I was told by HR that I had a lot of RPTO that needed to be used before the end of the year. So, like any sensible person, I made an itinerary, pinched my pennies, used up every one of my airline points, packed and repacked camping gear, called my son to make sure I could crash with him and his wife in California, and set off in search of adventures. JANUARY My husband and I chose to go to Florida in lieu of buying each other Christmas gifts. We headed to Key West, Miami Beach, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Everglades National Park. We stayed in a luxurious resort suite in Key West; held onto our tent for dear life in 40 mile per hour winds at Fort Jefferson; were almost driven from Miami Beach because of the

cold, windy, rainy weather; and nearly stepped on a gator (or two) in the Everglades. As crazy as it sounds, I loved every minute. februARY What do you do when your sister asks you to be her personal tour guide on a trip to California? You say, “Yes”! I planned a varied itinerary so my sister would experience California’s diversity. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium; dined on Cannery Row; walked Pier 39; took a ferry to Alcatraz Island; drove down Lombard Street and rode the trolley in San Francisco; walked the bluffs of Santa Cruz; peered down in sheer joy, and listened to the raucous sounds of the sea lions resting under the Santa Cruz wharf; did the Jelly Belly Factory tour (and sampled and sampled); tasted

olive oils at Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company; enjoyed “a few” wine tastings near Napa; went to the Sharks vs. Sabres hockey game (Sabres won!); and hiked trails in Yosemite National Park. Yosemite was fantastic in February. The waterfalls were spectacular, and we saw bobcats two separate times. March Death Valley was in bloom! I’d been following this event since the National Parks Department’s December announcement of the possibility of a rare wildflower bloom in the desert. In January, the bloom started happening, and I knew it could be many years before it happened again. I always enjoy traveling solo — and this was the perfect opportunity to do it! I headed to Nevada, met Brian

Planty and his husband, James, in Vegas (they were also on a getaway); slept at a ranch; rode a horse through Red Rock Canyon; hiked and crawled through slot canyons, and photographed flower after flower in Death Valley National Park. At the end of my trip, I vowed to return to Death Valley. Little did I know how soon that promise would be kept! April/mAY I wanted to celebrate my birthday in California with my son. My husband had only been to California once before, so it seemed right to celebrate our April birthdays on the Pacific coast. We spent a day in Santa Cruz, walking mile after mile of breathtaking oceanfront. The following days brought almost freezing temperatures. We camped, nearly froze

to death in our tent, hiked, and climbed through caves in Pinnacles National Park; hiked through snow to visit the giant trees in Sequoia National Park; drove and hiked through awe-inspiring King’s Canyon National Park; listened to the rain patter on our tent in the desert of Death Valley National Park; toured Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate bridge; and purchased produce at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market near the Embarcadero in order to make dinner for my husband, son and his wife before returning to Buffalo. I loved visiting several National Parks, seeing my son, and taking time for me. Thanks, Evergreen, for making me use up all those hours of time. I couldn’t have done these trips without you! Connections

Photos on this page: Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida; Kim relaxes “on the rocks”; a San Francisco vista; Kim between two of the giant trees in Sequoia National Park; an alligator that we hope has already had lunch. Photos on next page: the sand dunes in Death Valley National Park; Alcatraz Island; King’s Canyon Roaring River Falls. All photos by Kim Harding.

JULY BIRTHDAYSEmily Smith .......................................... July 2Jonathan Sentz ..................................... July 4Danielle Shaw ....................................... July 8Aaron Chiz ............................................ July 10Joelle Toal ............................................. July 12Ray Ganoe ............................................ July 14Renee Posey ......................................... July 15Joseph Sieracki ..................................... July 15Gary Williams ....................................... July 15Ian Schunk ............................................ July 16Laurie Abbatessa .................................. July 17Shawn Moultrie ................................... July 17Mark Mondanaro ................................. July 18John Proctor ......................................... July 18Keisha Leavy ......................................... July 19Gloria Kornowski .................................. July 19Rebekah Bongiorno.............................. July 22Andrew Mattle ..................................... July 24Shannon Curry-Izzo .............................. July 25Antoine Reese ...................................... July 26Cheryl Brunetti ..................................... July 26Linda Colburn ....................................... July 27Thomas Green ...................................... July 27Cecil Sutton .......................................... July 29Kathryn Kraft ........................................ July 31Monique Stays ..................................... July 31

JULY anniversarieSMelissa Delgado .....................................1 yearFrances Frank ..........................................1 yearAeriq Turman ..........................................1 yearJulie Mayer ..............................................1 yearHarry Berkoh-Asamoah ..........................1 yearGianna Batt .............................................1 yearJacob Perrello .........................................1 yearEmma Fabian ..........................................1 yearBecky Siuta ..............................................2 years Bianca Morris ..........................................2 years Renee Hartson ........................................2 years Marlyn Moore ........................................2 years Steven Rein .............................................2 yearsCameron Schraufstetter .........................2 years James Konidis .........................................2 yearsStephani Miranda ...................................3 yearsChristina Turner ......................................4 years Barbara Poff ............................................4 yearsPatrick Hildenbrandt ..............................5 yearsTara Monaco ...........................................6 yearsIleana Hernandez ...................................10 yearsDale Kingston ..........................................10 years Norma Bocanegra ..................................11 years

Your continued dedication and hard work arenoticed and appreciated - Management Team

A dream that I have had was that I was in Hawaii, and I was being a tourist and translating

for the island. — Magali Maldonado A A dream I once had was that I helped my sister

deliver a baby boy. — Mindi Mietlicki A I am getting married next month, and I keep

dreaming I’m going to fall down the two stairs I have to walk down! — Andy Kiener A

I am a vivid dreamer every night, all night. I usually remember them, so I can’t pick out

just one, although my superiors seem to show up frequently… I wonder what that means?

— Nichole Frank A I recently had a nightmare I used to get when I was a server. It’s

when everything goes wrong on your shift and no tips. — Jimi Konidis A When I was

7, I was watching a movie about zombies with my oldest brother. In the middle of the

movie he fell asleep. I was so into the movie, I looked where my brother was sleeping,

and all I saw was blood suckers coming in the window and going down the wall behind

the sofa. I screamed for my brother to wake up. He didn’t know what was going on. We

tried to open the door, but the lock got stuck. Suddenly the door opened, and we were

running out and yelling for help. A man stopped to help, but he had a big mole on his

right cheek, and I thought he was a zombie and started to hit him. — Glendalisse

Vargas A I have nightmares about tornadoes. Thanks, Wizard of Oz. — John Carocci

Connections

My most recent excursion took me to the Florida Nature

Culture Center for a Buddhist conference. The FNCC is

a beautiful facility set in the Everglades, with Buddhist

conferences held throughout the year on myriad of

study topics. I gathered with friends from around the

world to chant, dialogue, and study in order to deepen

my understanding of faith as it exists in daily life. The

grounds were beautiful, and the food was top notch (the

head chef has been on the Food Network’s “Chopped”).

I’ve been practicing Nichiren Buddhism and chanting

Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo faithfully for 18 years. Yes, Tina

Turner is part of the worldwide lay Buddhist organization

I practice with, as depicted in the movie “What’s Love

Got to Do With It”. The organization is called the SGI, or

Soka Gakkai International, which means value creating

society. This Buddhism does not promote the absence of

problems while living under a Bodhi tree, but rather is a

religion that allows each of us to overcome and transform

our obstacles, thus obtaining happiness for ourselves

and others. The recent tragic event in Orlando had me

contemplating many things, including the nature of

religion and its function in society. The President of the

SGI, Daisaku Ikeda, says, “The aim of a true religion is to

free people from the chains of suffering. Religion should

not function as a mere source of solace or sympathy, nor

as an ‘opiate’ that offers an escape from reality”. I embrace

all religions; for me, however, Buddhism is truly a dynamic

religion that has real meaning and application in today’s

struggling world. No time at the beach this trip, or late

night bar hopping; nevertheless, a wonderful weekend

to re-energize my daily Buddhist practice. — Steve

after hours evacuation In the event of an evacuation outside of normal business hours, we’ll need an accurate count of who is in our facilities. Employees working after hours should check in with the security guard on duty. Employees or volunteers running groups are asked to be responsible for those groups in the event of an evacuation. If the guard is making their rounds, there will be a clipboard posted at their station for employees to sign themselves in.

Summer driving Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fatal injuries among workers in the United States. Most people assume winter is the season with the most treacherous driving, but summer poses its own set of problems. For example, the nice weather means increased long distance travel, and with school out of session roads are flooded with inexperienced teen drivers. To complicate matters further, summer is the season for higher bicycle and motorcycle traffic, and

construction projects can present a potential hazard. Because of these factors, it’s important to be vigilant in your awareness of your surroundings. To reduce your distractions, adhere to the law and ignore any phone calls or text messages while on the road. Keep sunglasses handy to aid in keeping an even light level. Even though it’s the law, more than 10% of drivers in New York don’t wear their safety belts. This dereliction can cause grievous injury in an accident. You should not only wear your belt, but remind your passengers to also wear theirs. As a refresher, if you have cause to drive during the course of your job duties, you are responsible for following all traffic laws. If an incident occurs during work hours, it must be treated as a workplace safety violation. Hopefully, with your help, the summer months can be fun-filled and accident free. Be well, and as always, feel free to bring any safety or security concerns to the attention of your Facilities team. Connections

The Sanctuary at Evergreen Commons was

the setting for Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

to sign legislation aimed at ending the opioid

overdose crisis. The new laws increase access

to treatment, improve prevention efforts,

and place stricter limits on prescriptions for

painkillers, which can lead to addiction.

“New York is leading the way forward in the

the fight against heroin and opioid addiction,”

said Governor Cuomo prior to signing the

bills into law. “With this legislation, we are

taking an affirmative stand for our families

and communities who have suffered from

this epidemic’s debilitating effects.”

The Governor went on to praise the Senate

and Assembly for “their hard work and

dedication to stopping this epidemic and

creating a stronger and healthier New York”.

Photo Courtesy of the Governor’s Office v

A TV show that I am so into nowadays is “So You Think You Can Dance”. —

Magali Maldonado A My guilty pleasure has always been the Real Housewives

shows. — Mindi Mietlicki A Now that Walking Dead is on hiatus I’m watching

anything trashy/reality (Hoarders, Housewives, Judge Judy, Million Dollar

Listing, Storage Wars). — Andy Kiener A I’ve been watching reruns of “The

Dick Cavett Show” and “The Venture Brothers” on Hulu. I heartily recommend

both of them. — Sal Sciandra A I can’t wait for the next season of Orange is

the New Black! I am a sucker for some Sheldon Cooper, too. — Nichole Frank

A Game of Thrones, Veep. — Jimi Konidis A Beauty and the Beast, Wynona

Earp. — Lisandra Rivera A I tore through Lady Dynamite, and now I’m working

on Battlestar Galactica. I’m kind of losing interest, though. — John Carocci

There’s $500 for you in Evergreen’s Employee Referral Program. Refer a qualified friend for anopen position, and if they’re hired you’ll get $100 after they complete 30 days. You’ll get another$150 after they complete 6 months, and another $250 after they complete a year at Evergreen.

Tell your friend to write your name on their application, then fill out the Employee Referral Form, and return it to HR

I n March of 2015, the Information Systems department took on the job of streamlining the process of recording encounters with clients.

Previously, all encounters were recorded on paper documents, then entered into AIRS. We still need to input this information into AIRS, but now we can record it more easily, completely, and accurately. The Penelope Electronic Case Management System has enabled the agency as a whole to eliminate the need for paper charts, and, more importantly, makes it possible for us to analyze and report on information being collected in order to better serve our clients. The Information Systems department’s growth has expanded our ability to convert existing programs to the new system, and reduced the time necessary to bring new programs online. Andrew DiRienzo has been converting programs to an electronic format. Since he began, we’ve been able to train more staff members, create more documents, and convert twice the number of programs compared to what was previously possible in the same amount of time.

IS has converted 36 programs in 15 months, and in the same time period we created 540 documents with 24,288 unique questions, which have been filled out 119,045 times. We’re at work converting 10 additional programs which will allow us to expand the capability of Penelope itself. We’re also building a Referral System for Penelope, which will give us the ability to track referrals made within the agency as well as to outside agencies. We’ll be able to see the flow of clients between programs, assess the greatest paths of referral, and, in turn, offer clients better care. We’re also developing a communication system which will allow users to send messages related to client care directly to the appropriate staff members, rather than going outside of Penelope to use Outlook. This will improve confidentiality and HIPAA compliance. Streamlining the input process has allowed us to pull customized reporting on information entered into the Penelope system. When he’s not busy pulling program-related reports for program managers,

Derek Miller has been working on a data warehouse which will have the capacity to pool information the agency inputs into many of our systems including Penelope, AIRS and Medent. In the coming months, we’ll see the work on this system come to fruition, and it will provide a much needed overview of data from all our systems. If you have any questions, concerns, or reporting needs, feel free to contact Derek at dmiller@evergreenhs.org Keep a look out for emails that will illustrate the referral and messaging processes in coming weeks. And, as always, if you have questions, concerns, edits to documents or process, or need additional training, don’t hesitate to contact us at lzasada@evergreenhs.org and adirienzo@evergreenhs.org Finally, I’d like to send a special thank you to staff that have been instrumental throughout this process: Derek Miller, Julie Vaughan (AIRS Queen), Nicole Coonly, Kevin Bidtah and all the users who have piloted the processes of Penelope through trial and error with me. Thank you! Connections

J U L Y 2 0 1 6PUBLISHER/LAYOUTJohn Carocci

COPY EDITORMartha Sawicki

CONTRIBUTORSMelissa DelgadoJakob WilloughbySteve SandersKimberly HardingLindsay Zasada

Connections is a monthly newsletterfor Evergreen employees (that’s you). Send your story ideas, photos, or justa friendly hello to John Carocci.

Connections