January Connections

FOR

navigation assistant Yolanda Sims, every day is a gift and a chance to help others grow stronger from their experiences. Whether she’s guiding patients down the path

toward becoming HIV undetectable or teaching kids to choose their words wisely, Yolanda does so with compassion and a sense of resilience that she fosters daily. In our latest Team Evergreen interview, Yolanda talks about her move from Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) to Evergreen and reflects on how kicking active addiction has allowed her to inspire others.

What's your role at Evergreen? I’m the navigation assistant in the housing department. I work with patients who are HIV positive and help them schedule appointments and set treatment reminders, so they can become HIV undetectable. I also collaborate with the housing staff when initial contact is made with a patient that is currently homeless and doesn’t know how to navigate the housing system.

Where did you work before Evergreen? I was working at ECMC in their immunodeficiency clinic as a peer navigator. They had a position open and thought I would be a good candidate for it. I applied, and that's how I got started in the healthcare field.

Why did you make the move to Evergreen? I wanted to help patients become healthy, not only medically but also holistically. That’s something that really mattered to me.

What's the best part of your job? I love the different challenges and I know every day is going to be different. No person is the same or has the same needs. I love helping the population I work with.

What’s your favorite part about working for Evergreen? There's constant growth here and everyone's main priority is helping our patients. Evergreen makes a difference. When I think about all the services we have, the population we help and the accomplishments patients achieve, it makes me realize that Evergreen is a blessing to a lot of people.

Have you always lived in Western New York? I’ve lived in Buffalo all 49 years of my life, and I have three grandchildren here — ages seven, six and one and a half. I spend a lot of time with them. After work, I go over and visit them for at least a few hours every day and I usually get them one weekend a month.

When you're not with your grandkids, what are you usually up to? There's a park near my house and I usually sit there and do some meditative reading from Just for Today and My Daily Bread. I'm in recovery and I attend Narcotics Anonymous. My reading helps me remember that I never have to return to that lifestyle again. It allows me to stay focused and reminds me that there’s a reason I’m here and there’s a plan for me.

You're really involved with your church. Can you tell us a little more about that? I am a youth leader and part of the praise team, because I love to sing. Every week during our children’s hour, I encourage our youth to complete their assigned reading, and then I do a lesson with them.

What was your most recent lesson? Yesterday, my lesson was that we need to watch what we say. I have to come up with little ideas to hold kids’ interest. So, I had a tube of toothpaste and I squeezed the toothpaste in a cup. Then, I chose a volunteer and said, "Put the toothpaste back in the tube." He couldn't do it, which is exactly what happens after we say something — we can’t take it back. We need to speak warmly to others and not say nasty things about people.

That's a great way to teach an important lesson. What else does your church do for kids? Every year, we give an award to a young member of the church — the Sam Say Award. Sam Say was a young man at our church who passed away unexpectedly three years ago and the award is given in his honor to someone who helps out in church, assists the elderly, treats others with respect and does their scripture reading, just like Sam did. The recipient gets $250 toward school supplies.

What's one think you're most proud of? I'm proud that I didn't give up on myself due to active addiction. That choice has allowed me to be here and not give up on others.

Evergreen was in attendance at the Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit held in Houston. Shown from L to R: Jordon Frank, Michael Canty, Crystal Pereira-Finley and Sean Foster. Thank you Crystal for the photos!

ETE

Ending the Epidemic Evergreen was very well represented at the Ending the Epidemic (ETE) conference held recently in Albany. Our Mending of the Hearts memorial panel in remembrance of Western New Yorkers lost to AIDS was displayed at the conference. This panel was originally shown in Washington, D.C. in 1993. Our group even managed to pose with Liza's poster! Special thanks to LaTanya Walton Brown and Matthew Crehan Higgins for sharing all of these fantastic photographs of Evergreen in action.

The competition was friendly but fierce at the recent IT/IS gingerbread house contest!

Evergreen's annual appeal is mailed each year to friends of the agency. It gives us an opportunity to share our goals and successes with the community and gives them an opportunity to support us in carrying out our mission. This year's appeal told two stories. One, sent to supporters of our AIDS Walk, told Matthew Feldman's story of what the Walk meant to him, Evergreen and the community. The other told the "Evergreen success story" of housing client Carlos. Both versions featured customized statistics about the impact Evergreen has had on the lives of our patients over the past year. Here is Carlos' story:

A

safe, stable place to call home is one of life’s basic needs, but for many Evergreen patients this need goes unmet.

For people living with HIV or other chronic illness, secure

housing is about more than comfort. Secure housing is essential to getting and staying healthy. Without a home, it’s difficult to keep up with medical appointments or treatment regimens, and nearly impossible to obtain benefits such as SNAP, which helps gain proper nutrition.

Carlos is an Evergreen Health housing success story. Carlos had

previously met the definition of chronically homeless, which means he had spent a total of one year living on the streets over a period of three years. Carlos was using drugs and his health was in rapid decline.

He applied for an apartment in the Evergreen Lofts and his entire life changed, along with his address. “When I first opened the door, I was so overwhelmed that I shut the door and slept on the street for three more days,” Carlos recalled. “I didn’t think this could be mine. It looks like a place where rich people live. But my cousin talked me into coming back, and told me this is for real; this is my home. I love it here.” Once he had a home, Carlos was able to make real changes in his life. He reduced his drug use, attended medical appointments and stayed current with his medications. His health has improved dramatically.

Now Carlos enjoys cooking for his friends and neighbors at the

Evergreen Lofts. He knows “There’s no place like home.”

Editor's note: special thanks to Emily Oaks, who shared Carlos' story with us initially. We couldn't have done it without you!

THE

Health Equity Law Project (HELP @ Evergreen) was created to provide patients who have been victims of crimes with on-site legal services. Neighborhood Legal Services

(NLS) will be providing civil legal services to our patients free of charge because research shows that complicated legal issues often prevent patients from living a healthier life. NLS specializes in public benefits law (access to public benefits like SNAP, TANF, student loan forgiveness, sanction removal, and emergency services like rental and utility assistance), housing (evictions, poor housing conditions, discrimination), family law (custody, domestic violence, child support) and disability law (SSI denials/ terminations, benefits counseling, access to long term care).

Who fits the definition of a crime victim? "Pretty much everyone," said Emily Oaks, director of Health

Education and Outreach. "There's no statute of limitations on when the crime took place (examples include bullying, stolen benefit cards, abuse or break-ins) and there does not need to be proof of the crime." If the patient already has or is willing to report their crime, they may be entitled to compensation from the Office of Victims Services. If they do not want to report the crime, legal services will still be provided. "Don’t let this deter you from sending a referral or letting patients know about the program."

According to the 2017 State of New York Unified Court System’s Annual Report of the NYS Permanent

Commission on Access to Justice, only about 37 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income New Yorkers are being met. "We're noticing that many of our patients are wrongfully denied access to programs designed to support their well-being, such as SSI, SNAP, TANF and Emergency Assistance," said Emily.

"Without access to these programs, patients are often left without shelter, food or money to meet their basic needs. Additionally, many of our patients experience violence both in and outside of their homes. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs statistics show access to legal services as a significant need for LGBTQ+ crime victims. In 2017, only 30 percent of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors accessed legal services and only 21 percent of hate violence victims had legal services referrals. Nearly half of IPV

survivors who sought shelter reported being denied access to shelter and of those, nearly 1/3 were turned away because of their gender identity. "This is unacceptable," said Emily. "The on-site civil legal services will help our patients with safety planning, housing security and emergency shelter in addition to the other legal services that they can provide."

How does HELP @ Evergreen address these critical needs? "When working as a care coordinator,

one of my patients was denied TANF (formerly known as “welfare�) because his application was filled out improperly," recalls Emily. "The patient had a documented learning disability and was not able to read or write above a 2nd grade level. He was not provided any additional assistance with his application from the Department of Social Services, as required by law due to his disability. I called NLS and an attorney was able to get him a fair hearing which overturned the denial. He began receiving TANF right away, which helped him avoid eviction and stay linked to medical care."

HELP @ Evergreen will address the critical need for legal assistance many of our patients face, but first

they have to find out about the program. "Right now the biggest challenge we face is spreading the word around Evergreen that we're here," said Emily. Attorneys are on site at the Elmwood and Bailey locations from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Patients can also make appointments to meet with the attorneys on site on Fridays. The best way for patients to access services at our Elmwood location would be to report to the Syringe Exchange Program front desk during these hours and ask to speak with an attorney. At the Bailey location, a patient can speak with the front desk about meeting with an attorney. If the patient prefers to be contacted directly by NLS, a staff member can submit a referral form found on the Intranet and MEDENT (Legal HELP @ Evergreen).

Easy access to free, quality legal help is an exciting new benefit for our patients. "I would like to see our

patients easily able to access the legal services that they need for free," said Emily. "So that we are one step closer to equal justice for all."

Clinical care coordinator Kyle Erlandson was nominated as a HHUNY Hero at the recent HHUNY meeting in Olean. Kyle was readily available to his colleague to offer support as she handed a difficult situation with a patient. Congratulations on this awesome award, Kyle! We appreciate your hard work and dedication.

Create an Account with Univera a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

Go to https://www.univerahealthcare.com/wps/portal/uv/member-login/.

Click on Register & Create Account.

Enter required information from your ID Card and click continue.

Create username, enter your personal email address and create password and security question answers.

Click the box if you'd like paperless statements. If the box isn't checked you'll receive paper statements.

Click continue.

Review your information and click submit.

An email will be sent to the address provided. Follow the instructions in the email to complete account registration to verify your email address. You will be redirected to the website.

Registering for Univera Wellness Card a. b. c. d.

Log in with the information you created.

Click on Health and Wellness, Univera Wellness Your Way – Get Started.

Confirm the address you would like the card to be sent to, check the attestation box and click submit.

You will receive a notice stating submission accepted and the amount that will be on your card ($150 Single and employee + child(ren), $300 Employee + Spouse and Family). The card will be sent to the address provided within 10-15 business days.

Wear well-fitting footwear with good tread.

Be cautious when carrying packages as they can throw off your balance.

Keep your hands free and out of your pockets Watch for ice buildup on sidewalks or near entries.

Keep an eye out for black ice.

On ice, walk like a penguin. Use short steps, toes angled out.

Use special caution on steps.

Thank you Robert Cunningham and Safety Committee

Mark your calendar! The submission deadline for the January issue of Connections is Monday, January 20.

Be sure to get your content in before the deadline to guarantee placement.

And, don't forget, we love to share your photos. Kids, pets, vacations and recipes, send them all to Connections at Evergreen Connections via Outlook.

Birthdays Jennifer Colon....................................January 1 Ann Breidenstein.............................January 1 Mustafa Abucar................................January 1 Linda Scalise......................................January 2 Lorraine Cullis...................................January 3 Ventenese Palmer............................January 3 Phillip Aris...........................................January 4 Ronda Ivory.........................................January 5 James Thompson.............................January 5 Andon Ticco.......................................January 5 Alexis Pena..........................................January 6 Josh Matecki.......................................January 6 Alecia Klein.........................................January 7 Tracy Eichelberger.........................January 8 Tamara Miller....................................January 8 Christina Monroy.............................January 10 Natalie Gerdy.....................................January 11 Glendalisse Lopez............................January 12 KanwalnainBawa............................January 15 Richard Smiley..................................January 17 Murray Wire.......................................January 20 Ricardo Quiros..................................January 21 Samantha Gaerte.............................January 21 Jessie Dorman....................................January22 DeAirra Burroughs-Moore.........January 23 Annette Pabon...................................January 24 Isaac Resto Reyes.............................January 25 Jamie Major.........................................January 28 Gianna Puckett..................................January 30 Lindsey Kelly......................................January 31 Wanda Gonzalez..............................January 31 James DeGarmo................................January 31

Anniversaries Mariana Gonzalez................................. 1 Year Jessica Glaser........................................... 1 Year Brittney Warham.................................... 1 Year

The Fun Collective FunC is an employee resource group created to celebrate all employees of Evergreen! The group plans and hosts events for all employees throughout the year. FunC is always looking to add more members to the group so if you are interested in joining the next meeting please contact Jocelyn Leising.

Best Places to Work Survey Evergreen Health is participating in the Buffalo Business First’s 2020 Best Places to Work in Western New York program. To compete, employees are asked to complete a short employee engagement survey. This is your opportunity to provide honest feedback about Evergreen’s culture and your work experience. Our company will have the opportunity to view aggregate results of the survey, but your identity will be kept confidential.

The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. To access the online survey, click on the link that was sent to you via email from Best Places to Work.

The survey needs to be completed by January 31 2020. Thank you in advance for your participation!

Kristy Mangel........................................... 1 Year Taleha Ojeda............................................. 1 Year Megan Bingham...................................... 1 Year Zachary Nappo....................................... 1 Year Carlton Rausch........................................ 1 Year Ingrid Burgos........................................... 1 Year Crystal Pereira-Finley......................... 1 Year Zachary Marchese................................ 1 Year Vendelin Juricevic................................ 1 Year Yolanda Sims............................................ 2 Years Ronda Ivory............................................... 2 Years Ginger Smith............................................. 2 Years Kimberly Johnson.................................. 2 Years Heidi Buesink........................................... 2 Years Katherine Mego....................................... 3 Years Kadie Desbordes.................................... 3 Years Christopher Banks................................ 3 Years Rachel Parrino......................................... 3 Years Kimberly Clarke..................................... 3 Years Jessica Schanne...................................... 3 Years Rachel Voelkle-Kuhlmann................ 3 Years Stephanie Mineo..................................... 4 Years Brianna Barrett....................................... 4 Years Megan Bhatti............................................. 4 Years Garrett Dicembre................................... 4 Years Jillian Fanning......................................... 4 Years Salvatore Sciandra................................ 5 Years Harold Colburn....................................... 5 Years Carly Casali............................................... 5 Years Grant Rogers............................................. 5 Years Rebekah Bongiorno.............................. 5 Years Magali Maldonado................................. 7 Years Anna Ihle.................................................... 7 Years Lavine Hatten........................................... 7 Years Andrew Kiener........................................ 9 Years Victoria De Leon..................................... 9 Years Nichole Frank.......................................... 11 Years Damian Mordecai.................................. 11 Years Kevin Bidtah............................................. 20 Years

Buffalo Spree magazine turned the spotlight on Western New York's opinion leaders in a recent issue and one of the subjects was our own Matthew Crehan Higgins. Kudos, Matthew!

A Alan Jacyszyn

A Helene Cacciato

A Amanda LaFleur

A Iesha Honeycutt

A Ann Breidenstein

A Jennifer Halper

A Anthony Roth

A Jillian Dagastino

A Ashleigh Worthy

A Jillian Fanning

A Elizabeth Woleen

A Joelle Hochulski

A Brenna Fox

A Jordon Frank

A Byron McKinney

A Joseph Ryan

A Cecil Sutton

A Julie Vaughan

A Christopher Patti

A Katherine Mego

A Cortney Anderson

A Kelly Craig

A Dawn Ganoe

A Kelly Thompson

A DeJuan Burnell

A Kimberly Clarke

A Ebony Burroughs

A Kristy Mangel

A Egan Cleary

A Kyle Berberich

A Emily Oaks

A Laurie Abbatessa

A Glendalisse Lopez

A LeAnna Shanks

Recognizing Excellent Work at Evergreen Between November 20

A Lisandra Rivera A Maria Cruz A Marina Ward A Matthew Edson A Michael Blasdell A Rachel Voelkle-Kuhlmann A Rebekah Newkirk A Robert Smith A Ronda Ivory A Sean Foster A Seanna Pratt A Shakiya Bell A Sheila Marcheson A Teourialeir Johnson A Zachary Nappo

0 and December 19

Publisher/Layout 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 Block Club Shakiya Bell Arica Rouse Marcia Derby Kristy Mangel 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.

701 is an important number when it comes to PrEP. It's the number that is imprinted on each Truvada pill and it's also the number of Evergreen patients who are actively on PrEP therapy. Celebrating this milestone with a cake are Michael Canty, Joey Ryan, Crystal Pereira-Finley, Jason Perez, Kristina Moore and Matthew Crehan Higgins.