Haefner, Esq.
"We're In This Together" is more than just a few meaningless words. Our friends throughout the Western New York community have rallied behind Evergreen, donating their time and resources to help keep us safe as we continue our mission. Shown here are some of the notes that accompanied homemade masks for Evergreen staff. We've got their back and they've got ours!
Left: Christine Kemp shared this photo of her work from home colleague Sally. * * * * * Right: Sue Fiedler's tellingly terse caption for this photograph is simply "pesky Liza". * * * * * Who's Zoomin' who? The Southern Tier, that's who! Thank you Marcia Derby for the great screen capture.
Left: Andy Kiener writes: operators Glendalisse Vargas and Christina Sheppard have worked on-site every day and faced numerous challenges including other members of the quality team working remotely, a resignation, social distancing, employee quarantines, their own fear of the unknown and their concern regarding the well-being of their loved ones. You can imagine the surge of calls during those first couple of weeks and all of the changes they needed to keep up with but neither one missed a beat! The two of them alone handle all of the incoming calls, always remaining patient, calm and compassionate. * * * * * Below: this photo was submitted to Connections by no less than three people, because yes, it's just that awesome!
Mark your calendar! The submission deadline for the June 2020 issue of
If you were unable to view Ray’s Town Hall presentation or
Connections is Wednesday, May 20.
if you have additional questions, you can submit them via
Be sure to get your content in before
email at COVID19questions@evergreenhs.org. A video of
the deadline to guarantee placement.
the presentation has been posted to the ADP portal.
Kids, pets, recipes, your new home office, we want to share them all! Send
In addition to Ray’s daily email messages, you can find up to date information about how Evergreen is dealing with the situation by logging in to the ADP portal or checking the agency website.
to EvergreenConnections via Outlook.
Top left: Visiting the Pride Center's new home just before the shut down. * * * * * Bottom left: "I have a family member making masks to donate to healthcare providers in need in Jamestown. This family member is enlisting the help of friends to take care of those on the front lines of this situation". Linda Scalise * * * * * Top right: an anonymous Evergreen staff member working from home sent "Evergreen Strong" cookies as a thank you to staff onsite working to keep essential services operating. Thank you anonymous staff member for the sweet gesture! * * * * * Bottom right: Isaac and Corrin cut up t-shirts from past events to make masks for patients who don't have one.
Birthdays Ebone Wedlington.................................... May 2 Jerome Robinson....................................... May 3 Megan Bingham......................................... May 4 Robert Smith................................................ May 6 Melanie Deyoe............................................ May 7 Jennifer Cheatom...................................... May 7 Luann Bogdan............................................. May 7 Taleha Ojeda................................................ May 8 Santos Martinez......................................... May 10 Brittany Hesson.......................................... May 11 Rebecca Clark............................................. May 12 Emma Fabian............................................... May 13 Rosalind Townsend................................. May 13 Michael Blasdell......................................... May 14 Matthew Sydor........................................... May16 Kaitlynn Cruz.............................................. May 17 Angela Torrie.............................................. May 17 Kate Walker.................................................. May 24 Adria Reed.................................................... May 24 Roosevelt Terry.......................................... May 25 Shakiya Bell.................................................. May 25 Alyssa Shon.................................................. May 25 Grant Rogers................................................ May 27 Elizabeth Woleen...................................... May 27 Zachary Nappo.......................................... May 28 Deiona Baldwin.......................................... May 30 Harry Berkoh-Asamoah........................ May 31 Helene Cacciato......................................... May 31
Anniversaries Laurie Matson...............................................16 Years Cornelia Meredith......................................14 Years Theresa Shankland...................................14 Years Julie Vaughan...............................................10 Years Theresa Woehrel........................................8 Years Jamie Keuck...................................................7 Years Robert Baird..................................................5 Years LaTanya Walton-Brown...........................4 Years Ricardo Quiros.............................................4 Years Kate Walker....................................................4 Years Elijah Jimerson.............................................4 Years Corrin LaVigne.............................................3 Years Brittany Hesson............................................3 Years Christine DeVoe...........................................3 Years
Annual Trainings Roll Out It’s that time of year again! The first round of annual trainings are available on Evergreen University and take about two hours to complete. Be sure to give yourself enough time to complete the required trainings by July 31. There will be additional email communications in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes open!
Matthew Sydor.............................................3 Years Kayleen O'Halloran....................................2 Years Kaitlyn Hamm...............................................2 Years Katherine Marrero.....................................2 Years Jermane Nauden.........................................2 Years Wanda Gonzalez.........................................2 Years Ebony Burroughs........................................1 Years
If you have any questions, please contact Jocelyn Leising.
Eshea Spears.................................................1 Year Iesha Honeycutt...........................................1 Year Shakiya Bell....................................................1 Year
Aaron Spare
Jason Perez
Abby Depczynski
Jennifer Reeves
Adam Costanza
Johanna Aponte
Adriane Argo
Joleen Rodriguez
Alan Jacyszyn
Jomareliz Gonzalez Velez
Andi Ace
Jonathan Puma
Arlene Andrade
Joseph Ryan
Becky Siuta
Josh McClain
Cathleen Niedermayer
Kadie Desbordes
Christine Kemp
Katherine Mego
Conor Sweeney
Kayleen Coleman
Crystal Pereira-Finley
Keisha Leavy
Emily Oaks
Kristin Rickert
Gerrod Bennett
LaTanya Walton-Brown
Glendalisse Lopez
Lisandra Rivera
Grant Rogers
Magali Maldonado
Heather Fangsrud
Margaret Prell
Isaac Resto Reyes
Marlyn Moore
Ivette Chavez Gonzalez
Matthew Crehan Higgins
Jamie Major
Matthew Faltisco
Recognizing Excellent Work at Evergreen from M
Megan Mogavero Meghan Canfield Melissa Murray Michael Blasdell Michael Canty Nancy Colon Natalie Gerdy Nicholas Maggi Rachel Voelkle-Kuhlmann Ricardo Quiros Rob Baird Rob Cunningham Ryan Trubits Sara Fagyas Sarah Smith
Publisher/Layout
Sheila Marcheson Sheila Solomon Stephanie Vroman-Goodrich Theresa Oden Timothy Shaughnessy
March 20 - April 19
1.
Dial extension 2222.
2. Follow the prompt to record the Code Blue or Mr. Webber and say the exact location and building of the incident. 3. Hang up your phone. This will prompt your message to be broadcast to all Evergreen locations. 4. The Code Blue team and Security will respond to the incident. 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.
John Carocci
Copy Editor Melissa Meyer
Contributors Jocelyn Leising Shakiya Bell Melissa Meyer Julie Mayer David Haefner, Esq.
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.