ELISA
Luciano recently celebrated 25 years with Evergreen! Elisa joined the organization (then known as AIDS Community Services) in 2000 as a medical assistant in the primary care practice. From there she moved to Supportive Services as a community follow-up worker, and now she works as an outreach and engagement specialist.
Elisa reaches out to potential patients with the goal of enrolling them in the Health Home Program (HHP). Initial contact can be made by phone or face-to-face with a home visit. Once she has established contact, Elisa tells the potential patient about the programs and services we offer as well as how to qualify for them. "Getting a person into the HHP means they can get assistance with so many things: transportation, housing, advocacy, help with navigating social services or the medical system, linkage to primary care, mental health care, harm reduction services, help with scheduling appointments and more."
Working closely with people and helping get them into care is very rewarding for Elisa. "When someone walks into my office feeling overwhelmed by all the things going on in their life, and I tell them, 'This is something care coordination can assist you with', I see their whole demeanor change and their mood improve. Simply lending an ear and listening in a non-judgmental way means a lot to people."
Prior to joining Team Evergreen, Elisa worked for a dental practice. "I met an Evergreen employee who was accompanying a patient. Seeing how she helped the patient, supported them and helped schedule upcoming appointments made an impact on me. I asked her about Evergreen and she told me about their programs and the population they served." Elisa describes another encounter that pushed her toward a career at Evergreen. "A man came into the office, alone, for an extraction. He filled out his medical history form and indicated that he was HIV positive. A coworker saw this and left the doctor to work by himself with both extracting and suctioning. The doctor kept asking where she was. I found her and she said to me, 'Did you see his form? He has AIDS.
SIMPLY LENDING AN EAR AND LISTENING
IN A NON-JUDGMENTAL WAY MEANS A LOT TO PEOPLE
- ELISA LUCIANO
I'm not going to help.' I told her that didn't matter, there are universal precautions she could use and that she needed to get back to work with the doctor. She refused. I was a medical biller at the time but I grabbed some gloves and assisted the doctor myself. It was obvious to the patient what was happening. He was visibly upset and he left without making a follow up appointment. He started down the stairs with blood on his cheek. I grabbed a wet paper towel and chased him down the stairs. I went to wipe his face and he pulled back from me and said, 'Didn’t you see what I checked off? I have HIV.' I asked, 'What does that have to do with me cleaning off your face?' and I began to wipe his face clean. He looked at me as if he wanted to cry, he said thank you so much and walked away with his head down. It was heartbreaking. Treating him with respect, kindness and compassion meant so much to him. I knew working with this population of people was what I wanted to do, so I applied at Evergreen. I saw this patient a few years later at Evergreen and when he saw me he screamed with happiness. I gave him a big hug and he said to me, 'This is where you belong,' and I think he was right. 25 years later I'm still here!"
"Evergreen has seen a lot of change and growth over the past 25 years," noted Angela Palmer, vice president of care coordination. "Care coordination served 400 patients, all living with HIV. Today we serve many times that number of people who face a wide variety of health issues. Throughout this change and growth, Elisa has remained committed and dedicated to our patients. She continues to work diligently to get our patients the services they need and is always
there to help them navigate a complicated health care system."
Elisa notes that despite the growth and changes she has seen over the years, the core values that make Evergreen what it is have remained constant. "Evergreen’s BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) of eradicating health inequity through unconditional care is something this agency has been doing for many, many years. It is a mission and goal to meet patients where they are and help support, navigate, educate and treat all communities in their healthcare journey. It’s about finding all the different paths to get to the same destination, and that is proper care. Over the years, the goal has always been the same. The heart and intentions to serve and treat all of our patients has grown even stronger. I enjoy helping people and it has been an honor and blessing to serve communities alongside Evergreen.“
Elisa was born and raised on the lower West Side of Buffalo. "I'm the youngest of eight children in a Puerto Rican and Italian family. I had the best of both cultures growing up. My father worked several jobs, a baker and a construction worker among other jobs. My mother was a stay-at-home mom. We would wake up to the smell of fresh homemade bread on a daily basis, and let’s not forget every Sunday the smell of slow-cooked homemade sauce."
Elisa has changed a lot of lives in her 25 years at Evergreen. But her own life has changed, as well. "When I started working at Evergreen my children were little. I made sure that I educated them about HIV/AIDS early on, and I always made sure that they participated in every AIDS Walk, doing chalk art with inspirational quotes, handing out bottles of water to walkers and sometimes being cheerleaders at the finish line. My daughter (Jasmine Padilla) was always willing to help when it came to my work. When Evergreen was working on an educational video called HIV 101, of course Jasmine offered to be in the video. Even as a child she told me that when she grew up she was going to work at Evergreen and help people with HIV/AIDS. My daughter now works for Evergreen. She has been an employee for several years now. I'm so very proud of her."
The Community Access Services Juneteenth celebration was a big success. Visitors enjoyed delicious food, music, giveaways and more on a beautiful sunny day in Buffalo. Kudos to everyone who helped make this great annual event happen as we celebrated our Black community and accessible healthcare for the Black community.
Team Evergreen was once again out in full force for Buffalo's Juneteenth parade. We're so proud to show support for our Black employees, patients and community each year.
Evergreen Lofts: Friday, July 11, 12 – 1pm
Bailey: Monday, July 21, 12 – 1pm
Downtown Buffalo: Wednesday, July 23, 11:30am – 1:30pm
Hertel: Wednesday, August 6, 11:30am – 1pm
With supervisor approval, staff may sign up to volunteer for a half hour. If you would like to participate, please contact diversity-inclusion@evergreenhs.org with the date and time you will join us.
Come see artwork created by an artist with a disability on display in the primary care waiting area at 800 Hertel. This artist's unique perspective and creativity shine through the piece. You won't want to miss it! Everyone is welcome to celebrate ability, creativity and expression, as well as Starlight Studio's 20 year anniversary. It will be on display until July 30.
Starlight Studio and Art Gallery is a cooperative environment that supports adults with disabilities in their artistic development. Through technical assistance by professional artists, on-site and off-site exhibitions and other opportunities for representation and sales, the Starlight artists hone their artistic interests, become stronger advocates and better integrated citizens.
The Dental Clinic crew braved threatening skies to clean up the neighborhood around 206 S. Elmwood.
Jovino Morales
Mary McCann ..................................................
Jesse Gasbarro
William Moore
Colin Davis
Talon Moody
Joelle Toal
Kaitlyn Glovack ................................................
Tierra Redding
Ray Ganoe
Ian Schunk
Kristin Rivera
Aqelah Douglas
Laurie Abbatessa ............................................
Elizabeth Wannicki
Keisha Leavy
Eric Poniatowski
Jayden Mitchell.
Amber Doran
Heather Wilson ................................................
Rebekah Bongiorno
Ryan Bryant
Aanya Wood
Cassie Farmer
Heather Fangsrud
July 1
July 1
July 1
July 3
July 7
July 12
July 12
July 12
July 12
July 14
July 16
July 16
July 16
July 17
July 19
July 19
July 20
July 20
July 21
July 21
July 22
July 24
July 24
July 25
July 25
Melissa Miller ................................................... July 25
Shamimah Abdulrashid
Linda Colburn
Jenna Suhr
Cecil Sutton
Shaina Beck
July 26
July 27
July 27
July 29
July 30
Nicole Callahan ............................................... July 31
Annual Trainings
The first round of annual training will go live in Evergreen University mid July and will be due September 30. Annual training is required for all staff to complete and contain company trainings, policies, and acknowledgments. Trainings you are required to complete will be automatically assigned in your Evergreen University profile. If you have any questions, please contact evergreentraining&development@evergreenhs.org.
Harm Reduction Trainings (VIRTUAL)
Prevalent Drugs in WNY
Friday, July 18, 11am – 12:15pm
Opioid Overdose Response / Narcan Training
Wednesday, July 23, 11am – 12pm
Both are eligible for 1 CEU for licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, and CASACs. Contact evergreentraining&development@ evergreenhs.org to sign up.
The Miracle of Movement (VIRTUAL)
Tuesday, July 22, 12pm – 12:45pm (click HERE to register)
Presentation topics will include:
• The importance of physical activity on overall health and wellbeing
• Recommendations for physical activity throughout stages of life
• Resistance/strength training basics
• How to best build movement into your day
• Tips for getting your fitness journey started
• Additional benefits and resources offered through the health plan
support your health and wellbeing
Publisher/Layout
John Carocci
Copy Editors
Jean Conway
Kristy Mangel
Maggie Carrig
Contributors
Eric Poniatowski
Christopher Cline
Connections is the official monthly newsletter for employees and board members of Evergreen Health and Community Access Services. You can submit photos, comments or a "hello" via Outlook at Evergreen Connections.
