A Note from the Executive Director |
Greetings, I am delighted to be sending you the first of four newsletters you will receive from us this year, our Winter Edition! Each season, we will provide you with a quarterly impact report from our core programs, share highlights and announcements, and put a spotlight on our staff and Network members. The newsletters are meant to make it easy for you to “catch up with the Consortium” and we hope that receiving them makes you feel like a real part of our community. We would welcome your feedback, and if you ever have an idea for content you’d like to see in these newsletters, we would welcome your input, too! In the spirit of “catching up,” I will share my latest thinking about the role that the Consortium must play in the year ahead. Like many, I have had more than a few low moments in the past several weeks, and have, at times, been filled not just with worry but a feeling that we are powerless—simply at the mercy of the forces that are shaping our environment and changing our circumstances, with little opportunity to influence them. But then I had a thought. And that thought was that anyone that works at the Consortium or is part of our community is actually in a very privileged position, because there is something for us to do. Moreover, it’s what we do best: help. Person by person, family by family, we can provide the information, assistance, counsel, and services that ease the burdens of our neighbors in Columbia and Greene Counties—and that is a very powerful thing indeed! This thought—that we are all connected to a helping organization at exactly the time when we know help will be needed—has really improved my mood, strengthened my resolve, and reminded me that even hard winters are followed by spring... May the sunshine find and warm you, Claire Parde |
Impact Report for Quarter 4: October - December 2024 |
Highlights & Announcements |
— Introducing the Children and Adults Rural Transportation Service (CARTS) Client Handbook— |
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We are excited to share our new Children and Adults Rural Transportation Service (CARTS) Client Handbook, an essential resource for current and future riders. Whether you’re a frequent passenger, scheduling your first trip, or assisting someone else, this booklet was created with you in mind. Inside, you’ll find important information on how to schedule rides for medical appointments both in and out of the county, details on how Medicaid riders can request our service by name, and helpful tips to make your experience smooth and stress-free. We extend our sincere gratitude to ProPrinters, our CARTS Booklet Sponsor, for their exceptional customer service, high-quality printing, and generous support of the Consortium and CARTS! |
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— Upcoming Event: 2025 Annual Recognition Event — |
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The Healthcare Consortium’s Board of Directors is hosting its Annual Friends Event on Wednesday, April 2nd, when it will present the Friend of the Consortium Award to people who have made a lasting contribution to the organization and its work. Since 2012, this honor has been bestowed upon 15 remarkable individuals as well as our whole team of devoted CARTS drivers. This year, we are excited to add a few more honorees to this list! Check your inbox for more details as we get closer to the event or contact Sydney Keiler at skeiler@columbiahealthnet.org with your questions. |
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The Healthcare Consortium is currently inviting candidates to apply for the following positions: - Two (2) full-time Navigators to provide health insurance enrollment services through our Navigator Program
- One (1) full-time Information and Assistance Specialist to work in the Greene County NY Connects Program
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As the Rural Health Network for Columbia County, The Healthcare Consortium convenes health and social care providers to ensure that we foster positive and productive working relationships, exchange information, and promote collaboration on a regular basis. Each newsletter, we profile one of our Network Members, highlighting their work in our community. |
— Mental Health Association of Columbia Greene Counties — |
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Our Network Member, Mental Health Association of Columbia Greene Counties (MHACG) believes mental health is health and make it their mission to advance mental health as a critical part of the overall health and wellbeing of our communities. Since 1958, MHACG has been a beacon of hope offering mental health recovery and crisis support, peer support, family and child development education, youth mentoring and respite, housing solutions, substance use recovery programs, and supporting survivors of assault, abuse, child abuse and trafficking. |
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"Imagine a world where everyone has access to the care they need. That's our vision, and through the great partnerships we have with community-based organizations such as the Healthcare Consortium, MHACG has continued to connect the community with care. Successful communities are built through collaboration, and by working together, we are all able to better reach and support those in need for better wellbeing." |
Learn more about MHACG: MHACG invites you to a Dinner to DIE For — a special Murder Mystery show during our annual fundraiser dinner on Friday, May 2nd at Anthony's Banquet Hall. Imagine yourself enjoying a delicious meal while stepping into the shoes of a detective, unraveling intricate clues, and solving a captivating mystery alongside fellow guests. Funds raised all help support MHACG's vital programs that provide critical services to individuals, children, and families in Columbia & Greene. Tickets available at mhacg.org/events. |
The Healthcare Consortium is thrilled to spotlight Doreen Rodriguez. Since her start at the Consortium nearly 13 years ago, Doreen has worked in the Navigator Program, helping the residents of Columbia and Greene Counties to enroll in quality, affordable health insurance through the State of Health, NY’s health insurance marketplace. This means Doreen helps eligible individuals and families to enroll in public health insurance programs, like Medicaid, the Essential Plan, and Child Health Plus, and also in the commercial products, called Qualified Health Plans, that are also offered on the marketplace. By last count, Doreen has provided assistance nearly 113,000 times, a simply remarkable number! As a result, she’s probably the best known Consortium employee, and can hardly go to the grocery store without encountering a grateful client…or three! |
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While Doreen has gained a great deal of knowledge and experience over the years, making her extremely capable and competent, it’s her kindness, understanding, and professionalism that have made her a “fan favorite” among the Consortium’s clients. Drawn to the role by her lifelong passion for helping others, Doreen shared that "working with the Consortium, as a Navigator, has given me a sense of purpose. The work that I am able to do is meaningful and helps so many people get the medical care they need." |
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To Claire Parde, Executive Director of the Healthcare Consortium, Doreen is “Mrs. T on our A-Team”—the heart and soul of the Navigator Program and the person who is entrusted with training anyone new to the program. “Not only will Doreen make sure that new Navigators are able to do the job and do it well, she’ll make sure they fully appreciate all the fine points and nuances related to enrollment services. Most importantly, Doreen will make sure that our commitment to customer service will be honored by anyone who joins our team. I trust her with that role—and with all the friends and family I refer to her, too—because she is really the consummate professional. The value she brings, not just to our organization, but to our whole community, is something that I hope makes her very proud.” At the Consortium, we are grateful for Doreen’s dedication and the very real difference she makes! |
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