Group’s new Practice Manager. As Practice Manager, Debbie will assist EMG staff with
february Birthdays
a variety of administrative services. She will also facilitate communication between
Lisanda Rivera................................ February 2
billers, providers, and EMG’s front desk staff.
Odalis Norales................................ February 4
This month, Connections turns the spotlight on Debbie Esposito, Evergreen Medical
Debbie grew up on the East Side of Buffalo, in the Broadway Fillmore district,
and she attended South Park High School. Debbie has a wealth of experience in a
Damian Mordecai.......................... February 9 Stephanie Vroman-Goodrich......... February 14 Liza Pereira..................................... February 16
wide range of healthcare settings, including family planning, ambulatory services,
Ann Licata....................................... February 19
gastrointestinal medicine, and twenty years working in radiation oncology.
Jakob Willoughby........................... February 19
“Oncology was my favorite,” says Debbie. “My years in oncology made me realize
the really important things in life. Watching the compassion of the providers I worked with taught me the value of so many things: patient care, helping people fight the battle of life, and to try to be the most helpful person possible.”
Debbie is a new face (for now) but Evergreen has already made a good impression.
“I’m quite impressed with the friendliness of all the employees that I’ve met so far,”
Sheila Marcheson.......................... February 22 Sheryl Campbell-Julien.................. February 22 Ian Eastman.................................... February 24 Kimberley LaVare........................... February 25 Victoria De Leon............................. February 26 Christopher Miller.......................... February 27 David Setlock.................................. February 29
provided to all patients. Evergreen feels like the place where I’m supposed to be.”
february Anniversaries
Monique Stays..................................1 year
she says. “Everyone seems to enjoy their work, and I love the great customer service Debbie has focused on learning as much about Evergreen as possible, particularly
Sergio Ponce.....................................1 year
job functions and how they relate to each other and our patients.
“I would like to find ways to make jobs easier, being sure the right people are doing
the right jobs for their position.”
Bailey Fanning...................................2 years Amajaraya Hunter............................4 years
Debbie has been married for almost forty years, and has two children (a son and
a daughter). She also has two granddaughters, two horses, and four barn cats. Not surprisingly, Debbie doesn’t live in the city.
Thomas Green..................................2 years
Saw Min............................................5 years Nicole D’Addario...............................6 years Kimberly Harding..............................6 years Joshua McClain.................................7 years
“I live in Angola,” says Debbie. “I love the drive to work every day, seeing our
Carrie Sentz......................................7 years
beautiful Lake Erie and the waterfront development. I love the Bills and the Sabres…
Jerome Robinson..............................8 years
win or lose... someday…”
Connections
“Evergreen feels like where I’m supposed to be” - Debbie
John Carocci......................................22 years Your continued dedication and hard work are noticed and appreciated - Management Team
Worst date ever was when I was a sophomore and a senior asked me to prom. Before we got lost on the way to the venue downtown and before the car broke down and before the Miss Buffalo boat had technical issues and they had to cancel the post prom party, my date was driving, and when we got to the tollbooth she missed when she threw her quarters into the toll booth. When she got out of the car to bend over and pick up the change, the wind blew her dress over her head and all the cars behind us started honking and cat calling. We were both so mortified that we drove the rest of the way in total silence. I chalk that experience up to the universe telling me to totally be gay. — Rob Baird Y BEST date ever! La Creperie French Café in Key West, Florida with my husband of course! — Tara Monaco Y In high school I went on a date to a coffee shop with a girl who was so painfully shy that she wouldn’t even drink in front of me. Needless to say, it didn’t work out. — Sal Sciandra Y While on a date in Buffalo with a guy from Connecticut, I was surprised to see a photograph of my ex (who is from Syracuse and lived in Albany) on the mantle. Turns out, the guy from Connecticut had dated my ex too, and at the same time as me. Awkward! At least we had something to talk about. — John Carocci Y I was 16 and we went to McDonald’s before the movies. He kept touching my face with his greasy hands. I never had another date with him after that. — Jimi Konidis
February is American Heart Month. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day. Launched in September 2011 by the Department of Health and Human Services, Million Hearts™ is a national initiative that aims to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the United States by 2017. We can fight back against heart disease and stroke! Prevention starts with everyone. Protect yourself and your loved ones from heart disease and stroke by understanding the risks and taking these steps: Y Challenge your family and friends to take the Million Hearts™ pledge at http://millionhearts.hhs.gov. Y Get up and get active by being physically active for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
Y Ask your doctor if you should take an Aspirin every day.
Y Find out if you have high Blood pressure or Cholesterol, and if you do, get effective treatment.
Y If you Smoke, get help to quit.
Y Make your calories count by eating a heart-healthy diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in sodium and trans fat. Y Take control of your heart health by following your doctor’s prescription instructions.
Together, we can all be one in a million this Heart Month and every month. To learn more, visit http://millionhearts.hhs.gov.
If I could wave a magic wand, all late-night infomercials would disappear, and The Cat’s Pajamas with Barry Lillis would be on the air again. Back in junior high, my friends and I planned sleepovers around whatever was playing that week. We promised each other to stay awake through all the movies, but never did! Of course, the best part was Barry’s antics during the breaks — the more awful the movie, the funnier his comments! — Ian Eastman a I’d pay good money for a Hart to Hart reboot. The episode when Mr. and Mrs. H. break out of the glass jail cell by using Mrs. Hart’s diamond ring to cut the glass cell door was television genius! — Justin Azzarella a Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, and it’s being rebooted into a movie. SCORE! — Jimi Konidis a X-Files for sure — Tara Monaco a The cartoon Johnny Quest — Rob Baird a Mama’s Family — Sal Sciandra a The WB’s Popular — John Carocci a The movie show I would like to see rebooted is The Invisible man. — Sergio Ponce
This month’s safety message is a refresher course on blood-borne pathogens and sharps-injury precautions. Please, especially members of the Safety Committee, make an effort to review these procedures at your Center meetings. As always, let Facilities know if any queries arise or additional information is required.
PUBLISHER/LAYOUT
John Carocci
COPY EDITOR
Martha Sawicki
CONTRIBUTORS
Melissa Lorenzo Martha Sawicki David A. Haefner, Esq. Jakob Willoughby
Connections is a monthly newsletter for employees of the Evergreen Association (aka you). Send suggestions, photos, story ideas, or a friendly hello to John Carocci.
Blood-borne pathogens (BBPs) are microorganisms in blood that can cause disease, like Hepatitis B, HIV, or Hepatitis C. BBPs can be spread by sharps injuries. And since many of the people we serve have, or are at risk for, these illnesses, it’s important for us to take appropriate preventative measures. We can protect ourselves while providing compassionate care to our clients. Depending on where you work, your individual exposure-control requirements will vary. Your supervisor can detail these for you. There are also general protection methods that are useful for everyone at Evergreen to apply. • Avoid contact with fluids that aren’t your own. If you’re unsure, wear gloves or other proper personal protective equipment.
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Don’t perform first aid on anyone other than yourself. Feel free to supply them with first aid materials for their own usage, but do not administer it to them. • Never reach or step into a garbage can. Watch for debris or leaves that may hide discarded needles. • If you come into contact with an unknown fluid, or are stuck by a needle, wash the area with hot, soapy water immediately. If your eyes, nose, or mouth are affected, flush continually with clean water. Report to a supervisor or EMG staff for a risk assessment and recommendations. Sharps/needle injuries pose an increased risk of fluid contact. Here are several practices to mitigate that risk:
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Make a plan for safe handling and transport before any procedure involving needles. • Dispose of needles promptly in designated biohazard sharps containers that aren’t overfilled. • Avoid passing sharps by hand. • Keep any exposed sharp in view, and stop if you feel rushed or distracted. These are just a few tips to follow. Check with your supervisor for Center-specific protection methods. If you see anyone engaging in a risky situation, or know how a situation could be improved with additional guidelines, don’t be afraid to mention it. Our goal is to have a safe campus for ourselves, and our clients, and we all play a part in that. C
Compliance is tricky. Healthcare compliance is even trickier! There are so many rules to follow that, even if you have good intentions, you may unwittingly break a compliance rule, putting the agency at risk. So, Evergreen is asking for your help. If you’re ever not sure how to handle protected information or think you may have a compliance issue, pick up the phone and call the Compliance Helpline! When you call, you’ll talk to a 3rd party answering service. They will forward your question(s) to the Compliance Officer with no information about who you are — not even your phone number! The Compliance Officer will answer your question(s) in an agency-wide email. This way, everyone is reminded of, or learns something new about, compliance! You can also use the Helpline to report a compliance violation. It will still be anonymous, but reports of compliance violations will be investigated using policies outlined in the Corporate Compliance Plan, and not discussed in company email. Of course, employees are always welcome to discuss compliance issues directly with the Corporate Compliance Officer, Matthew John Pasquarella, at extension 3318 or mjpasquarella@evergreenhs.org. C
DOES THE RIGHT HAND KNOW
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WHAT THE LEFT HAND IS DOING?
In a fast-paced and rapidly-changing organization like Evergreen, the challenge of keeping each other informed affects everyone, every day. There’s so much to learn about our operations and the services we offer. There are dramatic, sweeping changes in the areas of HIV and AIDS, health care, housing, nutrition, substance use, mental health... and we have to keep up with all of them. We also need to educate and inform the community, and we’re accountable to about 50 funders. It’s daunting when you stop and think about it. We work for an organization where strengthening internal communication and access to information are core values. There is a strong commitment to (and many discussions about) continuously improving the ways we share what’s happening at Evergreen with all of our stakeholders – clients, staff, volunteers, board members, and donors. If you’ve ever worked somewhere that didn’t value these things, you know how important they are. How do we do it? Here at Evergreen we have a variety of ways of communicating: meeting minutes; email, Ron’s goldenrod memos; staff meetings, work groups, and more. Some of our programs are even using social media to communicate with each other. So the big question is: is it all working? Each of us would probably answer that question a little differently based on our positions in the organization. Several months into my new job in Grants Management, I have a whole new perspective on the importance of communicating our shared experiences. I would say, yes; our internal communication works pretty well, though there is always room for improvement. I’ve come to realize two things: it would be impossible to fully understand everything that is happening in every part of our organization and, each of us bears responsibility in feeding our communication machine. When we have questions or concerns, we need to talk with our supervisors. We all have our own unique perspectives and insights, and sharing ideas or questions can result in further discussion, new events, or even policy and procedural changes. Each of us can also promote our work internally. This can be done with the support of our brilliant Marketing and Human Resources Teams and through the relationships we build with each other. We can even ask Ron anonymous questions at our full staff meetings! Evergreen is a living, learning laboratory. Shared information across our broad and diverse spectrum is key to strengthening our foundation and our future. - by Kate Gallivan
There’s $500 for you in Evergreen’s Employee Referral Program. Refer a qualified friend for an open position, and if they’re hired you’ll get $100 after they complete thirty days. You’ll get another $150 after they complete six months, and another $250 after they complete one year at Evergreen. $........ Tell your friend to write your name on their application $........ Fill out the Employee Referral Form, and return it to HR $........ Sit back and wait for that money tornado!
Evergreen’s Facilities team is preparing staff trainings on blood-borne pathogens and bed bugs. Details are being finalized. The Facilities team will notify staff via email alert when there is more information. • Blood borne Pathogen Training (provided by Stericycle) Wednesday, February 17th (time and place TBD). Open to all staff. EMG, SEP, and Facilities staff strongly encouraged to attend. • Bed Bug Training (provided by Ehrlich Pest Control) Time and date TBD. Open to all staff. Care Coordinators and anyone performing home visits strongly encouraged to attend.