2011, Evergreen opened a full-service in-house pharmacy so that our patients, and the rest of the community, could get the unconditionally understanding and welcoming experience they expect at Evergreen when they need to visit their pharmacy, too. Having a pharmacy in-house helps us break down many of the barriers that people face when trying to access the medications they need. First of all, our pharmacy team communicates directly with our providers at Evergreen to get patients’ refills authorized, letting folks get medications on time without having to go through the hassle of calling their provider for a refill and waiting on line at the big box pharmacy.
Just getting to the pharmacy for refills is another barrier that sometimes makes it hard for people to access their medications – one that we’re happy to help with. The pharmacy at Evergreen offers free home delivery to all our pharmacy patients, and can usually work in same-day deliveries when needed. And for patients who are uninsured or under-insured, our financial counseling team is able to help. Nobody is turned away from getting the medications they need for a lack of money.
Though the pharmacy at Evergreen is open to the community (not just to Evergreen patients), and provides medications to people facing a huge variety of health needs, our pharmacists specialize in HIV care and prevention medications, a field that’s constantly evolving. “We’re at the forefront of HIV knowledge,” says Nicholas Maggi, associate vice president of pharmacy services at Evergreen.
People living with HIV face even more challenges when it comes to caring for their health with medications. While lots of people struggle with taking their medications as directed for various reasons, for people living with HIV, taking medications as prescribed (also known as “medication adherence”) is absolutely essential to keeping an undetectable viral load, meaning the virus can’t be transmitted through sex. These medications that allow people living with HIV to reach an undetectable viral load, called antiretroviral therapy (ART), work directly on the HIV virus to stop its attack on the patient’s immune system and prevents furthering the diagnosis to AIDS. This is also incredibly important for fighting other illnesses like the flu or COVID-19. Studies have found that pharmacies that specialize in HIV care are better able to address the barriers to medication adherence that patients with HIV face: patients living with HIV tend to have more welcoming and stigma-free interactions at specialty
pharmacies like Evergreen, and are reassured by our pharmacists’ specialized knowledge of drug interactions and side-effects.
We’re also able to address specific challenges that people who take antiretroviral therapy medications face, like keeping track of multiple medications throughout the day, with tools like Rapid Paks: Pill Packs that our pharmacists organize and label by the day and time each medication should be taken. Pill Packs are free for any patient who takes medications that are filled by the pharmacy at Evergreen – call or stop by the pharmacy to learn if Pill Packs could be helpful for you.
Along with HIV care, the pharmacy at Evergreen specializes in HIV prevention: we’re the leading provider of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) in Western New York. PrEP is a prescription medication that, when taken as prescribed, reduces a person’s risk of becoming HIV positive.
PrEP is right for anyone who wants to take control of their sexual health and reduce their risk of becoming HIV positive – give us a call or visit our website to learn if PrEP is right for you. To make sure PrEP is accessible to all our patients, we’ll work through any financial barriers to getting PrEP to anyone who needs it: most people who see an Evergreen provider and use the Evergreen pharmacy pay $0 out of pocket for PrEP.
HIV prevention has come a long way in the 40 years Evergreen has been in the field: though we’ve used many strategies to help people prevent HIV transmission since our start in 1983, when a team of volunteers formed to address the emerging HIV and AIDS crisis in Western New York, PrEP didn’t become available until 2012.
Today, PrEP is a safe medication (most people experience no or minimal side effects) that’s available as either a pill or a periodic injection. In fact, Evergreen Health has the largest injectable medication program outside of New York City for the prevention and treatment of HIV: we currently have around 200 patients receiving the injectable versions of PrEP or ART.
As PrEP has developed, we’ve stayed on the frontline of PrEP expertise. We will continue to do so as long as the need is there!
Editor's Note: this story by Jean Conway originally appeared on the Evergreen Blog. Also, Evergreen's new pharmacy at 800 Hertel Avenue is open for business! Watch for more in future issues.
The Harm Reduction Center held its annual summer picnic at LaSalle Park on Overdose Awareness Day.
Publisher/Layout
John Carocci
Copy Editors
Jean Conway
Kristy Mangel
Contributors
Jean Conway
Megan Fagyas
Eric Poniatowski
Maria Cruz
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.
Mark your calendar! The submission deadline for the November 2023 issue of Connections is Wednesday, October 18. 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.
roper nutrition is essential to good health. Unfortunately, many people face barriers to healthy eating, such as the cost of or lack of access to fresh food. In addition, lack of understanding of basic nutrition combined with conflicting information can prevent people from achieving or maintaining their health goals. Evergreen has a variety of programs designed to address these barriers and make it easier for our patients to get and stay healthy. One of these programs is our Food Pantry. Mehida Gonzalez is Evergreen's pantry coordinator/EIS program assistant.
"I'm responsibe for maintaining inventory of the pantry," Mehida said. "This includes ordering and arranging food deliveries, keeping accurate documentation for all pantry services and, most importantly, making sure those who access the pantry feel welcomed. I also provide referrals if needed. As an EIS program assistant, I'm responsible for supporting my team members to provide the best care possible, as well as performing HIV/HCV tests."
Because of her many responsibilities, Mehida says that workdays can vary. "I'm in the pantry daily, making sure things are in order, cleaning, sorting, making go bags. On pantry days, I'm at the reception desk in the lobby, taking patient information so they can receive food. On other days, I'm at THRIVE Wellness, setting appointments up for patients and interacting with them."
Creating a welcoming atmosphere for our patients is important to Mehida. In fact, that's one of the things she likes best about working at Evergreen. "The welcoming atmosphere. Whether you work in the same department or not, staff are always greeting you with a smile. Patients also make the environment welcoming, always speaking highly of Evergreen and the services rendered."
Rehida also gets satisfaction from seeing the effect her work has on the lives of our patients. "Being an advocate for them is a big factor in their lives," she said. "There's often a big fear or stigma around the healthcare system among the communities that we serve. Lack of understanding can lead to them not wanting to come back. However, being an organization that
is welcoming, and provides patients confidentiality and services they need allows us to build that trust and rapport. As a result, they attend their meetings, appointments, and refer friends and family. The result is that they can live their lives while also staying safe."
The work is not without challenges. Mehida notes that many if not most of the people who use the pantry feel ashamed, or share that food is getting expensive and it has become harder for them to attain it. It's important that we create that trust and rapport to fight the shame and stigma, and make sure patients have what they need while keeping their dignity.
"Evergreen culture is different," Mehida noted. "That's the one word that comes to mind. The culture here is very different from what I'm used to. Everyone is so welcoming, and being able to work in a judgement-free zone makes it all the better. Before starting, I felt nervous and scared because there were so many factors that played into becoming part of this organization. One of those factors was putting myself out there to make new friendships. As the days passed, I slowly started getting to know people and made a couple of friends."
Mehida was born and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, with her two brothers and mom. "In 2019 I left to attend UB with the intention of pursuing a nursing career. Although the dream is still there, it's currently on hold as I've decided to explore other career options. Before coming to work at Evergreen, I worked at a non-profit organization called Center for Family Life at Sunset Park. I was a summer camp counselor and worked with kids from ages 5-11."
Outside of work, Mehida is a Lego master. "I'm currently working on a set, and it's The Office. Aside from that, I enjoy learning new languages. I've picked up German and Japanese, and I'm considering picking up Korean or Esperanto. In Brooklyn, I have a cute chunky tabby cat named Gaara who enjoys sitting on plants, sleeping with her belly up and hates being picked up."
Thank you Mehida for all the world you do keeping out patients healthy.
Editor's Note: nutrition services - including a food pantry - are also available through Community Access Services on Bailey Avenue. Watch for more in next month's issue.
Top: the Pride Center's annual Pride Skate at Canalside was a success! Bottom, L-R: crochet lessons at THRIVE Wellness; work continues on Evergreen Commons.
Norma Bocanegra
William Dimmig
Maygen Mancini
Kathleen Creenan.
Lauren Voelkle ..................................
Cydney Adams ..................................
Stephanie Green
Cortney Anderson
Sarah Ferns
Meghan Murphy
Mehida Gonzalez
Kandice Hood ...................................
Christina Mihalitsas .........................
Eric Moeller
Courtney Rhines
Jean Conway
Alexander Flaitz
Taylor Blake
Bianca Morris
Christina Cornell ...............................
LaTanya Washington
Alexandra Streb
Jennifer Yiengst
Kathryn Hey
Krystal Kwasniewski
Lindsay Barrett
Andrea Keogh ...................................
Ebony McCall ....................................
Mia LaMarco
Dawn Trotter
Patrick Sandora-Nastyn
Nicole Coonly
Kayleen O'Halloran
Seara Shams.....................................
Lilkizzy Tell ........................................
Teresa Hill
Rachel DeNormand
Kristina Sykes
Mistine Keis
Collin Ranney
October 1
October 1
October 2
October 3
October 3
October 4
October 4
October 4
October 5
October 7
October 8
October 9
October 9
October 10
October 11
October 11
October 11
October 12
October 12
October 14
October 14
October 14
October 14
October 14
October 15
October 17
October 17
October 17
October 18
October 20
October 21
October 21
October 22
October 23
October 24
October 26
October 26
October 27
October 27
October 29
The second round of ANNUAL TRAININGS will be released at the end of October with a December 29 due date. You will receive an email when the trainings have been added to your Evergreen University profile. In the meantime, please reach out to Eric Poniatowski with any questions.
The October birthday cake will be served as dessert for the STAFF APPRECIATION EVENT. Watch your email and Blink for more details as they become available, or see the ad on pages 8-9.
