iPad program ver the last few years, the Evergreen Associa on has recognized that technological advancements are rapidly changing the way people around the world interact with and manage data. Kevin Bidtah, the agency’s Director of Technology, has worked toward implemen ng technological improvements in order to increase efficiency and produc vity within the Associa on’s various Centers. Understanding the poten al for u lizing mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones, Evergreen recently launched an aggressive pilot program to analyze the usefulness of iPad devices in various Associa on programs. At this moment in me, over 20 iPads have been issued, with distribu on focused primarily to Care Coordinators. Par cipants in this pilot program have seen produc vity rise as a result of having iPads in the field. Previously, Care Coordinators were relegated to handwri ng notes while in the field with clients, and had to return to the office in order to type up their notes and enter them into the online system. Now, with iPads, Care Coordinators are entering their notes directly into the Evergreen system if Wi-Fi is available while on an appointment. If they aren’t able to connect to Wi-Fi, the iPads have a Microso Wordlike applica on called Pages, which allows them to make a typed document of their notes. They can simply copy and paste those notes into the online system as soon as they’re able to connect to the internet. Removing the need for redundant note-entry saves me, giving Care Coordinators more availability to maintain follow-up with their clients. Having access to assessments, reassessments, and medical informa on when out of the office allows Care Coordinators
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to u lize this informa on while in the field. In addi on to appointment-specific needs, staff always has access to their e-mail, the Evergreen me and a endance system, and other useful resources. Staff even has access to an editable PDF form for Housing clients, allowing a client to enter the informa on for the form right on the iPad. Clients can even sign the form, using their finger as a pen on the mul -touch screen of the iPad. The form is then sent via e-mail, or transferred directly to the employee’s PC via the DropBox app. In addi on to benefits for Coordinators, their Supervisors are able to keep in be er communica on with them. By linking staff calendars and making them accessible via the iPad or PC, Supervisors and staff can share schedules, change appointments in real me, and stay on the same page any me changes are made. iPads keep the Care Coordina on team connected. Currently, the program covers four main areas of Evergreen: Care Coordina on, the Pride Center, Management and IT. Management sees added benefit through increased abili es in presenta ons, web mee ngs, viewing trainings while off-site or simple word-processing when on the go. The Pride Center is star ng to see benefits in Outreach ac vi es and office administra on. Overall, the iPad pilot program has been extremely successful, and Evergreen plans to expand on the program as informa on from current par cipants is analyzed. As we transi on to the Health Home model, mobile access to documenta on and data entry will become essen al. Through this program, as well as other ini a ves implemented within the Associa on, Evergreen has posi oned itself to stay at the forefront of technological evolu on. C
Game of Thrones, Curb Your Enthusiasm Boardwalk Empire - Patrick Butler
Scandal New Girl Partners - Tayrin Tapia-Torres
Scandal American Horror Story FOOTBALL! - Susan Williams
Parks and Recreation Downton Abbey Treme - Sally Heron
Modern Family So You Think You Can Dance Family Guy - Seth Girod
Gossip Girl The Voice Intervention - Shannon Bryant
Bob’s Burgers Downton Abbey American Dad - Justin Azzarella
Revenge Modern Family Long Island Medium - Mindi Mietlicki
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Big Ang The Walking Dead - Andy Kiener Doctor Who - Lindsay Zasada Doctor Who Simpsons - Brendan Orrange True Blood Walking Dead The Voice - Tara Rosado Project Runway RuPaul’s Drag Race Glee - Johnny Mora Monday Night Football Thursday Night Football Inside the NFL - Kenneth Lewis
Sons of Anarchy Modern Family Criminal Minds - Melissa Lacount
Sons of Anarchy Game of Thrones How the States Got their Shapes - Kimberly Harding
Supernatural Grimm Revolution - Ashlee Rudolph
Downton Abbey Chopped My Little Pony - Kim Lombard
American Idol X Factor The Voice - Pratheep Sakas
Law and Order SVU NCIS The Mentalist - Tiffany Macauley
Walking Dead Space Ghost Coast to Coast Mystery Science Theater - Jim Rautenstrauch
Walking Dead NCIS: Los Angeles Criminal Minds - Trish Hopkins
True Blood America’s Based Dance Crew Switched at Birth - Jorien Brock
NCIS Glee American Horror Story - Laura Pasquarella
Sons of Anarchy Dexter Breaking Bad - Krista Fenske
Doctor Who Sherlock Boardwalk Empire - Kevin Bidtah
The Walking Dead American Horror Story Here Comes Honey Boo Boo - Maria LoTempio
Halloween Wars Don’t Sleep R&B Divas - Keisha Leavy
Say YES to the Dress Chicago Fire Jersey Shore - Kaitlyn Cieri
November Birthdays
NOVEMBER IS AMERICAN DIABETES MONTH THE FACTS ABOUT DIABETES - If you have diabetes, you’re not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Preven on es mates 21 million people have diabetes and 7 million don’t know they have it. PAY ATTENTION TO THESE SYMPTOMS It can take years before some people first become aware they have diabetes. O en, they learn they have diabetes when they develop a major complica on, such as kidney disease, heart a ack or stroke. PAY ATTENTION TO THESE SYMPTOMS • Feeling red • Increased thirst • Increased urina on • Blurred vision • Infec ons or cuts that don’t heal WHAT YOU CAN DO Type 1 diabetes is when the pancreas stops making insulin, the hormone that processes sugar or glucose. Type
2 diabetes is when the pancreas produces too li le insulin. The main goal of diabetes treatment for both type 1 and type 2 is to keep blood sugar levels as close to normal as safely possible. Monitoring your daily blood sugar is an important measure of how you’re managing your diabetes. But it’s not the only one. Diabetes affects your body’s major organs, so you need several tests to see how diabetes is affec ng your overall health: • • • • • •
Urine test: once a year Hemoglobin (HbA1c) at least twice a year Blood pressure: every doctor’s visit Fas ng cholesterol: at least once a year Dilated eye examina on: once a year Comprehensive foot exam: once a year
If you smoke, quit. People with diabetes who smoke are three mes more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than non-smokers. Smokers with diabetes are also more likely to get nerve damage and kidney disease. C
Susan Williams – November 4 Benne Evere – November 8 Susan Fielder – November 8 Kevin Bidtah – November 10 Angela Palmer – November 10 Jessica Lehsten – November 11 Saw Min – November 11 Kathy Oczek – November 16 Shari DeMarco – November 18 Tayrin Torres – November 18 Elisa Luciano – November 23 Ka e Diebold – November 25
November Anniversaries Andre’ Stokes – 1 year Frank Goldberg – 2 years Cortney Anderson – 6 years Brian Planty – 6 years Courtney Rhines – 6 years Bridget McClain – 10 years Carolee Corbi – 13 years
Your Con nued Dedica on and Hard Work Are No ced and Appreciated! – The Management Team
CONNECTIONS CONTRIBUTORS PUBLISHER/LAYOUT JOHN CAROCCI EDITOR KIMBERLY HARDING CONTRIBUTORS PATRICK BUTLER MAISHA DRAYTON, SHEILA MARCHESON BRENDAN ORRANGE, LINDSAY ZASADA ON THE COVER: A NEW SIDEWALK AT EVERGREEN COMMONS
5/5/5 CHALLENGE Healthy ea ng and physical ac vity are dually essenal to good health. Therefore, we are implemen ng the Five & Fit five-week program that challenges you to eat fruits, vegetables and to be physically ac ve. Par cipa on in this program is not mandatory; however, submission of a form each week will earn you a chance to win weekly rae prizes. Program Begins: November 26, 2012 Ends: December 28, 2012 Your goal for these five weeks is to eat a combina on of five servings of fruits & vegetables and be physically ac ve for thirty minutes or more five days each week. Shoot for five but remember some is be er than none! At right is an example of the form you will be using to keep track of your progress. If you are interested in par cipa ng, please contact Sheila Marcheson at smarcheson@evergreenhs.org.
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fiverandomfacts andonelie! CA N YO U TELL THE DIFFER ENCE? (see back cover for answer)
1 Scien sts have found that our Sun is part of a binary star system, but they cannot find the second star. 2 Cats can drink salt water. Their kidneys have the ability to filter out the salinity. 3 With the elec on coming up, you ought to know that an American in outer space is s ll able to vote via absentee ballot. This can happen when Americans are aboard the Interna onal Space Sta on, which is 220 miles above the earth. 4 America’s richest man, Bill Gates, ran a frozen banana stand before star ng Microso . 5 The profit margin on the first Model T Ford was $2. 6 You can make a glass of apple cider with three apples.
SUBMITTED BY BRENDAN ORRANGE
The Harm Reduction Initiative
MEET TARRIE
Harm Reduc on has always played a vital role in our agency’s mission, and we are poised to make it an even more important part of the way we serve our clients, pa ents and guests. Tarrie Ruefli, PhD will be assis ng the agency Management Team in their efforts to improve our Harm Reduc on skills by conduc ng a comprehensive Harm Reduc on Needs Assessment. Tarrie and the Management Team will then use the results of this assessment to develop and implement a plan of ac on designed to put Harm Reduc on front and center in every area of Evergreen Health Services. She is no stranger to AIDS/Syringe Exchange work in Western New York, but this month’s Connec ons Video is an official introduc on to Tarrie and the Harm Reduc on Ini a ve. Click on the purple circle at the upper right of this page and get to know Tarrie! C
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO!
Time Line for Tarrie Ruefli, PhD 1947 / Born in Torrington CT 1969 / BA degree in Social Rela ons Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
1970 / MA degree in Sociology University of Maine
1978 / PhD in Social Psych & Sexuality University of California
1978-1984 / Assistant Professor of Sociology Daemen College, Amherst, NY
1985-1987 / Post Doctoral Studies in Media Studies University of Buffalo
1988-1992 / Research Assistant Research Ins tute on Addic ons, Buffalo, NY
1990 / Principal Inves gator: first study of sexual risk taking among MSM in a Smaller US City 1990-1992 / President of the Board AIDS Alliance of WNY
1993-1995 / Program Evaluator Project Reach, Buffalo
1995-1996 / Director of Project Reach 1993-1996 / Syringe Exchange Program Coordinator Buffalo Columbus Hospital
1997-2006 / Execu ve Director New York Harm Reduc on Educators, Bronx, NY
2004 / Conducted first study measuring the impact of harm reduc on on client’s lives
DID YOU KNOW? There are a number of discounts available to Evergreen Staff... check them out and save money! Sam’s Club - $40.00 (2 Cards) BJ’s Wholesale Club - $20.00 yearly Dunn Tire - 5% off res, 10% off alignment Studio 806 - 20% off Hair/Spa Services Verizon - 22% Discount Visit: verizonwireless.com/getdiscount
Needle Points by Maisha Drayton Project S.A.F.E., our syringe exchange program, is renowned across the state for its amazing work throughout the community! Here are a few stats - since its inception in 1992, Project S.A.F.E. has: Enrolled 9,299 people Collected 4,841,293 syringes Distributed 5,262,302 syringes Conducted 126,134 exchanges Our opiate overdose prevention program has trained almost 500 people, and 162 lives have been saved by the people we’ve trained. We’ve also made thousands of referrals to testing, treatment, counseling, nutrition, and mental health services just to name a few! If you need help or have questions, come see us on the first floor. We’re here for you and your clients!
Account Name: Evergreen Health Services Sprint – 19% Discount Visit sprint.com/verify to complete form Account Name: AIDS Community Services AT&T – 20% Discount Visit any retail center or call customer care at 1-800-331-0500 to have the discount code 2485440 added to your account. TMobile – 15% Discount To ac vate a new line of service, call 1-866464-8662, Op on 3 and use promo onal code 6640TMOFAV. Or, visit t-mobile.com/ nyemployees. Exis ng T-Mobile customers can receive the 15% discount on monthly reoccurring charges for qualifying rate plans by calling 1-877-453-8824. Men on that you are a NYS employee or use promo code
>> F I V E F U N FACTS A NS W E R : N U M B E R FO U R I S A L I E !
6640TMOFAV.