FIRST
impressions are important. Psychology Today says, "People tend to get attached to their initial impressions of others and often find it difficult to change their opinion, even when
presented with evidence to the contrary." Evergreen works hard to make sure the first impression people get of us is positive - welcoming, professional, compassionate and respectful - whether that first impression is made in person, online or over the phone. Glendalisse Lopez is Evergreen's newly-promoted phone operations manager. Her duties include screening telephone calls, assisting patients and training newer staff. Glendalisse also keeps her team updated on protocols and best practices, along with any scheduled events operators need to know about. And, on top of all that, she helps Evergreen make a great first (or second, or third) impression. "I was recently promoted," Glendalisse said. "So motivating my team is a top priority. I try to help my team stay ahead of the game because 8 a.m. is showtime!" The phone operators never know exactly what to expect when the clock strikes 8 a.m. "Being an operator is a journey that never ends. I’ve been a GPS, yellow pages and even a romance counselor." As you can imagine, Evergreen's phone system is complex. It connects staff at our nine locations to each other and to the community. Glendalisse walks us through a typical incoming phone call: "We'll answer the call by saying, 'Thank you for calling Evergreen Health, how may I direct your call?' We'll listen to the caller's request and provide assistance verifying an appointment, accessing their patient portal, or even with translation. When operators tell the caller that we can assist them with what they're calling for, they get so happy, especially if they don’t have to wait in the queue or have to call back because there’s nobody that speaks Spanish for little things. This helps improve their patient experience and hopefully ends up being a friendly, welcoming interaction with minimal transfers or incorrect routing." Glendalisse understands the importance of a positive patient experience. "It's crucial for our department to always provide a positive outcome no matter how the day looks," she said. "That’s what builds a stronger relationship with our callers and sets the tone for a positive ongoing patient experience." Glendalisse and her team play a vital role in creating that positive ongoing patient experience. "What I love most about my job is that feeling of accomplishment when you help someone who doesn’t know anything about services we provide, or just by listening to what they have to say even if it's not related to my department. When
you hear thank you for not hanging up it's great! That’s why I love my job!!" Glendalisse notes that staying still can be a challenge for her. "I want to do so much to help others," she said. "Moving around, meeting people face to face, I love interacting with others and listening to their stories. COVID silenced a lot of people, and now many work remotely. I’ve been behind the scenes since COVID began and that kind of takes away me being me. But I love my team and our callers. That helps me stay happy and motivated." After eight years with the agency, Glendalisse has thoughts on the work culture here and what has changed (and what has stayed the same). "I love Evergreen culture, the freedom of being who you truly are. It's hard to find an employer that can meet those expectations. Has Evergreen changed since I started working here? You can ask that every day over and over! So much change. I started back in 2015 when it was just the Roanoke building with, I believe, around 200 employees. Now we have so many locations, services and 500+ employees. Mind blowing, right?" Glendalisse grew up in Miami, Florida. "Yes, I miss the weather but Miami was not the best place to raise my kids." She worked the overnight shift as an assistant manager at Five Guys (a restaurant) in South Beach, and then at 8 a.m. she dropped her kids off at school and daycare. "I went to a trade school to train as a medical administrative assistant with billing and coding. Between my busy work and school schedules, and my kids, not having enough of everything, and one time falling asleep at a Burger King drive thru, that did it for me. I was done. I decided to move to Buffalo after my mom painted a beautiful picture of the fall weather here." Before coming to Evergreen Glendalisse worked at Neighborhood Health Center. When she applied for an open position at Evergreen, she was unfamiliar with the agency. "I didn’t know what Evergreen offered but when they called me I went with my gut. People always look happy helping others and I said I want to be happy, too. I decided to join the team. After a year I knew I made the right decision." When she's not making great first impressions at Evergreen, Glendalisse enjoys spending time with her three children. "Who are now young adults, so that can be hard sometimes." She practices Reiki healing (she's a Reiki master), loves crystals (their beauty and energy is literally out of this world) and enjoys traveling. "One day I'll travel the world. When I have time to watch TV, I watch documentaries, especially anything that has to do with spirits or my favorite, Untold ER Stories, or 911 shows or just enjoy the company of my three dogs." Thank you, Glendalisse, for all you and your team do for the staff and patients here at Evergreen!
The CAS Ken-Bailey team held its second community meeting. The team talked about the impact the CAS Ken-Bailey project will have on the community, as well as how it will allow both CAS and Evergreen to expand capacity and services. A preliminary rendering was presented, and attendees were encouraged to ask questions and offer feedback.
Mark your calendar! The submission deadline for the January 2024 issue of Connections is Friday, December 15. Be sure to get your content in before the deadline to guarantee placement. Kids, pets, vacations, recipes -we want to share it all with Team Evergreen! Email EvergreenConnections via Outlook.
Evergreen's Southern Tier staff, along with family and friends, once again marched in the annual Jamestown Holiday Parade.
The Pride Center held its annual Trans Wellness Conference in October at the Hotel Richardson in Buffalo. The two-day event featured workshops, panels, information sessions, speakers, creative activities, drag queen story hour, and much more. Congratulations to everyone who helped make this popular annual event a great success!
Jessica Stack....................................... December 1 Brian Orlikowski.................................... December 1 Jacob Perrello....................................... December 1 Jasmine Morales................................. December 1 Britney Campbell.................................. December 2 Mia Romeo............................................ December 2 Anna Ihle................................................ December 3 Robin Matos.......................................... December 5 Adriane Argo......................................... December 5 Valerie Francis...................................... December 5 Julie Mayer............................................ December 5 Denise Hutchison................................. December 6 David McCready................................... December 6 Susan Hanners..................................... December 7 Dabrielle Wright.................................... December 11 Andrea Davis......................................... December 11 Juliana Chris......................................... December 11 Kadie Desbordes.................................. December 12 Troy Crawford....................................... December 12 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 Christopher Cline................................. December 18 Rebekan Beckwith............................... December 19 Ann Didio-Harbin.................................. December 20 Stefanie Warnick.................................. December 21 Brooke Zybczynski............................... December 21 Jillian Fanning....................................... December 22 Toni Hernandez.................................... December 23 Kyle Erlandson...................................... December 23 Christine Collins................................... December 23 Christina Parker.................................... December 24 Lakisha Montgomery.......................... December 24 Mekhi Moore......................................... December 25 Laura Pasquarella................................ December 25 Linda Schmidt....................................... December 26 Justin Azzarella.................................... December 27 Damaris Medina................................... December 27
The second round of ANNUAL TRAININGS are in your Evergreen
Benjamin Gerald................................... December 27 Anabel Rivera........................................ December 27 Rodriguez, Emilio................................. December 27 Zachary Rombough............................. December 28 Xavier Washington............................... December 28 Amberlee Libertone............................. December 30 Alex Marranca...................................... December 30 Nancy Colon.......................................... December 31 Lindsay Robson.................................... December 31
University profile and are due Friday, December 29. NEW TRAINING! The Electronic Health Records and Information Systems Terms of Use module was added to all staff Evergreen University profiles. Please complete this module by December 29. Reach out to Eric Poniatowski, employee experience coordinator, with any questions.
Alexander Flaitz..............................................1 Year Kevin Christy...................................................1 Year Kristen Abers..................................................1 Year Britney Campbell............................................2 Years Michael Key.....................................................2 Years Jovan Mathis..................................................2 Years Latrese Myers.................................................3 Years Ebony McCall..................................................4 Years Dennis Kraft....................................................4 Years Tangela Watson-Bogan................................4 Years Kristina Sykes.................................................4 Years Kyle Erlandson................................................5 Years Melinda Kingsbury.........................................5 Years Jesse Gasbarro..............................................6 Years Adria Reed.......................................................6 Years Heather Fangsrud..........................................6 Years Valerie Francis................................................6 Years Joleen Rodriguez...........................................6 Years Ventenese Palmer..........................................8 Years Cathleen Niedermayer..................................8 Years Lisandra Rivera...............................................8 Years Rosemary Roche............................................8 Years David Setlock..................................................8 Years Glendalisse Lopez..........................................8 Years Nicole Coonly..................................................13 Years Laura Pasquarella..........................................16 Years Rosalind Townsend .......................................18 Years Johanna Aponte.............................................19 Years Helene Cacciato.............................................19 Years Maria LoTempio..............................................21 Years
Warmer weather meant the ice wasn't quite ready for skating, but Evergreen held its 40th Birthday Skate Party nonetheless. There was hot chocolate, food and drinks at Flint, and a chance for Team Evergreen to celebrate and look to the future.
EVERGREEN
is a great place to work (we've got trophies to prove it) but did you know it's a great place to learn, as well? Under a new collaborative clerkship rotation program, students from UB's School of Medicine work closely with our Primary & Specialty Care staff for four weeks, gaining real-world experience and learning about the various communities we serve. Isabella Julian is a third year medical student participating in the program. She says the seeds for her love of medicine were planted by her mother. "She was a single parent who went back to nursing school in her 40s. I would steal her textbooks and study materials to learn about what she was being taught. She also worked at my pediatrician's office. With no one to watch my brother and I, she would often bring us to the office with her. I admired the impact the doctor and my mother had on patients. Seeing their smiling faces and their appreciation made me understand the importance of medicine." Working at Evergreen has been an education of a different sort for Isabella. "I've been in the healthcare field for several years now - both as a medical student and as a tech - and I'm surprised at how little education around HIV I've received. At Evergreen, I've quickly learned how to better care for patients who are living with HIV. Learning about patients' experiences with HIV has been an eye opening and wonderful opportunity." Isabella says the most satisfying thing about medicine is helping patients. "It sounds corny, but it's true. Whenever patients are thankful and appreciative of the care I provide, I'm overwhelmed with emotion. It's a wonderful feeling to help patients, no matter how big or small. I'm thankful and blessed to make an impact that is bigger than myself." Unfortunately, gaining real world experience also means learning first hand about the challenges of our healthcare system. "Insurance and administration challenges will always impact patients and the care we provide. I believe healthcare is a basic human right, yet we continue the struggle as a country to provide everyone with access to healthcare and insurance. I'm constantly inspired by Evergreen and its mission to provide healthcare and resources to all. We need more places like Evergreen in our country!" In her off time, Isabella likes to play volleyball and cook. "I currently play on an intermediate team with several other medical students, but I've played since middle school. Cooking is a hobby I've always gravitated towards. It's a fun and productive way to spend my time when I’m not studying. My favorite things to cook/bake are homemade ravioli and pies." Thank you for spending some time with us, Isabella! We know you have a bright future improving lives, through medicine and baking delicious pies!
Rotary Rink is all decked out in green for Evergreen.
Publisher/Layout John Carocci
Copy Editors Jean Conway Kristy Mangel
Contributors Jean Conway Megan Fagyas Eric Poniatowski Christopher Cline
Connections is the official monthly newsletter for employees and board members of Evergreen Health and its affilliates, the Pride Center of Western New York and Community Access Services. You can submit photos, comments or a "hello" via Outlook at Evergreen Connections.
Beautiful new wall and window graphics at 800 Hertel Avenue put Evergreen's message of unconditional care for everyone front and center.