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epatitis C care has come a long way. Now, more than ever, cures for hepatitis C are less likely to cause impairing side-effects and are more readily available. However, these cures do nothing if people aren't empowered to take control of their health. Those who are struggling with substance use, housing and employment are less likely to be able to justify prioritizing healthcare. Chris’ healthcare journey has been riddled with obstacles, but he has come out of it all stronger, in a better place mentally and physically because he decided he had enough of the way he was living. When a friend who uses drugs told Chris that at Evergreen, he could get free syringes and supplies, he was skeptical to say the least. “I didn’t believe it, a place where you could get free needles and everything was clean,” said Chris of his first experience at Evergreen. “They were $5 a pack at Rite Aid and it was always embarrassing to buy them.” Chris started going to Evergreen for his drug user services, first for supplies, then for support groups. Although he was quiet, staff started recognizing him. When Ann Breidenstein, harm reduction counselor in the syringe exchange program, saw Chris sleeping on a park bench, she connected him with housing services. “I was still going to the harm reduction center, but I didn’t really talk to anyone. I was homeless on the street for a while and Ann was doing outreach. They would go out into the community. She found me sleeping on a bench and helped me get an apartment,” said Chris. Having those needs met really helped Chris. He was able to address other issues that seemed less important when he was without a home. A few years ago, Chris started feeling sick. He was having stomach aches and trouble with his bowels and urination. It was hard to describe but he knew something didn’t feel right. Chris didn’t know until later that one of his friends had shared his cap and cotton when they were using drugs together. (continued on next page)
“I figured something was wrong with my body. I was nervous and got tested for everything. They said I was positive for hepatitis C,” Chris remembered. “But the nurse said, ‘It’s just hep C. We can clear it.’” Although that made him feel a little better, Chris was concerned about the expense. Would his insurance cover it? What if he wasn’t approved? Not only that, but he had heard the medication would be tough on his body. Insurance did cover it and after taking the medication faithfully for 90 days, Chris was cleared of his hepatitis C infection. The medication was much easier on his system than he anticipated. He was still able to do his daily activities and experienced very few side effects. Although he was cautioned that it may make him feel sleepy, he was more energized after taking the hepatitis C medication. “Getting hep C has taught me not to let things go. Don’t be embarrassed. That’s one thing I really, really like about Evergreen: they don’t make you feel alienated. It’s just a better feeling than a regular doctor’s office. I definitely learned that if something’s wrong, go to a doctor about it. I learned not to share anything, ever,” said Chris. Chris also credits Liz Ann-Miller, director of behavioral health, for saving his life. She found him when he overdosed; she used Naloxone to resuscitate him. “I definitely owe Liz and give her a big hug every time I see her,” said Chris. “As you can imagine, I was going pretty hard and rough. I didn’t really care about myself.” Earlier this year, Chris became re-infected with hep C. Reinfection can happen after someone has already been cured of hep C because the medication only treats an active infection. Although he felt guilty about acquiring hepatitis C again, Chris knew that at Evergreen he was in a safe place where he wouldn’t be judged. He recently successfully cured his hepatitis C infection and decided that he wanted to stop using drugs. “I came to my end. I’m not getting any younger and I have a 12-year-old son. He needs me. I
think I just came to end of the road where I got sick of the whole game: being around bad people all day, destroying your body, spending money that you don’t have. It’s not worth it. I’ve been to rehab numerous times and I’ve been to jail and nothing’s really turned me around. I guess the answer is that people just have to hit their end. Nobody could really force me to stop.” COVID has been difficult for many people who use or have used drugs, including Chris. He relies on programs to help maintain sobriety. Prior to the pandemic, he was attending four or five support groups a week. Although he is still meeting with a mental health provider, attending the virtual Drug User Health coalition group with the harm reduction center and was recently assigned a peer support counselor at Evergreen, he misses being able to meet with people faceto-face. He has struggled with the self-isolation Coronavirus has mandated. “If I just sit around too much, I get ideas in my head. Do you know what I mean? But if I schedule meetings, I can at least get out of the house and talk to someone.” Chris looks forward to being able to meet with others through groups and the THRIVE wellness program once it’s safe. He wants to share his story to discourage individuals from sharing needles and encourage people to reach out for help. It can be scary and difficult at first, but having built-in support has made a huge difference for him. Never being judged or turned away is a reason why Chris continues to come back to Evergreen. - Melissa Meyer
"That’s one thing I really, really like about Evergreen: they don’t make you feel alienated."
Evergreen's Harm Reduction Services team organized a sweep to locate and safely dispose of discarded syringes in the neighborhood. Great job, Harm Reduction Services team!
Did you know that Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is a framework that could increase safety not only for our patients, but for ourselves as well? We can be triggered the same ways as our patients can: through sights, sounds, smells etc. Vicarious Trauma or Compassion Fatigue often occur to those in helper roles after witnessing or hearing about traumatic events in our patients' lives. If we remember to approach our own lives and our work with patients through a trauma-informed lens, we allow space for compassion and self-care that we otherwise wouldn’t have had. That’s why it's so important to take care of you!
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Take that walk at lunch
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Get up and stretch mid-day
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Enjoy a hot cup of coffee
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Find a good book to read
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Watch a funny YouTube animal video (or maybe 10) - Alicia Kohlhagen
Hand sanitizer, masks and other protective equipment were given out, as well as school supplies and activity cards to keep kids moving. Trini Tropical Treats was also there with pre-packaged icees that were absolutely delicious. Thanks to Arica Rouse for the photographs!
Buffalo Pride Week went virtual for 2020, but it was every bit as affirming and joyful as ever. Our social media was buzzing with people sharing pictures and stories of what Pride means to them. Here are a few examples. Turn the page to see how Evergreen showed its Pride!
Home Sweet Pride encouraged everyone in Western New York to decorate their homes or businesses and show off their Pride. Evergreen had colorful paper hearts for staff to write messages on. The decorated hearts were hung in the windows for the world to see.
I was on my way home on my lunch break and spotted something fluffy moving on the Washington Street bridge in Jamestown. As traffic slowed for the red light ahead I saw it was a chicken! I pulled my car over, put on my blinkers, waited for traffic, walked up to the chicken and picked it up. Safely back in my car the chicken and I got buckled up and off we went to my house. There we made a safe home for it until I got back from work. I came to find out it's a Polish Chicken. She is going to my granddaughter's other grandma’s house, where there is a hobby farm and she will live a life of leisure away from the city traffic and bridges. Because the chicken was rescued off a bridge we've named her Bridget. The answer to the question of how did the chicken cross the road is I carried it! - story and photos by Valerie Francis
For the second year in a row, Evergreen Health and our affiliates were ranked #4 in Business First’s 2020 Best Places to Work in Western New York awards in the extra-large company category! Being one of the top companies to work for alongside other great Buffalo organizations is an accomplishment to be proud of, as all the survey scores were very close. Your hard work continues to be recognized, and your talent and commitment to our patients is making a difference every day. Thank you to everyone who completed the employee survey. While awards like this are encouraging, we know that we still have work to do as an organization to ensure all employees feel represented and supported. By working together, we can achieve meaningful change that is imperative to our future success. - Ray
Alicia Kohlhagen and Jillian Dagastino rode 65 miles (!) in the 2020 Ride for Roswell. They raised over $9000! Great job, Alicia and Jillian. Thanks to Carrie Rich for the tip and the photo.
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inkage specialist, Aanya Wood is dedicated to our transgender community. She works in our Elmwood building and sees patients every day, helping them with case management and linking them to services like Medicaid, transportation, insurance, PrEP and genderaffirming surgery. Outreach is one of her favorite parts of the job. She helped organize
Buffalo Pride Week’s Virtual Vogue Night and even DJ-ed the event. With a lived experience of being transgender, Aanya is an invaluable resource. When Aanya is relaxing outside of work, she enjoys cooking and cleaning. She also makes a mean curry chicken.
How would you describe what a linkage specialist does, for people who don’t know? My job
is a mix of outreach, clinical case management and health promotion for trans people that may or may not already be patients at Evergreen. My program is new and involves work specifically for trans people living with or at risk of HIV, predominantly from communities of color. I also do medical case management, peer services and linkage to testing for STIs, HIV and hep C with my team for all of our trans patients. I do a lot of linking people to different services like PrEP and substance use counseling and outreach in the community (when there’s not a global pandemic).
You have experience working with patients in marginalized groups in Canada, don’t you? Yeah.
I’m originally from Western New York. I moved to Toronto when I was 17 to go to school. I lived there until the fall of 2019. After I finished my undergrad. I started to do harm reduction work with sex workers and people who use drugs. I eventually started my previous position, which was doing HIV, hepatitis C and harm reduction work in the federal prison system. I was working with people who have HIV, hep C and trans people doing health promotion and health equity work with the goal of viral suppression. A lot of the work I was doing was developing a nation-wide syringe exchange in the prison system.
What drew you to this kind of work: helping trans people, people who use drugs and those in the
prison system? Well, I myself am trans and have a lot of friends and family who are living with HIV, so it hits close to home. It just made sense to do medical care. My undergrad was in geography but I did a
lot of stuff related to racism, gender studies and disability studies.
Have you been able to do much outreach in the current climate? We’ve done a continuation of the
Vogue Night series. The idea was a virtual Vogue Night, which was on Friday (of Pride Week). It was a pretty big success. There were about 400 people watching. A lot of Evergreen staff joined, which was great. People from the ballroom community in Western New York, all over New York State and some friends from Canada joined. That’s a big part of what I am doing — community events and tabling at fairs, like Pride.
Were you part of the LGBTQ+ community while you were in Canada? While I was there, I started
working as a DJ. I played Pride every year and did lots of festivals for the community.
What made you want to apply to work for Evergreen? I started as a patient at Evergreen. When
I first moved back to Western New York, I needed somewhere I could get my hormones. I knew Evergreen started as an AIDS service organization and I was looking for something that was in health and human services for people with HIV or people who use drugs. I had a couple of interviews then finally got my position.
What’s your favorite thing about working for Evergreen so far? I like the freedom in my position,
that I can incorporate culture. I was able to develop and support a virtual Vogue Night. There’s an openness to ideas at Evergreen and I’m able to incorporate a lot of different parts of my life that come from outside of work. It’s seen as valuable and important to the communities we serve. HIV isn’t just the healthcare aspect but also community development and giving people the space to be themselves.
Do you think it’s easier for your patients to talk to you because of your lived experience of being
transgender? Yeah, I think so. But my coworkers who aren’t trans are also amazing. They have develop some great relationships with patients, too.
When you’re not helping other people, what do you do to take care of yourself? That is a great
question! I garden a lot. I cook a lot. My friend Alicia calls me a housewife because I cook for other
people and do a lot of traditionally housewife type things like cooking and cleaning. I’m a homebody.
Have the staying at home orders with the pandemic been an easy transition for you then? Oh
my god, yeah. Absolutely. I don’t really have many complaints about social distancing these days. This year has been obviously really bizarre, awful and disorienting in so many different ways, but in a lot of ways I feel like it’s brought me much closer to a lot of my friends and family. I’m looking forward to being able to hug people again. It’s such a simple thing but I think many of us are missing simple contact with each other! Thanks, Aanya, for being an advocate and sharing your story!
"There's an openness to ideas at Evergreen and I'm able to incorporate a lot of different parts of my life that come from outside of work. It's seen as valuable and important to the communities we serve."
Left: Mustafa Abucar and Anthony Roth with the new employee attestation signage. Photo by Matthew Crehan Higgins. Center top: John Carocci's niece and nephew made a new friend while apple picking. Center bottom: It's August instead of June, but the Pride flags are waving over Elmwood Avenue.
Mark your calendar! The submission
If you have follow-up questions for the Thursday update from Ray and the team, you can submit them via email at COVID19questions@evergreenhs.org.
deadline for the October 2020 issue of Connections is Friday, September 18. Be sure to get your content in before the deadline to guarantee placement. Kids, pets, recipes, your new home office - we want to share them all! Send
In addition to Ray’s weekly 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 Evergreen website.
to EvergreenConnections via Outlook.
Birthdays Aaron Spare.................................... September 3 Mark Wolf.......................................... September 3 Erika Szymanski........................... September 4 Dennis McKnight........................... September 5 Sheila Solomon............................... September 6 Tamarie Novo.................................. September 8 Bridget McClain............................. September 10 Stephanie Mineo............................ September 10 Michael Lee...................................... September 10 Brianna Barrett.............................. September 10 Venus Kaur....................................... September 11 Abby Depczynski......................... September 11 Tiffany McCloskey....................... September 13 Lovejeet Atwal................................ September 14 Amanda Thornton........................ September 14 Kimberly Lombard....................... September 15 Fatai Gbadamosi............................ September 16 Jessica Schanne............................. September 17 Julie Vaughan................................. September 17 Robert Baird.................................... September 18 Nicole Mitchell................................ September 19 Leslie Anderson............................. September 20 Jason Rein......................................... September 20 Niaema Fox....................................... September 21 Julie Falk............................................ September 22 Rebecca Wedgewood................. September 24 Ivette Chavez-Gonzalez............. September 24 Dana McHale................................... September 25 Tiffany Valentin............................. September 27 Jennifer Woods.............................. September 27 Jordon Frank................................... September 28 Garrett Dicembre.......................... September 28 Teresa Lane...................................... September 29 Beth Barone-Gregory.................. September 29
Anniversaries Best Places to Work Results Evergreen Health and our affiliates were ranked #4 for the second year in a row in Business First’s Best Places to Work in Western New York for 2020. Evergreen is consistently among the region's top companies
Kimberly Lombard.....................................28 Years Susan Fiedler................................................16 Years Keisha Leavy.................................................15 Years Fatai Gbadamosi..........................................15 Years Shari DeMarco..............................................12 Years Tracy Eichelberger....................................9 Years Ashley Kuss....................................................8 Years
to work for and we should be proud to be alongside so many great
Thomas O'Kell...............................................7 Years
companies and organizations. Your hard work continues to be
Matthew Crehan Higgins........................6 Years
recognized, and your talent and commitment to our patients is making a difference every day. Thank you to everyone who completed the employee survey. While awards like these are encouraging, we know that we still have work to do as an organization to ensure all employees
Renee Posey...................................................5 Years Dawn Ganoe...................................................5 Years Teresa Lane....................................................5 Years Liz Ann Miller................................................5 Years Linda Colburn...............................................5 Years
feel represented and supported. By working together, we can achieve
Gerrod Bennett.............................................4 Years
meaningful change that is imperative to our future success.
Melissa Nagro...............................................4 Years
Evergreen University
Susan Vanderwerf.....................................4 Years
Top Benefits of Evergreen Health University:
Christina Mihalitsas..................................4 Years Sharee Harris................................................3 Years Arlene Andrade-Johnson.......................3 Years Nancy Colon..................................................3 Years
•
Organizes training content in one location
LeAnna Shanks............................................3 Years
•
One centralized training transcript/record
Tiffany Valentin...........................................3 Years
•
Provides unlimited access to hundreds of courses
•
Free access to Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
•
Easily tracks staff's learning progress
•
You can easily access your learning portal on any mobile device
•
And much more!!
DeAirra Burroughs-Moore....................3 Years Kelly Thompson...........................................2 Years Meghan Canfield.........................................2 Years Daniel Auflick...............................................2 Years Alice Ayala Larregui.................................2 Years Jason Perez.....................................................1 Year Jordon Frank.................................................1 Year
If you have any questions or comments about the system please contact Jocelyn Leising, employee engagement specialist.
Vanessa Santos............................................1 Year Lovejeet Atwal..............................................1 Year Joelle Hochulski...........................................1 Year Jennifer Woods............................................1 Year Travis Wood...................................................1 Year
Abby Depczynski
Joseph Ryan
Amanda LaFleur
Karen Brown
Andi Ace
Katherine Mego
Christine Marrano
Kayleen Coleman
Claire Buscemi
Kelsey Hanks
David Setlock
Kristina Sykes
Dawn Trotter
LeAnna Shanks
James Gerwitz
Lisandra Rivera
Jenna Gallitto
LJ Atwal
Jordon Frank
Maggie Barnett
Recognizing Excellent Work at Evergreen from
Marina Ward Michael Canty Niaema Fox Santana Ladd Shaina Beck Shakiya Bell Sharon Yager
Publisher/Layout
Susan Fiedler Tiffani Williams
John Carocci
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.
July 20 - August 19
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.
Copy Editor Melissa Meyer
Contributors Jocelyn Leising Shakiya Bell Melissa Delgado Carrie Rich Arica Rouse Melissa Meyer Valerie Francis
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.