Author: ltepfer

Staten Island puts into practice the principle of “think global – act local”

“The moment I first learned about Operation Debt-Day and the collaboration between the Veteran Task Force of SI PPS and End Veteran Debt (EVD),” said Alex Marrocco, President and Director of the Road Home Foundation for Injured Warriors and Families, “I was all-in.”

“First, the cause of reducing Veteran suicide by relieving past and current debt burdens for these returned heroes is consistent with our mission and purpose. Secondly, EVD’s unique model of combining funding with awareness raising we feel could attract local and national interest in Road Home.”

Since its launch as a 501(c)(3) public charity in 2014, Road Home has raised and spent over $320,000 to give wounded Veterans and their families much-needed financial grants. Unfortunately, the number of Veterans and active-duty military who could benefit from this help has multiplied over that time.

“We need to treble donations to meet that need,” Alex added. “We won’t do that using yesterday’s marketing or social media skills, and that’s where EVD excels.”

Road Home stepped up to become the first SI PPS Veteran Task Force organization affiliate to donate $2,500 towards the $50,000 campaign goal and becoming the first member of the “Five-Percenter-Plus-Club.” This added lift-off heat to the site’s “thermometer” tracking contributions. When this goal is reached, the $50,000 will buy and eliminate $1,000,000 in Veteran debt nationally and release funds locally to support community efforts.

Not just past debts but here-and-now financial crises will be addressed

Road Home operates on four principles:

#1. Commitment.
#2. Transparency.
#3. Accountability.
#4. Education.

The first three principles were already shared in the DNA of EVD and Road Home. The challenge was how to partner in putting the fourth principle, education, to work. It is easy to see how relieving a Veteran or family member of past unpaid bills is a good thing. However, educating someone on how to deal with an immediate financial problem or, better yet, how to avoid the problem to begin with is even better.

To that end, Road Home and EVD are conducting once-monthly educational seminars through March. The first is How to Handle Calls and Communications from Debt Collectors. Given today’s economic climate, this is a timely subject. Nationally known industry experts will participate in this online webinar during the third week of this month to provide financial do’s and don’ts essential to Veterans and their families’ survival.

Click here to be placed on the attendance list. Click here to donate to the SI SIPPS/EVD Operation Debt-Day Campaign.

 

Blooming Health: Countdown to 1115 Medicaid Waiver Launch Panel

On Tuesday, November 12th, SI PPS Executive Director, Joseph Conte, joined Blooming Health CEO, Nima Roohi, alongside other Social Care Network (SCN) leaders to discuss the New York State 1115 Health Equity Waiver at Blooming Health’s event. The event focused on preparing Social Care Networks for success to serve 7 million Medicaid members across New York.

Other panelists included:

  • Amie Parikh, CEO, Hudson Valley Care Coalition
  • Zachariah Hennessey, Chief Strategy Officer & EVP, Public Health Solutions
  • Lori Andrade, Executive Vice President, Health & Welfare Council of Long Island

NCQA Health Innovation Summit

Dr. Joseph Conte, Executive Director of SI PPS and Ileana Acosta, Program Director of the Hotspotting the Overdose Epidemic Program, presented at the NCQA Health Innovation Summit in Nashville, TN on November 1st 2024. They were joined by Raj Lakhanpal, Chief Executive Office of Spectramedix and Michael LaRocca, Founder and CEO of Ready Computing. The Health Summit features over 60 sessions covering a range of health care quality topics, including value-based care, health equity, digital quality solutions and behavioral health.  SI PPS presented on its Hotspotting Program initiative, which is an evidence-based, overdose prevention and outreach initiative. The program leverages predictive analytics and data to identify individuals at-risk of overdose and engage them before an adverse event using a person-centered care management model.  The panel presentation yielded hundreds of participants; the session examined how the program was conceived and implemented, and how Hotspotting can be a promising approach to save lives.

SI PPS’s Success with Samaritan Program

What is Samaritan?

Samaritan is a support network that helps people overcome barriers to housing. The Samaritan community has helped more than 1,000 unhoused individuals take steps towards housing across the US.

Samaritan works by partnering with organizations across the nation that are serving unhoused or housing insecure populations. Our partners can use Samaritan to incentivize steps towards health and housing goals and accelerate outcomes for their clients.

 

Mindy Mannarino, a Care Navigational Manger with Staten Island Performing Provider System, expressed her appreciation for the role Samaritan plays in assisting in her client caseload. “Once you get a client interested and you can get them enrolled, they are floored that a health insurance company collaboration would offer something like this. They’re usually pretty enthusiastic!” Mindy highlighted the distinct advantage Samaritan provides compared to other health programs. “It’s nice to be able to offer something like this because for some of the other programs, you’re not offering an incentive,”she explained. “You’re just kind of saying, ‘Oh, you know, you should do this and you should do that.’ So this is much better.”

When asked about the effectiveness of Samaritan’s Action Steps and Bonuses, Mindy pointed out how these elements have had a tangible impact on clients’ health management. “A lot of folks go to appointments, They try to do all the follow-ups that they need to do,” she said, noting that many of her clients deal with conditions like type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Mindy observed that the incentive structure encourages patients in their personal goals. “It’s interesting, some people said it motivated them to actually set up these appointments, The Members found that this was like an incentive to be more on top of their own health.”

The bonuses, Mindy noted, have been particularly beneficial. “I do notice that the people who indicated, like, ‘I’m really going to use this to buy food,’ they really stick to that,” 

“They are always very thankful and grateful to Samaritan for giving them the opportunity to do this,” she said. “It helps some people feel like it’s more of a priority to take care of their health, because then maybe they can eat a little healthier because they have this extra money.”

Mindy remains optimistic about Samaritan’s ongoing impact. Her experiences illustrate how the program not only provides essential support to those in need but also inspires clients to use their Action Steps toward managing their health effectively.

 

More information about Samaritan can be found on their website: https://www.samaritan.city/

Thank You To Our Community Health Workers!

For the past seven years, Staten Island Performing Provider System (SI PPS) has been training Community Health Workers (CHWs). SI PPS is an apprenticeship sponsor and has trained over 200 CHWs in New York City and Long Island. SI PPS partners with employers to graduate trainees by providing additional support such as mentorship, transportation stipends, financial incentives, and job preparation. College of Staten Island is the key training partner to offer a certified community health worker training program.

SI PPS has been designated as a Social Care Network released which was announced by Governor Hochul on August 7, 2024. Social Care Networks will address health disparities in low-income communities by leveraging federal funding to connect Medicaid members to nutritional meals, housing supports, transportation and other social services. CHWs will be an integral member connecting Medicaid members to services to impact the individual’s overall health.

This week is National Community Health Worker Awareness week. Staten Island Performing Provider System is an apprenticeship sponsor and would like to acknowledge the great work being done by our partnering employers and apprentices in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Long Island.

A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member or has a particularly good understanding of the community served. CHWs are some of the most trusted voices in the community when it comes to health because they come from the communities they serve. And they are one of the best ways to tackle health inequity and health disparities.

CHWs serve as a liaison between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and to improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. CHWs can operate under many different titles including Patient Navigator, Community Health Advisor, Maternal/Infant Health Outreach Specialist, Peer Educator, etc.

One of the CHWs that SI PPS sponsored was Crystal Deleon from Community Health Center of Richmond (CHCR). Crystal leads the Enhanced Postpartum Care Project for CHCR. She creates postpartum plans for the fourth trimester alongside patients. Crystal also provides follow-up postpartum check-ins, educational workshops on childbirth for expecting mothers, safe sleep, and breastfeeding. Crystal said “The most rewarding part of her Community Health Worker apprenticeship is reconnecting with mothers and checking in after they deliver the baby”.

In addition to CHCR, there are several employers that we would like to highlight for the CHW apprenticeship. These partners offer services for the homeless, individuals living with HIV, and people with chronic conditions. These are the partners we have worked with for the CHW program:

1. A Chance in Life

2. AIRnyc

3. Central Family Life Center

4. Community Health Action of Staten Island

5. Community Health Center of Richmond

6. Long Island Coalition for the Homeless

7. Harmony Healthcare Long Island

8. Maimonides

9. Make the Road New York

10. Project Hospitality

11. Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness

The SI PPS CHW training program has 3 phases:

1. The first phase is all virtual. This is the CHW training program provided by College of Staten Island, held 3 evenings per week on Zoom, for 8 weeks. Each session meets for 2-3 hours.

2. The second phase provides upskilling for an additional 5 weeks with three evenings per week virtually on Zoom. Each session meets for 2-3 hours.

3. The third phase is all in-person and is a 6-week on-the-job training program at clinical partner sites such as hospitals, federally qualified health center and/or an ambulatory care center. $600-$1,200 stipend available for trainee.

This past year, Staten Island Performing Provider System (SI PPS) sponsored the Lay Counselor training. The Lay Counselor Academy provided a 14-week course for lay counselors who are people without traditional mental health education but can complete the Lay Counselor Academy training to learn how to provide crucial support to community members in need.

SI PPS will continue to sponsor training programs so if you or anyone you know are interested, please reach out to Connor Stapleton at cstapleton@statenislandpps.org to find out more details. We are accepting applicants until 9/9/24.

Happy National Community Health Worker Week! (August 26th-August 30th)

 

 

 

Happy National Community Health Worker (CHW) Awareness Week! This week (August 26th-August 30th) we are celebrating CHWs for their achievements and hard work in the community. CHWs serve as a liaison between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services. They improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. Thank you to all the CHWs who have made a positive impact! To learn more about National Community Health Worker Week, visit nachw.org/nchwaw and to learn more about the CHW role and opportunities, visit statenislandpps.org/community-health-worker.

We’re Hiring! Administrative Assistant

Job Title: Administrative Assistant

Status: Full Time, Exempt

 

Staten Island Performing Provider System (SI PPS) is a non-profit organization participating in the New York State Department of Health 1115 Medicaid waiver amendment, New York Health Equity Reform (NYHER). Under the waiver, SI PPS is designated as a lead entity to support the Richmond County Social Care Network (SCN). The SCN lead entity is responsible for coordinating a network of community-based organizations and providers to better enable health-related social needs (HRSN) screening and the delivery of social care services. The overall goal of the program is to improve health outcomes, provide equitable access to care, and reduce health disparities.

Job Description: Reporting to the Executive Director, the Administrative Assistant will work closely with the Executive Assistant to support senior leadership and program directors with administrative and general office support functions. The Administrative Assistant will be responsible for meeting coordination, scheduling and support, front office maintenance, supply ordering and inventory, office organization and special projects as assigned. The Administrative Assistant will collaborate and communicate with all staff on a regular basis and is expected to understand SCN program concepts and goals.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Debrief with the Executive Assistant and the SI PPS team daily to provide schedule reminders and office updates
  • Coordinate meetings with internal program directors and external stakeholders including but not limited to: maintaining internal calendars, providing outreach and correspondence, scheduling calendar invites, confirming meeting times and participants, preparing and sending agendas and other meeting materials, and providing and scheduling follow-up if needed
  • Provide direct meeting support including ordering and setting up refreshments, conference room inventory and stocking, preparing, distributing, printing and loading meeting materials and presentations, managing in-room meeting technology, tracking meeting attendance, taking meeting minutes and sending follow up materials and correspondence to meeting participants
  • Assist SI PPS team with event planning including: procuring venues, curating menus, preparing agendas and set-up/break-down of conference spaces
  • Assist SI PPS team with off-site meeting preparation for external stakeholder engagement meetings, Town Halls, conferences and other large meetings
  • Greet and host guests; manage office sign-in procedure and vendor logs
  • Answer main SI PPS phone line; triage calls, take messages and/or perform warm hand-off phone transfers to SI PPS staff
  • Organize and maintain shared main office spaces and conference room; ensure supplies and materials are organized and stored properly; printer stocking and maintenance; ensure meeting spaces are clean and free of clutter
  • Place supply orders and maintain inventory of office supplies; keep supply closets neat, labeled and organized

 

 

Qualifications

 

Education:

  • High School Diploma, GED or HSE required
  • Bachelor’s Degree preferred
  • At least 5 years prior administrative experience required, healthcare experience preferred

 

Skills/Requirements:

  • Proven customer service skills and experience
  • Strong organizational and critical thinking skills
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills
  • Coordination of diverse groups of people, organizations, and providers
  • Ability to travel <25% on Staten Island for off-site meetings and partner engagement events
  • Flexibility to attend occasional off-hour events hosted by SI PPS

 

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of task activities and/or duties that are required of the employee for this job. Responsibilities and activities may change at any time.

Professional references are required with application.

 

You can apply with your resume here.

Staten Island PPS is proud to announce being awarded the Social Care Network (SCN) lead entity for Richmond County!

Staten Island PPS is honored to have been selected as 1 of 9 organizations statewide to receive funding over the next three years to create a Social Care Network (SCN) program. The program is a key part of the New York Health Equity Reform (NYHER) 1115 Medicaid waiver amendment.

Serving over 100,000 Staten Islanders for nearly a decade, our diverse network of organizations provides a whole-person approach to care, integrating medical, behavioral health and social care. Read our 2023 Impact Report to learn more about our programs.

The SCN program will help address disparities by connecting Medicaid members to critical social services that have an impact on health outcomes.

With strong academic credentials documented in peer-reviewed journals, Staten Island PPS excels at leveraging cutting-edge technology, data platforms and patient facing technology. Ready to lead, we invite you to join our network. Complete this webform and a member of our team will reach out to explore a potential partnership.

Perinatal Mental Health Services are Available throughout NYC

 

Perinatal mental health services are now being offered by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Early Childhood Mental Health Services (ECMHN) clinics, focusing on the time before and after giving birth. These services are available to people who are pregnant and to parents or caregivers of newborns throughout NYC.

ECMHN clinic staff are trained to provide Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Perinatal Child-Parent Psychotherapy. These therapies are offered remotely or in person and focus on helping individuals address anxiety, depression, traumatic stress and adverse life experiences that may affect them and their baby.

Our clinicians conduct screenings to measure the levels of anxiety, depression, stress and trauma experienced by the pregnant person or new parent or caregiver, and design an appropriate treatment plan to address their individual mental health needs. Services are offered in multiple languages, and clinicians have experience working with families of all cultural backgrounds

 

Learn more about the program here.

 

 

Free Mental Health Support for NYC Teens Provided by NYC Teenspace!

 

 

NYC Health Department is providing free online mental health support to any teen who lives in New York City. Sign up for NYC Teenspace to be paired with a therapist for messaging and live virtual sessions, and receive access to online courses and tips designed just for teens. To register, visit talkspace.com/nyc.

 

You can also read the frequently asked questions here.