As Evergreen expands its Behavioral Health services in the Southern Tier, we thought it would be a good time to chat with Annette Day, a mental health counselor working out of the Jamestown office. Annette brings a wealth of skill and experience to the job, not to mention a life-long passion for helping people. "My overall mission from childhood has been to heal emotional pain in living things," said Annette. "My days are patient-centered, and driven by the needs of the patients. If someone comes in with a crisis or wishes to discuss or process through something other than what we were working on previously, we pivot. It's rewarding for me to be in the moment with them, working to make their next moment better."
"Patient-centered" isn't just a catchphrase for Annette. "What I find most satisfying about my work is the patients. Sometimes the world stereotypes mental health patients as 'them'. They are not them, they are us. Everyone who comes in is a real person with real problems and real pain. I can make a positive difference in my patients' lives, and in doing so I make a positive difference in my own life, daily."
Annette's patients face a variety of challenges in their quest for better mental health. "Time is always an issue," said Annette. "There aren't enough minutes in the day, but we have to step back and remind ourselves that life is a journey, and we have to take one step at a time, hopefully in the right direction!"
The through-line from Annette's work to our BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal, to eradicate health inequity through unconditional care) is easy to trace. "I was startled when I heard it," said Annette. "But I realized that being so out and open, radical even, with our goals is the first step to unconditional positive inclusion of all. We can't tip-toe through the tulip garden and expect to make serious progress. We have to rip up all the stereotypes and 'shoulds' and wordly standards in our heads that sometimes keep us trapped, and shout if we want to make a difference. I think of Katy Perry and 'Hear Me Roar"... is that cheesy? (ed: yeah, a little but we'll allow it) That's what our BHAG reminds me of, and I think my work best supports this goal by me being able to embrace and be empowered by this mind- and heart-set."
Annette is relatively new here at Evergreen but she's already a fan of our culture. "I'm thankful every day to be a part of it. Fully. I've been a professional in the work world for 40 years. I've worked in
I HOPE OUR PROGRAM BECOMES
KNOWN AS THE CORNERSTONE OF GOOD CARE IN THE COMMUNITY.
-
ANNETTE DAY .
many positions and fields alongside, above, and under other professionals. I've never worked in or for any company that is as professionally organized and run as Evergreen. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop in the beginning. I'm used to being thrown into an arena and having to work my way out from the middle of chaos to do my job. When I first started I kept stepping up to 'help out.' I said I'd paint in Jamestown... not joking. My supervisor kept telling me that things were handled, that all I had to focus on was preparing for and doing my own job. I didn't necessarily believe her. I was used to things not getting done and then all of a sudden it was all piled on top of me to get done. Here at Evergreen the stuff gets done! I never even see it being done, and I get to focus on my job. Sometimes I feel like I'm working for my first 'adult' company. It's a beautiful thing."
Looking to the future, Annette has high hopes for Evergreen's Behavioral Health services in Jamestown. "The Southern Tier has had inadequate mental health solutions and care for a long time. I hope our program becomes widely known as the cornerstone of good care in the community, just as we are known to be in all of our other departments. That would make me really proud."
Annette was born and raised just over the Pennsylvania border. As an adult she lived in Pennsylvania and the Chautauqua County area while raising a family. "I have a blended family of 7 children — his, mine, ours, and theirs (an older special needs little girl we adopted from Bolivia). When the first half of our kiddos were through high school and off to college/university, we moved to Florida to continue raising our family and build our world. Our house was the highlight of all of their spring breaks, and our rooms
piled high with kiddos every year. For 30 years I owned my own corporation building non-conflicting wellness clinics to coordinate with traditional medical or care practices. I expanded into 17 countries and was wildly successful... according to worldly standards. But I wanted to enjoy and live the rewards of my work and not just keep working to create them. So, I sold the business, finished my Master's degree specializing in Clinical Therapy and semi-retired (that's what I called it because I got to stay in one locale) into this field. I wanted to be an employee with no overhead, no corporate headaches, just one job in front of me, and evenings and weekends to live my life otherwise. I did it!! And I've never looked back."
Annette's work experience is varied. "I've worked in in-patient end-of-life acute care Hospice, inpatient emergency psychiatric hospitals, and first responder care, boots on the ground, going out to deescalate crises prior to the police or family services agencies getting involved. It's not surprising therefore that I specialized and certified in trauma care." She even taught FBI agents how not to re-traumatize traumatized patients while engaging as first responders. "I worked with human trafficking, up close and personal, and once was able to save one of my clients by pulling them out of the trunk of a car where they'd been imprisoned. I'm old enough to be a grandmother but don't let appearances full you. I be feisty!"
Annette leaves us with a life lesson: "'In order to be happy, do things that make you happy.' We're often caught up in chasing the dream, building towards the future, but tomorrow is never promised. A study that was done to identify what made people happy the most showed that most people have what truly makes them happy in their possession at present. They just don't have the time to utilize it or enjoy it because they're too busy trying to add more. But dig out the kayak, the bike, the basketball hoop or drawing materials, the simple stuff... and enjoy it. And if we're real with ourselves, how many hours do we have free in a week to actually live our lives? Probably just enough for things we love and little more. So do them!! Live today. It can be that easy. Even in a moment, turn your phone off, make a cup of whatever soothes you, and sit down to do something equally as soothing, like watching your kids fight, or your dogs sleep, or the birds sing."
Thank you, Annette, for all you do. We're so glad to have you on Team Evergreen!
Last month, we held a celebration at our Prather Ave. location to mark the opening of Evergreen’s mental health services in Jamestown! This expansion of our services is just one of the ways we’re making accessing and receiving care easy and inclusive for our patients in the Southern Tier and working towards our BHAG—to eradicate health inequity through unconditional care.
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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.
Our community came together for another successful Dining Out for Life event. Special thanks to everyone who volunteered as a DOFL Ambassador, dined out, or simply spread the word among their family and friends. We couldn't have done it without you!
Team Evergreen celebrated the close of Hispanic Heritage Month with a delicious meal and good company at El Coquito restaurant in Allentown.
Thank you Dabrielle Wright for this great photo of PrEP Aware Week at Bailey Avenue. Check out more photos from PAW later in this issue!
Zachary Marchese November 1
Christina Rotthoff November 2
Joseph Sessa ......................................... November 3
Lavine Hatten November 3
Shawn Powers November 3
Jason Henderson November 3
Marlyn Moore November 5
Justa Moon November 6
Lauren Wehner November 7
Geoff Brightman November 7
Susan Fiedler November 8
Claudette Davis ...................................... November 9
Renee VanAernam November 10
Angela Palmer November 10
Kendra Galligan November 10
Kevin Bidtah November 10
Megan Redfern November 11
Sarah Thomas November 11
Marcia Derby November 12
Roelsie Acevedo November 12
Sadiyah Jackson .................................... November 12
Brittney Warham November 13
Celena Rothrock November 14
Joanne Keuck November 14
Sharee Heard November 15
Angela Woodward November 15
Alexandrea Sailing November 17
Ambria Daye November 17
Shari DeMarco November 18
Linda Berkoh-Asamoah ........................ November 20
Jessica Baker November 21
Nicholas Maggi November 22
Elisa Luciano November 23
Keaira Aiken November 24
Sherrita Houston November 24
Amazhe Angbazo November 25
Pasley Price November 26
Katherine Kawa November 26
Tangela Watson-Bogan ........................ November 26
Yalitza Melo Estrada November 26
Maria Cruz November 26
Alexandria Aiello November 27
Steven Bennett November 27
Meghan Kinnaird November 27
Amanda Honan November 27
Margo Burgio November 30
Failure Mode Effects Analysis & Error Mode Effects
Analysis
Webinar in the Improvement and Population Health (EQuIP) Webinar Series
Instructor: Neil Bhattarai, Director of Population Health & Value Based Initiatives
Wednesday, November 12 from 12 – 1pm (VIRTUAL)
Focus: Identifying potential failures and their impacts. Outcome: Proactively addressing risks to improve process reliability. Master the art of proactive risk management with FMEA (Failure Mode Effects Analysis) and EMEA (Error Mode Effects Analysis) in this engaging session! Learn how to identify potential failures, assess their impact, and implement strategies to enhance reliability and prevent issues before they arise. Click HERE to register.
Opioid Overdose Response/ Narcan Training
Wednesday, November 19 from 11am – 12pm (VIRTUAL)
Eligible for 1 CEU for licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, and CASACs. Instructor: Justin Haag, referral coordinator. Contact evergreentraining&development@ evergreenhs.org to sign up.
Demystifying Diabetes
Thursday, November 20 from 12 – 12:45pm (VIRTUAL)
Presentation topics include what diabetes is and how it affects the body, types of diabetes, risk factors and how to know if you're at risk, complications to watch for and how to prevent them, and managing diabetes through nutrition, exercise and medication. Enroll HERE
Common Drugs in WNY
November 20 from 1 – 2:15pm (VIRTUAL)
Eligible for 1 CEU for licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, and CASACs. Instructor: Zachary Rombough, harm reduction technician. Contact evergreentraining&development@evergreenhs.org
PrEP Aware Week is a campaign led by the NYS AIDS Institute to raise awareness of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as a vital tool for HIV prevention. The 2025 theme was "PrEP Revolution," emphasizing health equity, self-determination, and the power of PrEP as an accessible, empowering and life-affirming choice for individuals to control their sexual health. Evergreen hosted tabling events with support from MOCHA Buffalo at all our healthcare facility locations and held a PrEP and Paint Night for staff and the community. In all, we gave out 500 PrEP Revolution t-shirts and 450 fanny packs, as well as 200+ coloring books promoting conversations about HIV, STIs and Hepatitis.
The Ken-Bailey Project has reached new heights! We’re so proud of all work being done to build this new location at 3070 Bailey Ave., a physical representation of our Big Hairy Audacious Goal: to eradicate health inequity through unconditional care. A few weeks ago, the last beam wrapped in the vinyl banners featuring your signatures was raised on the building structure! We hosted a small celebration on site to mark this milestone.
Team Evergreen showed off its creative side with these amazing decorated pumpkins! Congrats to all of our contest winners:
l Jamestown: Andrea Davis
l Bailey: Teresa Lee
l Community Drive: Eric Moeller
l Downtown Buffalo: Stephanie Green
l Hertel: Emilia Clark
These beautiful painted rocks were made by patients in the THRIVE Wellness Art Therapy group. They will be on display at the THRIVE Wellness Open House on Friday, November 14 from 1-3pm along with other patient artwork.
