ONE
of Evergreen's many success stories is our Hepatitis C Program, which provides testing, treatment, and support to people living with the disease. The Hepatitis C Team helps patients begin treatment and learn to manage their symptoms, with a cure as the ultimate goal. The program has helped more than 675 people achieve cured status since 2012.
Heather Fangsrud is the Hepatitis C Team's linkage specialist. Heather's job is to connect patients enrolled in the program to other services they may need, such as food pantry, transportation or housing assistance, mental health services or primary care. Helping patients adhere to their Hepatitis C treatment is also a big part of the job. "I make phone calls to see how they’re doing with their treatment," said Heather. "I also provide tools like pill sorters to organize and simplify their meds. Sometimes I'll even go to their homes to fill their meds, so they're more likely to take them throughout the week." Heather notes that some patients come into Evergreen weekly or even daily to get their meds, particularly if they're homeless or don’t have a safe place to store them. The Hepatitis C Team uses a spreadsheet to keep track of where each patient is in the treatment process. In addition, Heather helps with reports and progress notes, front desk coverage on clinic days and scheduling upcoming appointments for patients. And, besides all that, "I enter information into patient charts in Medent and AIRS. And we do rapid Hepatitis C testing!"
Evergreen's Hepatitis C Team clearly has a lot going on. "We're addressing a great need for Hepatitis C care in the community, especially among those who are actively using substances. They are at greater risk of infection." The Team spreads the word that there's a cure for Hepatitis C and that the treatment process is very simple: four to six weeks of
taking medication, with a few lab tests to determine viral load to make sure the medication is working.
As of January 2024, there were 60 patients enrolled in Hepatitis C treatment at Evergreen, nearly double the number from a year ago.
"The most satisfying part of my work is helping people who may have been infected for years get cured of Hepatitis C and seeing how much better they feel after being treated," said Heather. "We have clinic once a week and I get to see most of our patients throughout the treatment process. A good work day entails all the patients showing up, some of them finishing treatment or achieving SVR (sustained virologic response) after 12 weeks of treatment, which indicates they've been successfully cured of Hepatitis C."
Heather notes that adherence is a big obstacle to reaching cured status for many of our patients. "It's tough getting patients to show up for their intake or appointments, especially if they're in active use. Some patients don’t have working phones. It can be difficult to contact them with reminders about their appointments or other important information." Despite these challenges, 24 patients achieved cured status in 2023.
Heather has been at Evergreen for 6 years. "I enjoy the Evergreen culture; how friendly everyone is and the diversity we share. I enjoy coming to work and helping people get what they need to succeed in their own lives. We have a great team that I'm proud to be a part of."
Heather was born in Idaho and grew up in Washington state. "When I was 22, a friend of mine was going to Eastman Music School in Rochester, and I helped her drive the U-Haul filled with all her stuff and towing her car. I just never went back home. It was an adventure! I worked at Starbucks for 20 years before I came to Evergreen. I was approached by Matthew
Crehan Higgins in 2017 for a position on the Hep C team. A friend of mine had recently passed away from Hepatitis C, so I had some experience with the disease. I interviewed with Matt and my supervisor, Katee Gately, and have been here ever since."
Heather's outside life is just as busy. "I work with the theater company I helped found – The Brazen-Faced Varlets – doing all-women theater. We’re currently working on an allfemme version of Hamlet." The Varlets are critically acclaimed and have been nominated for multiple Artie awards. Heather herself has three Artie nominations for outstanding actress, along with one each for outstanding supporting actress and outstanding performance in a featured role. "I’m the technical director of the Varlets and build sets and props for all our shows. My wife and I (newly married in September!) like to spend time with our springerdoodle, Maggie, watch shows together and take occasional trips for a weekend here or there. We went to Maine for our honeymoon and would like to go back someday."
Thank you, Heather for all you do for our patients. You are much appreciated!
Evergreen's Hepatitis C Program has helped more than 675 people achieve cured status since 2012.
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675
Community Access Services held an open house to celebrate CAS Day in Buffalo. The day featured food, music, raffles, tours of CAS, and free rapid HIV testing.
KUDOS
to staff who completed the Data Foundations Pathway since the last article in Connections: Christian Bryant, Andy Kiener, Glendalisse Lopez, and Jasmine Padilla. Six Evergreen employees have completed Data Foundations, and more are signed up. We’d also like to announce the launch of our second Learning Pathway, Data Problem Solver. It's a resource and opportunity to grow your ability to solve problems with data. Here's an overview of the modules in the training:
1. Understanding Aggregations
2. Misconceptions in Data Analysis
3. Bias in Data
4. Excel Functions & Formulas
5. 4 Types of Analytics
6. Data Informed Decision Making
7. How to Ask a Good Question
8. Getting Insight from Data
9. Critical Thinking
This Pathway will help develop skills around making data-informed decisions and gaining insight from the data we're working with. It takes about 3 hours to complete and can be completed in small bits of time, like Data Foundations. It includes conversation topics that can be used to set goals around data, or facilitate conversations with your team to help deepen our understanding of our data and understand what is impacting our patients most and how we can use that insight to support our BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) to eradicate health inequity through unconditional care.
What’s Next?
Data Investigator, the next LP, will launch in the spring, supporting people who need to independently gather information in their day-to-day work. It will help anyone who needs to do research, find answers in unconventional places, and follow clues to engage their curiosity and evaluate the data they find.
Contact Heather Wilson with questions about the Data Problem Solver or Data Foundations content. Contact Evergreen Training and Development, with questions regarding navigating Evergreen University.
Mark your calendar! The submission deadline for the April 2024 issue of Connections is Wednesday, March 20. 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.
The Pride Center hosted a resource and employement fair at the Commons. There were representatives from local employers, free professional head shots, a "clothes closet" with interview clothing, and lunch was served, too!
Evergreen's Street Outreach Team has a new vehicle! The Team travels throughout all eight counties of Western New York, bringing harm reduction services to the community. Services include Narcan and test strips, basic needs supplies (clothes, food, water), referrals for healthcare and supportive services, and syringe exchange information. “Outreach services are important for improving health outcomes for the individuals we serve," said Amanda Honan, AVP of clinical services. "That includes people who use substances or have barriers to accessing basic needs. These services bring education, support, and resources to our community while raising awareness and creating new approaches for delivering harm reduction services.”
Anyone interested in these services can call 716.290.1275 to find out where our Outreach Team will be on a particular day.
Welcome to Loud+Clear, a new feature focusing on our phone system. Loud+Clear will help us get more out of our phones in order to improve communication and provide better customer service to patients. This month's feature, written by AVP of Quality Andy Kiener, explains the importance of telephone prompts and the IVR.
What we call “prompts” are really the Interactive Voice Response system (IVR). The IVR is an automated feature that interacts with callers and gathers information by giving them choices via a menu. The IVR performs actions based on the answers callers enter through their telephone keypad. Callers always have the option of speaking to a live operator by staying on the line or pressing zero. Prompts can help callers reach their destination independently, sometimes quicker than with an operator's assistance. They're also available 24/7. You can direct your patients to use the IVR themselves when they call, for faster navigation. For example, if you're in Primary & Specialty Care and would like a patient to call back later to speak to you, simply state, “You can call 716-847-2441 and when you hear the recording simply press 5 and then 3 and you'll reach our front desk area directly.” It’s as simple as that!
CURRENT PHONE PROMPTS
#2 Pharmacy
#3 Mental Health, Substance Use or the Harm Reduction Center
#1 Harm Reduction Center
#2 Mental Health or Substance Use
#4 Care Coordination
#5 Primary & Specialty Care
#1 Schedule an Appointment
#2 Speak to a Receptionist
#3 Sick and want to speak to a Nurse
#4 Hospital or Provider Calling
#6 Housing or Nutrition
#7 Billing Questions or the Financial Counseling Center
#8 Medical Records
#9 Spanish Speaking Operators
#0 Live Operators (available 8am-5pm)
Kierra Lee March 2
Rebecca Piazza March 4
Melinda Kingsbury March 6
Richard Ridenour March 6
Jacquelyn Dixon March 6
Dominique Jones ................................. March 6
Joshua Essex March 8
Shannon Gregory March 9
Sarita Stokes ......................................... March 10
David Pimental March 10
Harold Colburn March 10
Marta Moore March 10
Nakeie Carpenter March 10
Veronica Velazquez March 11
Theresa Shankland March 12
Heather Munro...................................... March 14
Jasmine Padilla March 15
Nichole Frank March 15
Susan Vanderwerf ............................... March 17
Joseph Ryan March 17
Elizabeth Pijanowski March 17
Mindi Levine March 18
Jessica Malave March 18
Melissa Rothenbueger March 20
Kaitlyn Gately March 20
Akilah Broadwater ................................ March 21
Sylvia Denk March 21
Caitlin Cornaire March 21
Tatianna Cooper ................................... March 22
Kate Gallivan March 22
Leslie Fineberg March 22
Shayleen Taylor March 22
Elizabeth Gattman March 23
Melissa Tice March 23
Johanna Aponte March 26
Byron McKinney ................................... March 26
Brittany Price March 26
Lydia Gonzalez March 28
Lee Ables ............................................... March 31
Kimberly Johnson Brown March 31
Tiffany Collins March 31
Student Loan & Public Service
Loan Forgiveness Presentation (virtual)
Wednesday, April 10 | 12:30–1pm
Learn about student loan repayment, public service loan forgiveness, and resources available through Neighborhood Legal Services. There will an opportunity to ask questions during the training. Register on Evergreen University HERE.
Neighborhood Legal Services can help student loan borrowers determine the best repayment plan, and access loan forgiveness, cancellation, and discharge programs. The organization offers free, unbiased, one-on-one counseling to help borrowers take control of their debt and maintain financial health. If you have questions, contact Evergreen Training and Development.
Dawn Burkett 1 Year
Rebecca Piazza ...................................... 1 Year
Brooke Zybczynski 1 Year
Amberlee Libertone 1 Year
Justin Haag ............................................. 1 Year
Derek Argo 1 Year
David Capretto 1 Year
Anthony Reitler 1 Year
Jack Maggi 1 Year
Steven Bennett 2 Years
Reginal Washington 2 Years
Parker Massaker .................................... 2 Years
Dennis Blakely II 2 Years
Rosalind Sulaiman 2 Years
Abigail Borrelli ......................................... 2 Years
Ellann Ford 2 Years
Jessica Baker 3 Years
Amina Shaibi 3 Years
Kirsten Smith 3 Years
Nicole Jones 3 Years
Chelest Ponzo 3 Years
Emily McKeen ......................................... 4 Years
Adriane Argo 4 Years
Khristopher Decker 5 Years
Matthew Faltisco ................................... 5 Years
Teresa Lee 5 Years
Alex Marranca 8 Years
Renee VanAernam 8 Years
Steven Jagord 8 Years
James DeGarmo 11 Years
Justin Azzarella 12 Years
Kelly Craig ................................................ 14 Years
Angela Palmer 23 Years
The Communities of Color Employee Resource Group hosted a Black History Month Lunch & Learn event featuring guests from the African American Cultural Center and delicious food from Sweets Lounge and Restaurant (a Black, Women, LGBTQ+ owned business). Special thanks to Tiffany Valentin for the photos!
Teresa Lee, correctional health educator at Community Access Services, believes that supporting the health and wellness of incarcerated people builds healthier communities.
Teresa has been with CAS since 2018, serving individuals who are incarcerated in and recently released from seven facilities in the Wende hub of prisons throughout Western New York. The program Teresa leads at CAS is funded by the New York State Department of Health’s Corrections Health Initiative to connect incarcerated and recently released people in our community with HIV and Hepatitis C prevention, treatment and support.
To set the scene for Teresa’s work: incarcerated people in the United States face more barriers to healthcare and worse health outcomes than our general population. On top of experiencing higher rates of illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis C, people who are diagnosed with a chronic illness while in prison don’t have access to the same medical care, community and familial support, or personal autonomy that non-incarcerated folks have when learning to manage a life-changing diagnosis.
Those transitioning out of the prison system face different barriers to healthcare: many are released without Medicaid, a primary care provider, or education on how to self-manage their chronic illness. This means that recently released folks with chronic illnesses tend to face worse health outcomes when they leave prison, like increased viral loads of HIV.
This is where Teresa comes in with our Corrections Health Initiative program. Teresa visits prisons throughout the Wende hub in Western New York each day, and meets with incarcerated folks to educate them about HIV, Hepatitis C and STI prevention and treatment, as well as help them build leadership and communication skills.
In Teresa’s Peer Training program, she meets with the same group of individuals every day for three weeks. She empowers each individual to dive in and learn about one subject related to health and harm
reduction, like opioid overdose prevention, reducing stigma, PrEP and PEP, and inclusivity. Her goal is to not only educate each individual, but to help them become an advocate who can educate their peers in turn.
It’s clear from the testimonials Teresa gets that her Peer Training students are learning more than how to take charge of their health and prevent the transmission of HIV and STIs: they’re also learning communication and public speaking skills, and leaving her class feeling empowered. One student wrote: “Ms. Lee treated everyone with kindness and respect. Her knowledge is extensive. I forgot I was in prison when in class.” Teresa was one of two professionals in New York State to receive the Education Star Award at this year’s Corrections Health Initiative Conference for her outstanding work.
Teresa also works with people who are living with HIV or Hepatitis C while they transition out of the prison system. She connects these individuals to insurance, a primary care provider, and provides other tools they need to make sure they can successfully keep treating their illness while they transition back into the general population.
Teresa’s work is always changing based on the needs of the people she works with: for example, she recently started a group for incarcerated women with trauma in order to meet their specific needs. She hopes that the expanded space, staff and community partnerships that the CAS Ken-Bailey project will bring will allow her to keep growing the women’s trauma support program, start more new programs, and expand services to the general population of incarcerated and recently released people across Western New York.
Outside of work, Teresa is a writer who is working on her first novel, and enjoys spending time with her dog and her friends.
- Profile by Jean Conway
Publisher/Layout
John Carocci
Copy Editors
Jean Conway
Kristy Mangel
Contributors
Jean Conway
Eric Poniatowski
Christopher Cline
Heather Wilson
Andy Kiener
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.
Catching ZZZs is a 4-week challenge to encourage you to develop healthy sleep habits. The goal is to develop a good sleep routine and sleep at least 7 hours per day. Sleep is as important to your health as physical activity and healthy eating. Good sleep improves both your mental and physical wellbeing.
The Catching ZZZs challenge is from Monday, March 11 through Sunday, April 7.
To participate, email benefits@evergreenhs.org to sign up and receive your sleep tracker and a Wellness t-shirt! Anyone who tracks their sleep and sleep habits for at least 20 days during the challenge will be entered into a raffle to win prizes!
Sleep Well, Be Well!
Pediatric examination rooms at 800 Hertel Avenue got a fun, colorful makeover!