Dear ACLD Colleagues,
We ended January on high note with a re-accreditation visit from the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) who were impressed at our progress. You can read more about that visit in this newsletter.
On the ACLD campus, we have been eagerly watching the construction of the Oyster Bay Gardens building, an affordable housing project. With a total of 48 single bedroom units for people 62 and over, this building will provide an opportunity for seniors and adults with special needs to live independently in beautiful new apartments. If you know of someone who is interested in learning more about Oyster Bay Gardens, please visit:
www.jmdeinsidler.com
or call 631-961-1116 for more information.
Next month, ACLD Foundation will be hosting the annual Bowling for an Enviable Life event at Syosset Lanes. This one is always a favorite with staff, their families, people supported and our vendors engaging in an afternoon of bowling. For more information about the bowling event, please call Development at 516-822-0028, x178.
As you will see, this newsletter is full of wonderful happenings throughout ACLD’s sites. We encourage you to continue to send in your milestones, stories and accomplishments. There is always something newsworthy going on at ACLD!
Sincerely,
Bob, Rob and Kim
Robert C. Goldsmith
, Executive Director
Robert Ciatto
, Chief Operating Officer
Kim Leonard
, Chief Financial Officer
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ACLD has officially maintained its CQL accreditation.
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During the week of January 6
th
,
The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL)
visited ACLD once again to review our organizational progress on the monitoring of CQL’s Basic Assurances. As you know, CQL’s Basic Assurances are those fundamental non-negotiable requirements for all service providers.
Their four day visit to our agency focused on our systems and practices and their effectiveness. CQL staff visited 11 program sites, met with Basic Assurance Factor Workgroup leaders, conducted three Personal Outcome Measure Interviews, met with a Sibling/Family focus group, and conducted focus groups with our self-advocates and a variety of direct care staff across the agency.
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We are pleased to announce that ACLD has maintained its Quality Assurances Accreditation as we have successfully demonstrated our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement. Many thanks go out to all the staff across the agency who made this recent visit a success as well as for your tireless efforts each and every day.
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ACLD Shining Star, Christian Valenton, along with Scott Bradshaw pictured below
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Choices Bethpage DHS,
Christian Valenton
was assisting a Person Supported with his lunch when the man began choking on a piece of food. Valenton
asked nearby staff to call a code red; alerting the RN and then he proceeded to perform abdominal thrusts on the person supported, clearing the food.
The person supported was seen at a local hospital and was released the same day. Thank you
Valenton
for acting so quickly; we are lucky to have you on our team!
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ACLD's very own,
Rakesha Dandridge
, a Job Coach in Vocational Services, will be an award recipient at "The Chef's Awards" from
The National Black Chef's Association
this month.
Dandridge was recently contacted by Chef Bernard, the President of the NBCA, and learned that she had been nominated for the award and won. The awards ceremony that she will be attending is part of a weekend of festivities that will take place in Atlanta, GA from February 21st - 23rd.
Dandridge took up professional cooking while attending the Star Career Academy in Syosset. Along with being a member of Team ACLD, she also has a licensed catering business called Addition Kitchen. Congratulations Rakesha and we hope you have a great time at the awards weekend!
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Facilities Crew hard at work!
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Check out some of
the new spaces the
crew has created
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The ACLD Art Studio Program has now relocated to a room near the lobby entrance in the 837 building of our Bethpage campus. A doorway was created in the wall between two rooms to make a bigger space for the program to work.
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The Center for Learning and any staff that needs meeting space now has an additional training room to use in the 807 building. The wall between two small rooms was taken down to create this space.
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The staff in the 807 building now has a brand new kitchen to enjoy. The old kitchen was completely renovated with a new floor, cabinets and counter tops.
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Give it up for the Art Studio Staff!
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Frenal Mezilas
had an art show on January 24th at the
Haitian Embassy
in Washington DC for the celebration of Haiti's Independence Day. In addition, he is having a collective art show at the
Riverhead Library
for the entire month of February.
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Louis Francois
, also a Direct Support Professional in the Art Studio Program, is showcasing his artwork at the
Bellmore Library
for the whole month of February.
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Meet Your Accounts Payable Supervisor, Karen Davella
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the limelight
:
What was your background before you started at ACLD?
Karen Davella:
I began my career working in a publishing firm in NYC. After I had my first child, I relocated to Long Island and became an Assistant Controller at another agency similar to ours. It was my first not-for-profit experience. I have been with ACLD for 5 years now, time sure flies when you’re having fun!
tl:
How does your workday usually begin?
DV:
My workday begins with the best intentions of accomplishing the goals I set for myself on the drive into the office. When I arrive, I check emails and then check in with the A/R staff to see if my assistance is needed anywhere. After that anything goes…
tl
:
What are some of the biggest challenges you face on any given day?
DV:
Believe it or not there are plenty of fires that need putting out in the Accounts Receivable department. Maintaining resident benefits, ensuring we are adhering to billing and entitlement regulations as well as meeting deadlines are just a few of the challenges we face in order to collect revenue for the agency. My office is always active and many days I find I was not able to accomplish the goals I had set when I walked in that morning.
tl
:
Where does your job satisfaction come from?
DV:
My job satisfaction comes from knowing I have been an integral part in bringing in the funds that allow us to provide vital services to the people we support. I enjoy talking with them and appreciate the efforts of everyone who directly (and indirectly) provides those services to them.
tl
:
When it's time to relax after work, how do you wind down?
DV:
Winding down for me usually involves some sort of sporting activity. I am in a bowling league, play softball and until recently I coached and played soccer. I am also part of the Cohort Master’s Degree program that the agency, along with Stonybrook University, offers. It’s challenging but it’s been a great experience that I love sharing with 18 of our awesome co-workers (one of which is my daughter! Hi Dan!). When I am not participating in a sport or doing homework, I can be found cheering on my NY Islanders-LGI! (sorry Rob C.) and spending time with my family.
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Don't forget to
Wear RED
tomorrow in celebration of Valentine's Day and Heart
Disease Awareness Day
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NEXT MONTH!
Wear your favorite college gear for
March Madness
on March 12th!
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Support ACLD while shopping for Valentine's Day
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Shop for Valentine's Day or anytime on Amazon Smile and ACLD receives a portion of your purchase as a donation from Amazon.
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The Center for Learning and IT department are excited to announce the launch of
“single sign-on authorization” for Litmos.
This means that if you are logged into the ACLD network, you are automatically logged into litmos. No need to sign into litmos separately.
While logged into the ACLD network, there are three places you can go to access Litmos. They are:
- The ACLD website under Business Links (click the Litmos link)
- The Litmos link on the CFL’s homepage of ACLD Today
- Microsoft Teams under ACLD Today / General / Links (click the Litmos link)
For logging into Litmos outside of the network:
Go to ACLD’s website under Business Links, click the Litmos link and you’ll log in with your network credentials.
If you experience any challenges with Litmos' “single sign on authorization” send an email to
ITTickets@acld.org
.
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New 10 Day Orientation Process
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The Center for Learning has changed the structure of it's annual training calendar for 2020 to make sure that all newly-hired Adult Services staff get trained in SCIP, AMAP and CPR-First Aid training within their first 10-days on the job. The CFL staff will also help them finish their online Litmos courses. In order to accomplish this, CFL is now offering all of these classes
once every 10 days
and they will be opened up for other staff registration
AFTER
all the new hires have been enrolled.
Below is the CFL Training calendar for February. Any class with a
(# -)
in front of the name is open for new hires first, and other staff may have to wait before registering. Any class without a
(# -)
should have open registration (evening, weekend, some daytime classes).
Contact the Center for Learning with any questions.
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Don't forget to give a SHOUT OUT to recognize someone at your location for something special they did for you, your department or a person we support.
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Policy updates in the employee handbook
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The "Personnel Development and Training” and “Anti-nepotism / Romantic
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The deadline for your tuition reimbursement forms for the Spring 2020 Semester is March, so please submit your forms and bursar receipts! You only have a few more days to get us your grades for the FALL SEMESTER if you were approved in
October
, so send those into HR
this week
to
Benefits@acld.org
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WELCOME ACLD NEW HIRES FOR JANUARY 2020
- Irene N. Shenouda - Senior Accountant - Bethpage 807
- Messiah J. Ames - Direct Support Professional - Northport
- Antwade D. Bender - Direct Support Professional - Rainbow 918
- WIlliam P. Blake - Registered Nurse - Bethpage 857
- Taejon G. Bondfield - Direct Support Professional - Bethpage 857
- Jonathan B. Bonilla - Maintenance Worker - Bethpage 857
- Jessica Buckley - Special Educator - Kramer Learning Center
- Renison Clarke-Britton - Direct Support Professional - Magnolia Manor
- Marsha Desrosiers - Registered Nurse - Bethpage 857
- Mary Diccianni - Registered Nurse - Bethpage 857
- Ehiozumamwen Edobor - Direct Support Professional - East Meadow
- Venercie Fontilus - Direct Support Professional - Bethpage 857
- Paul D. Giordano - Benefits/Compensation and HRIS Manager - Bethpage 807
- Catherine L. Gipson - Registered Nurse - Bethpage 857
- Sergio JC. Gonzalez - Direct Support Professional - Sejon
- Howard D. Harrison - Direct Support Professional - Ronkonkoma
- Isselande F. Lamarre - Direct Support Professional - Rainbow 918
- Avasha B. Lanham - Clerk - Bethpage 807
- Nicole T. Mecca - Job Coach - Bethpage 857
- Edward A. Otoo-Mensah - Day Habilitation Specialist - Hauppauge
- Shaquita I. Passmore - Direct Support Professional - Magnolia Manor
- Rose Prezeau - Day Habilitation Specialist - Bethpage 837
- Nicole A. Ross - Direct Support Professional - Bohemia
- Sarah M. Olenik - Respite Counselor - Bethpage 807
- Alex P. Kavanagh - Direct Support Professional - Bethpage 857
- Marie P. Mars - Day Habilitation Specialist - Bethpage 837
- Maureen Paul - Registered Nurse - Yorktown
- Tequila T. Robinson - Registered Nurse - Yorktown
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Congratulations on your new baby:
Day Hab Specialist, Yolette Orestte, in ACLD's Golden Opportunities program had a baby girl named name is Ivy Isabella William on 12-16-19.
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"
the limelight
"
is an initiative of the
Communications Committee
and is produced by the
Development and Community Relations Department.
Thank you to all who have submitted information
and photos. Keep them coming!
We welcome your comments and suggestions.
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