Spring is *knock knock* at the door, the snow is melting, colors are brighter, and the weather is heating up! This lucky month ahead is filled with a new LGBTQ+ Didactic takeover, Oncology lunch and learn, and EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY!!!

Before we get started, we want to extend gratitude to each one of you for attending the trainings for Saleforce over the last month and spending time getting to know the new system. Transitioning to a new platform is not an easy feat and we appreciate the commitment and energy you all have demonstrated. We couldn't be prouder of the incredible work you've done so far in learning this system, and we will continue to be available for help as we push ahead in the next phase of the system transition 😊.

Today is an extremely special day... EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY! Each one of you brings your own unique talent, passion, and melody to the Forge team and together, it creates a beautiful symphony to be shared with all. Your support for one another and our clients, expansive skills, and intuitive touch with each task you do is exceptional. We couldn't be prouder to call you our teammate. THANK YOU!

Kirt Lewis couldn't have said it better in the Black Mental Health panel earlier this week about the word "forge" meaning "bond." Let this year be the year we form our bonds further with each other, and our symphony will continue stronger and in perfect pitch 💛.

I hope you all enjoy your gifts and know how much you are appreciated not just today, but every single day of the year. No matter your role in the company, you make a difference in someone receiving the support they need and, and for that, we are beyond grateful. Happy Employee Appreciation Day!

Welcome back to our "On the Horizon" section where we will be sharing with you a calendar of events, holidays, and reminders coming up in the month ahead. As you can see below, this calendar includes certain work events or reminders in addition to a few fun and whacky recognition days! Take a look at what's to come in this first month of Spring 😊

Say, "Heyyyo" and Welcome 😊 to our 3 February new hires!

Deana Fritz

Clinician, West Deptford

Lauren Pollitt

Director of Revenue Cycle Management

Shanell Nunez

Clinician, Paramus

Clocking another revolution around the Forge sun for these teammates 😊

Happy Work Anniversary, all!!

Ken Nicholson

Administrative, KPC Syosset

His 18 year Anniversary is Mar 14th!

Mercedes Aspiazu

Real Estate Project Coordinator

Her 1 year Anniversary is Mar 20th!

Venice Payne

Office Manager, Rego Park

Her 1 year Anniversary is Today!

Karen Melito

Clinician, KPC Syosset

Her 6 year Anniversary is Mar 18th!

Halimo Hotchkiss

Intake & Experience Coordinator

Her 1 year Anniversary is Mar 20th!

Liz Walker

VP of Business Development,

Her 2 year Anniversary is Mar 7th!

Dr. Lee Hindin

Chief Medical Director

His 6 year Anniversary is Mar 19th!

Ivy Opoku-Nti

Intake & Experience Coordinator

Her 1 year Anniversary is Mar 20th!

Lisa Spiegel

Medical Practice Manager

Her 2 year Anniversary is Mar 7th!

Samantha Santo

Program Director, Mahwah

Her 6 year Anniversary is Mar 19th!

Jordan Gruschow

Clinician, Mahwah

Her 5 year Anniversary is Mar 25th!

Galo Cunto

Executive Clinical Director

His 1 year Anniversary is Mar 13th!

Deanne Griffin

Executive Clinical Director

Her 1 year Anniversary is Mar 20th!

Samantha Becket

Clinician, Greensburg

Her 1 year Anniversary is Mar 27th!

Chris Cox

Clinician, KPC Hauppauge

His 7 year Anniversary is Mar 14th!

Michael Savino

Lead Clinician, Princeton

His 1 year Anniversary is Mar 20th!

Janae Lane

Clinician, Virtual

Her 2 year Anniversary is Mar 28th!

Christine Tighe

Clinician, KPC Syosset

Her 18 year Anniversary is Mar 14th!

Meagan Quinn

Clinician, Devens

Her 1 year Anniversary is Mar 20th!

Rachel Rodriguez

VP, Human Resources

Her 3 year Anniversary is Mar 29th!

An extra special shoutout goes to our March birthdays - Happy Birthday, all!

🎂 Danielle Frey & Paige Soleimani - TODAY! 🎂

Jennifer Kerr - March 3rd

Mackensi Hartman - March 4th

La-Toya Larke - March 7th

Briana Murphy - March 9th

Alicia McDermott - March 10th

Toni Steele - March 14th

Victoria Germano - March 17th

Danielle Heneson - March 21st

Tom Moynihan - March 21st

Benjamin Keller - March 24th

Annie Lankowicz - March 24th

Meg McDermott - March 31st

There's no doubt we LOVE our pets and the animals in our lives, so what better way to retro-celebrate Love Your Pet Day from Feb 20th than by having people send in photos of their pets and share that love? Enjoy these Forge Friends from near and far across the team 💗.

Parent: Hannah Blank

Name: Sir Sidney of Matawan

Age: 4 1/2 years old

Breed: German Short-haired Pointer & Lab mix

Loves taking photos, especially if he’s the center of them.

Parent: LaToya Walker

Name: Lexi

Age: 1

Breed: Boxer

Parent: Sheena Bice

Names: Milk (white) and Cookie (blue)

Type: Budgies

Parent: Chelsea LeRoy

Name: Tony "Soprano" LeRoy

Age: 8

Breed: Border Collie/Jack Russell Mix

Tolerates people, loves his grandma and aunt

Parent: Chelsea LeRoy

Name: Lily "Lilliard" LeRoy

Age: 1

Breed: Chocolate Lab

Loves everything, everyone, everyday. Thinks eye contact is an invite for pets and will paw at you until you provide.

Parent: Christina DeStefano

Name: Opie aka Bubba aka Mr. Bubbers

Age: 8

Breed: Great Dane

Loves to sleeps all day with his elephant stuffie and stays right next to mom while she works.

Parent: Stephanie Foss

Name: Ronin

Loves to catch frisbees and exercise!

Parent: Hannah Blank

Name: The Dutchess of Belaire, Miss Abby

Age: About 4

Breed: Unsure

Loves posing for photos, especially after having catnip.

Parent: Mike Cohen

Name: Elmer

Age: 5

Breed: Supermutt

Loves to play in the mud 🐾

Parent: Jami Pough

Name: Ginger

It's Ginger's world, we're just living in it 🐈

Parent: Sheena Bice

Nams: Echo

Type: Bearded Dragon

Parent: Eric Golnick

Name: Samson

Age: 10

Breed: Husky

Parent: Sean Kilbreath

Name: Rip

Loves to come into the office!

Congratulations to these three who have just #leveledup in the company and been promoted!!! Susan, Eurica, and Cassy have worked so diligently to earn these next steps in their careers and we're so beyond proud of them. Please join me in congratulating them on their new positions listed below! Way to go!!! 🎉

Susan Reyna

Clinic Director, West Orange

Dr. Eurica Pinthieve

Senior Director, Training and Development

Cassy Hartless

Clinic Director, Greensburg

Susan Reyna joined Forge in October 2021 as a Clinician on our Paramus team. Since joining Forge, Susan has accomplished an extraordinary amount, and it has been such a joy to watch her grow. Susan has obtained her LCSW, has become EMDR certified and is now the newest Clinic Director of the West Orange facility! Susan’s outstanding accomplishments alongside her expertise, empathy, leadership, and drive have led her to where she is today, and we are so excited for this next step in her career. Congratulations, Susan!

Dr. Eurica Pinthieve joined Forge in November 2022 as our Executive Clinical Director of the Paramus and Mahwah locations in New Jersey. Now, as the organization’s first ever training and development leader, she will be bringing her vision, expertise, and commitment to excellence to the professional development, growth and success of the collective Forge Health team. Eurica is committed to fostering a culture of innovation, inclusivity, and continuous learning. We are thrilled to have Eurica lead us into our next phase of learning and growth at Forge! Way to go, Eurica!

Cassy Hartless joined Forge in February 2021 as a clinical intern and has been shining ever since! Cassy joined the Greensburg team full time as a Clinician just after graduation and has since obtained her LPC, has become a Certified Art Therapist, and is now the newest Clinic Director of our Greensburg location. Cassy has played a key role in company wide initiatives like Stress-Less Month and is consistently representing Forge in the Greensburg community in a way that makes us so proud. We can’t wait to see all that you do next, Cassy!

Clauda Ragni and Elsa Pfeifer were in the #SpringSpirit last week and starting to do some spring cleaning in Hauppauge! From repainting to scrubbing walls and repairing furniture, these ladies can do it all.

The team in Devens had the opportunity to meet with the peer team of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. It was an amazing afternoon connection with a group who is dedicated to helping their peers and members of their community!

Cleo made her way to the Island, Long Island that is 😉 and visited our KPC teams at Hauppauge and Syosset. The teams were able to connect and share beyond the screen. She said, “And during my time at the locations I was reminded “we all have a story.” While that story may be unique for each of us, it is LIFE that brings us together.” 

Pictured (L-R): Alison LaMonica, Claudia Ragni, Dr. Cleo Lightfoot-Booker

Thank you all for attending our first-of-its-kind panel discussion this week on the State of Black Mental Health. The discussion and questions asked were insightful and educational and provided key takeaways we can all learn from in our different scopes of practice, no matter our role or background. Our very own Dr. Cleo Lightfoot-Booker organically moderated the panel and asked questions about the disparities the Black and African American communities face regarding accessing adequate mental healthcare, including a focus on societal and systemic factors.

In case you missed the panel, you can view the recording on YouTube below by clicking the link below!

A HUGE shout-out and thank you goes to our moderator, panelists, and facilitators behind the scenes for making this all happen! We look forward to putting together events of this nature for you all in the near future 😊.

Moderator:

• Dr. Cleo Lightfoot-Booker, Psy.D. (Chief Clinical Officer, Forge Health)

Internal Panelists:

• Kirt Lewis, PNP (Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner - Paramus/Mahwah)
• Nadine Nelson, CRNP, PMHNP-BC (Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner - Langhorne)

External Panelists:

• Jessica Vermont, LCSW
• Dr. Gregory Marcelle Jr., DHA, LSATP, CSAC

Behind the Scenes:

• Ashley Ganz (Director, Content Marketing)
• Rob D'Annibale (Corporate Strategy Associate)

Interested in learning more about Oncology Behavioral Health? Join us for our "bite-sized" monthly Lunch-and-Learn. This occurs on the 4th Monday of the month from 1:00 PM -1:30 PM and everyone (clinical or not) is welcome!

This is an educational meeting where we discuss topics that are relevant to the care of patients and families dealing with cancer. It's designed in a case-presentation format where a clinician presents a case, and we discuss a related clinical topic. We make these both fun and engaging for all! 

Our new LGBTQ+ Program is taking over the VFR Didactic session this month! As mentioned, we will have a special guest speaker from GOAL, the Gay Officers Action League. GOAL has been serving LGBTQIA+ Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice Professionals from all agencies, and the LGBTQIA+ community with pride since 1982. Check out their website above for more information on them.

This discussion will touch on topics such as the following but not limited to:

• Discuss common experiences and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals within the law enforcement community.
• The importance of providing safe environments for LGBTQ+ individuals in both law enforcement and healthcare settings.
• Addressing discrimination, harassment, and disparate treatment in the workplace
• Promoting diversity and inclusion
• Advocacy and community engagement, and
• Building bridges between communities.

Please feel free to submit any questions ahead of time you may have prior to the discussion using the link below:

If you are interested in being an active member or champion of the LGBTQ+ annual program focused on education and support for members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community, email Rob D’Annibale at [email protected] or Sheena Bice at [email protected].  

In case you missed our February Didactic with Moss Rehab, you can view the recording here or via the link on the home page of the intranet.

We have officially entered the final stage of our annual performance review season 🎉!! We appreciate everyone's time and thoroughness as we navigated this new review process together. The last and final step will be in the middle of March with compensation discussions, as shown on the schedule below, and will take effect on the 3/31 paycheck.

Keep an eye out for 2 things coming to your inbox soon for later this month:

1. Town Hall calendar invite
2. Employee Engagement Survey

We have lots of exciting things coming up to discuss in this upcoming Town Hall so as soon as we solidify the date and time later this month, we will send out the invite to everyone 😊.

The Employee Engagement Survey will also be launching around the middle to the end of the month. This is a confidential and anonymous, organization-wide survey in which you will be asked questions for feedback about various aspects of your employment and the organization in a safe and candid environment. We will provide more information to you and your managers in the next week or two so you have ample time to mentally prepare for this and ask questions, but please feel free to reach out to Rachel at [email protected] or Christina at [email protected] with any questions in the meantime.

Reminders...

We love sharing kudos across our teams and seeing all the greatness that's happening! Join me in celebrating this individual who went above and beyond and were called out in the best possible way by someone who spotted their hard work. Congratulations, Jenn! Keep up the amazing work 😊

Jennifer Tierney

Clinician, KPC/Syosset

"Jenn in a nutshell is amazing - in addition to her daily duties, running the front office, she is always there to lend a hand when someone needs help. She always has a smile on her face and always puts you in a good mood. It is such a pleasure to have her as a teammate!"

Welcome back to your newest recurring section – Monthly Tech Tips! 💻

Now that many of us are using Salesforce, we thought it would help to quickly review how to easily login without worrying about remembering your username or password! You can always login with your normal Salesforce credentials but this way may be easier for some.

Step 1: Navigate to Forge Salesforce Login Page

This can be accessed via our intranet page and clicking on the Salesforce CRM link

Step 2: Click on "Login with Azure SAML".

Step 3: Enter your Forge Health credentials (username and password) Or pick an account you’re logged into already to authenticate.

It may ask you to do an "MFA" check in with your Authenticator after your choose your account. After that you should see your homepage of Salesforce! Once logged in don’t forget to bookmark the tab for easy access (https://forgehealth.my.salesforce.com/).

We hope this tip proves helpful for those of you who will be regularly utilizing Salesforce and want an easier way to login in. If you have any questions, please reach out to the IT Team at [email protected].

Welcome to our Pop Culture Corner! This month we're mixing things up and inviting you to participate in our very own Oscars Voting Poll!! Who do YOU think should win the award on the big night?! I'll post the results next Friday morning going into Oscar weekend so we can compare notes on the big night 🤩 Happy voting!

Best Actor in Leading Role

Best Actress in Leading Role

Could be the fact that St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, but I just can't help myself feeling so lucky to call each and every one of you my teammate. Thank you for being YOU!!

In honor of National Optimism Month, I hope you all look at one positive each day brings you this month and focus on the good around you because you deserve to choose happiness 😊

See you all at the VFR/LGBTQ+ Didactic on the 13th!

Have a marvelous March,

Christina 💚