Cheryl Quarantello, RHIA, CHPS, CSS has been appointed director of Health Information Management at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

A graduate of Niagara County Community College and Daemen College, where she was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Record Administration, Quarantello most recently served as a coding specialist in the Health Information Management Department at Kaleida Health where she specialized in diagnostic and interventional cardiovascular outpatient coding.

Quarantello is an adjunct instructor of health information technology at Trocaire College and a member of the American Health Information Management Association.  She holds credentials as a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) and Certified Coding Specialist (CSS) and is Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security (CHPS).

For more than 25 years, Aspire has operated a clinical facility, at 7 Community Drive in Cheektowaga, dedicated to providing premier care for the special needs community from Erie and Niagara Counties. In 2015, plans that were years in the making culminated in several significant changes and also recognition for the quality of care being provided. The Health Center expanded the Primary Care Team with the additions of Dr. Elizabeth O’Neill and Dr. Anees Ahmad. With the additional staff, the Health Center now provides clinical services to the Western New York community-at-large in addition to those with special needs. The new clinical focus allows any patient, age 18 and older to visit the Health Center for a full-range of medical services, including Primary Care, Behavioral and Mental Health, Rehabilitation Therapies (PT, OT, and Speech), Podiatry, and Nutrition.

To support the clinical expansion, an extensive renovation and upgrade project was recently completed, making the Aspire Health Center bigger and brighter than ever. Newly designed spaces are bathed in soft colors and strike the necessary balance of comfort and privacy, and even features Wi-Fi connectivity. One familiar face at the Health Center, Paris Adams, has been a patient for the past 16 years and is thrilled with the changes. “Years ago, when I first enrolled at the Health Center, it was a very small space,” Paris explains. “Now, they have a big waiting room, and everything is very nice. I enjoy seeing Miss Hollie (Hollie Bojarski, ANP-C), she is very knowledgeable and takes good care of me.”

Paris works as an Office Assistant in a law office in downtown Buffalo and appreciates how quickly he gets in to see the staff at the Health Center. “I give the clinic an A+ for waiting time,” he says. “I never wait too long and once I get checked, I can go right back to work!”

In addition to expanding the clinical focus, the Aspire Health Center was recognized recently by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). To earn PCMH recognition, the Aspire Health Center was measured against a stringent set of national standards and demonstrated that they are using evidence-based, patient-centered processes focusing on coordinated care and collaborative patient relationships. PCMH Medical Homes are recognized as the “gold standard” in the quality of care and patient experiences of care.

“NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology and coordinated care focused on patients,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “This recognition shows that Aspire Health Center has the tools, systems, and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time.”

The PCMH recognition is good for the next three years after which the Health Center will reapply under the latest quality standards at the time of their application.

“We can offer the community a staff of experienced providers who engage and support patients throughout the continuum of care,” explained Honor Martin, Aspire VP of Clinical Services. “Our Health Center tagline is Engage, Nurture, Thrive. It is more than a group of words to us; it is our mandate for the care we provide for every patient we serve.”

To schedule an appointment or to learn more about Aspire Health Center offerings, including nutrition plans to help you with your weight and healthy eating goals, call today at 716-505-5630. Some same day and urgent care appointments are available.

Brickyard Pub & BBQ, 432 Center Street in Lewiston, is hosting Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara’s Annual Celebrity Bartending Night on Thursday, August 18th from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The event will benefit the more than 600 individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities the Agency serves.

This year’s event sponsors include: Mr. & Mrs. C. Anthony Frieri, Tedesco Construction Services, Inc., Capital Management Group, DuBois Physical Therapy, Advanced Design Group, National Maintenance Contracting Corp., Town of Niagara Professional Business Association (TNBPA), Strenkoski Brothers Construction.

On hand to serve up beverages as celebrity bartenders are former Buffalo Sabre, Andrew Peters; Kevin LoVullo, WGRZ-TV Channel 2’s Spiel the Wine; First Niagara Bank’s Annette Tomlin; Jeff Tedesco from Tedesco Construction Services, Inc.; Jason Cafarella from the Niagara Falls Fire Department; David Karwick from Key Investment Services; Marc Mazur from DuBois Physical Therapy, and Sam Lehr from National Maintenance Contracting Corp.

Entertainment will be provided by The Joe Webber Duo.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling Cindy Hyde at 297-6400, Ext. 335, online at www.oppunlimited.org, or at the door the day of the event. Price includes admission, entertainment and buffet. There will also be a basket auction and other special drawings attendees can participate in during the evening.

Photo caption: Program Participant Angela Castillo and Adam Benigni from WGRZ-TV Channel 2 enjoying the festivities at last year’s event.

Anyone who watches the HGTV channel has undoubtedly seen an episode or a commercial for “Tiny House Builders”.

The trend is becoming so popular that Orleans Career and Technical Education Center Building Trades teacher Matt Anastasi has been having his students work on constructing one in class.  “We built one last year and put it out to bid and we had someone call us and ask that if he provided the material, would the class build him one to his specifications.    It was a unique situation for us because he brought in the material and the trailer he wanted it built on.”

Tiny homes are generally under 1,000 square feet and stem from an architectural and social movement for people desiring to live more simple lives and leave less of a carbon footprint.  Mr. Anastasi and his students made modifications to the original blueprint to accommodate the customer’s requirements for custom windows, cedar shake shingles, metal roofing and a tankless hot water heater.  The students even made a customized shower using a galvanized washing machine pan that they had to retrofit for a center drain and a set of stairs so that he could access his electric service panel and storage.

Bill Leggett’s Electricity/Electronics students at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES’ center helped with the electrical wiring of the house and his class would coordinate with the Building Trades class, so they could work on different parts of the house at the same time.  “The project was a great way for my students to grasp many different aspects of building a house, but on a much smaller scale,” says Mr. Anastasi.  “It also helped with their ability to customize projects to meet the customers’ needs and it was great that the students got to interact with the customer to discuss the design and the building of the project.”

Mr. Anastasi said his students became big fans of the show and would come in and talk about the episode they watched and suggest some of the things they saw on the show.  “They were very excited about working on the tiny house and very proud of what they accomplished.  The customer loved it and could not thank us enough.  He is so excited to live and travel in it.”

(LtoR) Luke Sharpe (Newfane/Building Trades), Dan Wheeler (Royalton Hartland/Electricity), Tyler Burdick (Royalton Hartland/Building Trades, Matt Pisarski (Royalton Hartland/Building Trades), Becca  Fry (Royalton Hartland/Building Trades), Adam Mikoll (Royalton Hartland/Building Trades), Tyler Sattleburg (Royalton Hartland/Electricity), Quinn Moreland (Royalton Hartland/Electricity), Darius Ruiz- (Lockport/Building Trades),  Dylan Burtch (Lockport/Building Trades),  Jesse Wilcox (Royalton Hartland/Building Trades), Russell Larsen II (Barker/Building Trades), Not Pictured -Chelsea Cloutier (Newfane/Electricity).

George Augstell’s dream has come true! George, left, a former Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center volunteer who has Down syndrome, is now the proud owner/operator of Uncle Bill’s Coffee Shop at the Golisano Center for Community Health. The business is named in memory of George’s uncle, popular Niagara Falls Police Officer Bill Gee, who died in 2013.  John Gordon, right, of Niagara Falls was one of George’s first customers.

The Golisano Center for Community Health, which opened in May, is located on Memorial Medical Center’s downtown campus. It provides comprehensive integrated health care services to adults with special needs and their families and houses a range of services and programs for the community.

The Healthy Food Healthy People Work Group of the Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative is excited to present the Pop-Up Park NF! series of events. These free community events will take place monthly throughout the summer (Rain or Shine) centered around different themes. Saturday, June 18^th from 10 am to 3 pm, the focus will be on play by building our own playground using the natural environment at the corner of Grove and Highland Avenue. The second event, in coordination with the Niagara Falls Gospel Festival, will feature instrument-making and musical exploration at The Niagara Falls Arts & Cultural Center on Saturday, July 16^th from 12-4pm. Art will be the August theme, on Saturday, August 13^th from 2pm to 6 pm, as we gather at Liberty Park on Forest Avenue to make and display our own artistic works. There will also be a final celebratory dinner event in September for those who attend our Pop-Up Park NF! events throughout the summer (by invitation).

The Pop-Up Park NF! series are hands-on educational events where youth are encouraged to use creativity and imagination to build, create, and play. Kids of all ages can join in the fun and learn how to bring their ideas to life! While the kids play, there will be plenty of activities for parents and other interested adults. We are hoping to engage neighbors in coming up with ways that we, as a community, can improve our quality of life. Events will also include a FREE LUNCH for all who attend!

“This style of event is intended to engage all voices in the community, at every age,” said Lisa Tucker, Co-Chair of the Healthy Foods Healthy People Work Group. “We want to learn from residents and hear how they want to improve their community and make it a better place to live. We hope to act on those ideas in the future.”

About Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative

Creating a Healthier Niagara Falls, is a community-driven initiative that serves as a way to fully engage residents in identifying innovative approaches to creating a healthier Niagara Falls around several focus areas including healthy behaviors, home ownership, job preparation, local hiring, access to healthy and affordable food, parks for play and transportation.

These events are sponsored by the Healthy Food Healthy People Work Group of the Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative. This Work Group, which formed in 2013 and officially launched in 2015, is addressing access to healthy and affordable foods in the City of Niagara Falls. Support for this work is provided by the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth).