Joseph Gambino is the Chief Executive Officer at Hometown Health Centers (HHC), the largest federally qualified community health center in Schenectady, NY. Hometown is nationally rec-ognized for its top-quality care and services by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Mr. Gambino served in leadership at HHC for more than 10 years and is credited with guiding the safety-net out of financial crisis and into profitability. Mr. Gambino came to HHC from Fidelis Care, the larges government-sponsored health insurance provider in New York state, where he had statewide responsibility for all public relations efforts and marketing strategies. As is a graduate of the College of St. Rose, a private college in Albany, NY where, Mr. Gambino earned a bachelor’s degree in communications; and in 2018, received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Mr. Gambino serves as Board Chair of the Alliance for Better Health and on a number of other governing boards in the Capital Region, including Health Efficient, Visiting Nurses of Schenectady, and the Healthy Capital District Initiative.

Katherine G. Alonge-Coons LCSWR (Kathy Coons) serves as the Commissioner of Mental Health in Rensselaer County, Troy, New York. She was appointed to serve as the Commissioner in January 2013 after working in the Rensselaer County Department of Mental Health since 1987. In her capacity as the Director of Children’s Services, Kathy took on the role of Director of Program Operations for the county operated Mental Health services. During her years of employment with the Department, Kathy has participated in developing many new initiatives to serve children, youth and adults. Recently, she has provided leadership in developing cross-system planning and training between the county departments serving children, youth and families. Through her membership in the NYS Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors she serves as the chairperson of the Child and Family Subcommittee, Second Vice Chair and Co-Chair of the Capital Region, Regional Planning Consortium. She also represents the Conference on the NYS Children’s Medicaid Redesign Team. Kathy is actively involved in the Alliance for Better Health Care Performing Provider System, of the NYS DSRIP initiative, serving on the Board of Managers, Clinical Integration Committee, leader in the project to improve MEB infrastructure, chair of the Audit Committee and a variety of other work groups and committees. She also serves on the HIXNY Regional Health Information Organization) Board of Directors, and the NYS SUCCESS Advisory Committee. Kathy graduated from SUNY Albany School of Social Welfare in December 1984 earning a Masters of Social Work, and Siena College in August 1980 with a Bachelors of Sociology. In addition, she is a graduate of St Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry having earned a Masters of Divinity in June 2006. Kathy married Earl Coons in 1982 and the couple has two adult daughters, Melissa and Grace. She and Earl have resided in North Troy (Lansingburgh) for 34 years; she has lived in Rensselaer County for her lifetime and is a graduate of Columbia High School class of 1977. Kathy enjoys reading, needlework, travel and workouts at Curves.

Dr. Louis Snitkoff, a native of Brooklyn, is a graduate of Union College in Schenectady, NY and the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Albany Medical Center, where he also served as Chief Medical Resident. After residency, Dr. Snitkoff entered the private practice of Internal Medicine in Schenectady in 1980. In 1998, he was a founding member of CapitalCare Medical Group, which recently merged with Community Care Physicians to form the largest independent physician group in New York’s Capital Region. Dr. Snitkoff serves as its Chief Medical Officer. He is a member and past Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hixny, the Regional Health Information Organization for Northeastern New York, and a member of the Healthcare MBA Advisory Council of Clarkson University’s Capital Region Campus. Dr. Snitkoff also served as Internal Medicine Coordinator for the St. Claire’s Family Medicine Residency program in Schenectady, NY, from 1983-2006. Dr. Snitkoff is Governor of the New York Chapter, Hudson Valley Region of the American College of Physicians (ACP). He is a member and past Chair of the NYACP Health and Public Policy Committee and is a Laureate of the Chapter. In 2013 he received ACP’s Eichold Aware for excellence in diabetes, and he is a member of the College’s Task Force for Physician Wellbeing and Professional Satisfaction, as well as the Medical Practice and Quality Committee. He was elected as a Fellow of the College in 1993. Dr. Snitkoff resides in Albany, NY with his wife and two standard poodles.

Dr. Antonio Reyes is a certified Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine and a certified Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He attained his education entirely in the Philippines, first at De La Salle University in Manila for his B.S. in Biology, and later, his Doctor of Medicine at the University of the East. He went on to complete Residencies at both the Philippine General Hospital in Manila and St. Clare’s Hospital in Schenectady, New York. He currently serves as Chairman of Ellis Medicine’s Family Medicine Department, and is a sitting board member for both Alliance for Better Health and the Innovative Health Alliance of New York. Additionally, Dr. Reyes works at the Five Corners Family Practice in Schenectady as a partner and practicing physician.

Jamie Brock is the Director of Clinical Education & Staff Development at Community Care Physicians, the largest, independent multispecialty medical group in the Capital Region of NY. In this role, she provides the group a comprehensive and effective training curriculum, as well as leadership, guidance, consultation and education to all members of the clinical care team pertaining to current evidence based research related to patient care. She works closely with the Chief Clinical Officer to create operational efficiencies that align with the goals and vision of value based care. Mrs. Brock, feels strongly about collaboration and provides opportunities for this in both the Nursing Leadership Council and Clinical Preceptor Forum. Jamie graduated from Syracuse University with her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing in 1998. She began her nursing career in the United States Air Force, where she served as a Captain in the 6th Medical Operations Group. Since 2002, Jamie has been an Ambulatory Care Nurse. She has been inspired by the care that this team can provide to the community in partnership with the practitioners of the Capital Region. Her love of nursing, education and the community inspires her work in Community Care and at Mildred Elley as an Adjunct Faculty Member. These inspirations also make her proud to serve the Alliance for Better Health PPS in their effort to improve care. Mrs. Brock is a member of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nurses. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and extended family.

Dr. Piacentine joined Cardiology Associates of Schenectady in July 2011. He earned his BS degree in Chemistry, Mathematics from Georgetown University where he lettered in varsity base-ball. Upon graduation from Georgetown, Dr. Piacentine spent two years as a research chemist at Pfizer. He earned his MD from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey — New Jersey Medical School, where he was elected to the National Medical Honor Society, Alpha Omega Alpha. Dr. Piacentine served both his internship and residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. Following residency, he served as an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and attending physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the Department of Internal Medicine. Subsequently he completed his fellowship in cardiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Echocardiography, Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disease. His professional interests include clinical cardiology, heart failure and echocardiography. Personal interests include baseball, football and travel. He resides in southern Saratoga County with his wife and three children.

Dr. Reider is a family physician who wants the world to be more healthy. He has worked for decades to improve the health of our communities through the innovative use of technology, and the promotion of benevolence in business. He is currently CEO of Alliance For Better Health, a New York DSRIP care transformation initiative, Chief Health Officer of Health Coda, and co-founder of RS Partners, a health IT consulting and investing firm. He previously served as the Deputy National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the US Department of Health and Human Services. In his three years at HHS, he was responsible for the policies and programs designed to improve health through the development and implementation of safer, more resilient, reliable, usable, helpful and interoperable information technology. He has more than 20 years of experience in health information technology with a special interest in user experience, clinical decision support and information portability. He served as the CMIO of Allscripts, one of the nation’s largest health IT developers, and was Associate Dean for Biomedical Informatics at Albany Medical College where he continues to teach on an adjunct basis. He co-founded four successful health IT start-up companies, and has held Directorships on boards of both non-profits and private companies. He has also held leadership roles in the American Medical Informatics Association and the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. His interests include organizational leadership and culture, shared clinical decision-making and evidence-based management of common outpatient conditions.

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Bio coming soon!

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About 10 years ago a friend came to me and said, “I think you would be a perfect fit for a job opening I have…I need a Project Manager to help stand up the Project Management Office for a health care company who is sure to have long-term influences on how the Health Care industry will evolve…and she wasn’t kidding!” Fast forward 10 years, and, lucky me, I am now managing an extremely talented group of Project Managers and am working alongside them to structure a more formal Project Management Office with the goal of supporting many of the innovative project’s Alliance is working on. I feel so at home to be in an environment of transformational innovation that is disrupting the U.S. Healthcare system. To be working for a company who is committing to innovating around the idea of managing social determinants of health is really important to me. I believe the work we are doing at Alliance will be the game changer in this arena. I regularly volunteer for The Make-A-Wish Foundation of NENY and I’m part of the Be My Eyes Community. I live on beautiful Saratoga Lake and enjoy many beautiful sunsets and moonlit nights. Life is good!

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I am here because I truly feel that healthcare equity is essential to the sustainability and prosperity of our communities. In my role, I work with our Performing Provider System (PPS) partners, leaders, and community members while coordinating with other central service functional areas, all to help organize programs and ensure key milestones are met and deliverables are produced within set timelines. Prior to joining Alliance, I served as a Project Manager for a software development company, delivering eLearning and simulation training for health care professionals including technicians, nurses, physicians and medical device manufacturing professionals. I was fortunate to not only had the opportunity to develop my skills in project management practices, but to gain extensive knowledge of the health care industry as well. I enjoy serving my local and national communities as a volunteer for the American Red Cross and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I currently live in Schenectady with my loving wife and handsome 9-year-old golden retriever pup.

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I am here because I believe that treatment of the whole person rather than symptoms is key in the future of healthcare and that the work Alliance is performing will assist in transforming the “system”. In my role I am responsible for the efficient operation of Alliance’s administrative and operational infrastructure. As the lead resource to senior management I ensure the timely follow up and execution of all commitments made to staff and/or partners. I have a B.S. in Marketing/Management from Siena College. I am pleased to have come back to healthcare after time away from the field. I previously worked at Albany Medical College in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. I am a member of the Columbia Greene Humane society and volunteer time/efforts to many different groups in the area. I live in East Greenbush with my husband, our rescue fuzzy babies Lucy the Foxhound and 2 cats Stella and Jewels

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I am here to be part of a powerful team of creative minds that work together to improve the quality of care delivered to Medicaid and uninsured individuals in our community. In my role as HR Coordinator, I handle all administrative duties for the Human Resources department and Finance. I support a broad range of activities including benefit administration, 401K, Payroll, time and attendance, recruiting, HR policies, on/off boarding and act as an employee liaison to management. Prior to joining Alliance, I served as Office Manager and Payroll for Innovative Health Alliance of New York, LLC. My background consists of a variety of roles including Business Development, Office Management, Administrative and customer service. When I’m not working I love spending time with my family and friends. My favorite place to be in the summer months is at my camp located in the beautiful Adirondacks.

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I am with Alliance for Better Health because the power of empathy is invaluable in understanding patients lives. Vulnerable populations deserve their voice to be heard and I am proud to advocate for them. I am also privileged to work within various agencies to teach them systemic ways of improving the outcome for patients. It is truly gratifying to make a difference in someone’s life both directly and indirectly. My previous experience in my education and work has brought me to this point allowing me to bring a unique perspective to advocate for patient’s voices. My journey toward innovation and transformation began when I received my GED, graduated community college, then double majored in Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at SUNY Albany. Being so close to our population throughout my life, my career has evolved from starting at an agency called Springbrook working specifically with children diagnosed with Autism and most recently worked as an advocate at the Equinox Domestic Violence Shelter. I have also volunteered for Planned Parenthood Sexual Assault Support Line where I would provide rape crisis intervention at various hospitals in the Capital Region. Moving from Oneonta, NY to the Capital Region was the best decision I’ve made and am proud to serve our community both at the patient level and with providers that give access to resources for patient’s. My passion for serving the underserved has flourished with Alliance for Better Health.

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I am here because I believe that through inspiration, collaboration, and action (backed by data) we can empower people to make significant and revolutionary change. In my role at Alliance, I translate ideas and work into actionable project plans, bring together groups of super smart people who can collaborate and make decisions, and set timelines in order to achieve our goals. Prior to joining Alliance, I worked at St. Mary’s Healthcare as an Emergency Department Navigator where I encouraged and educated patients how to self-manage their personal health and connected patients to outpatient services and primary care. Additionally, I’ve worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a Community Recovery Specialist within their Disaster Case Management Program. In this role, I helped with strategic planning, development and execution of the program through collaboration with our national partners Catholic Charities USA and The Commissioned Corps Public Health Service officers. The program served 13 of the hardest hit counties in upstate NY when Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee hit New York State. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology minoring in Anthropology & Classics from Union College. I enjoy reading, listening to podcasts, working out, Transcendental Meditation, coming up with crazy business ideas with my husband Mike, and spending time with our two children, Eva and Mikey Jr., and 150 lb. fur baby great dane Frankie.

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Jason is at Alliance to tell the story of our organization, our partners, and ultimately our Medicaid members. His background is in Information Technology, but has always had a desire to work in communications (and honed my skills while still in IT by being the person who could disseminate technical information to non-technical people), and luckily he had the opportunity at Alliance to become part of the Communications Team.

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I am here because I believe Alliance for Better Health is helping to improve community health by innovating toward faster and more collaborative technologies. In my role, I focus on network and systems infrastructure design, hands-on implementation, and technical support. Prior to joining Alliance for Better Health in 2017, I worked in an IT firm with many small/medium/large organization clients, giving me a solid foundation in systems and network administration. Additionally, I earned a bachelor of science in information technology in 2015 and since then I have continued to study, gaining advanced IT knowledge through certification courses or programs such as Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE), CompTIA, Oracle, VMware, and CISSP. I enjoy reading books, playing winter and summer sports, and listening to music.

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As a nurse, Colleen’s main purpose will always be to make sure that patients get the best care possible, at the least cost, and the most efficient effort from each caregiver and service provider. Her role as Chief Health Information Officer at Alliance allows Colleen to use her combination of clinical and IT experience to achieve this goal within the public health sector. Her past experience includes over 20 years in healthcare as a nurse, including cardiac critical care, electrophysiology, information systems/technology and business systems of hospitals. She has initiated and led hospitals to implement and make efficient use of electronic health records (EHR’s) as well as meet Meaningful Use. She is a member of the Health Information Management & Systems Society (HIMSS),where she helped to guide the national direction of Nursing/Clinical Informatics. She continues this effort as a member of the College for Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). As a Board member representative at HIXNY, she brings the voice of DSRIP and population health to the table. She is the daughter of a single mom, who used government systems when they were needed. Colleen is also a wife to a native Albanian, Barry Koblenz. You may have had your ears pierced by her father-in-law, Chic Koblenz, at Orange Blossom Jewelers, back in the day. Colleen is also a Mom to 2 adopted, and spoiled, dogs.

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I believe that everyone has an inherent right to have basic needs met – food, shelter and access to health care. Coordinated care requires us to think about the whole person and not just their immediate clinical needs. I was drawn to The Alliance for Better Health for their ‘outside the box’ thinking and ‘boots on the ground’ service delivery to improve people’s overall health here in our community. In my role, I work collaboratively with our partners to leverage technology and data that informs organizational process change for improved outcomes for our citizens. Using a data driven approach, we can define key performance indicators, track progress and quantify improvement. Prior to joining Alliance, I worked as a consultant with numerous New York State agencies in their move to managed care initiatives. As a business analyst, I assisted program teams develop the technologies that support care coordination for the long-term care, health home, and developmentally disabled populations. Outside my role as a business analyst, I am a yoga instructor that provides a safe space for students to use postures and breathwork to alleviate stress and increase overall health. Many of my students have practiced together for over thirteen years and overcome anxiety, autoimmune and chronic pain conditions. Additionally, I donate and volunteer with local domestic violence shelters. I am blessed to share my life with a wonderfully supportive husband, two beautiful teenage sons, three accomplished young adult stepchildren, my role model mother, and a fiercely strong grandmother. Namaste.

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Sharada believes in application of big data analytics in healthcare to predict, provide better insights, and make data driven decisions to improve patients’ treatment. She is responsible for designing and implementing data warehouse, and ETLs to process high volume data from multiple data sources. She develops descriptive and predictive models and risk stratification models to identify patients for care coordination and to measure and track population health needed for value-based care using a variety of data sets. Sharada is an accomplished practitioner and researcher with more than 20 years of experience in information technology. Her area of interests and expertise include data analytics, data architecture, business analysis, development of complex IT systems, and qualitative and quantitative research methods. Prior to joining Alliance, as the President of Prospect Solutions, LLC, she was involved with a variety of projects covering multiple disciplines, including designing and developing a complex data-to-decision (D2D) framework involving remote sensing and spatial information technologies along with big data analytics to assist infrastructure owners in making informed asset management decisions. She was also a lecturer in University at Albany for seven years where she taught finance and computer science courses. Sharada has a Ph.D. in Public Administration and MS in computer science from University at Albany, Albany, NY; MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY; and BS in industrial and Production Engineering from BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore, India.

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John has served as a board member and CIO of Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls, New York, and as an independent management consultant with international leaders in the media industry such as Comcast, Tivo and Gracenote (Nielsen Company), staid media giants such as TV Guide. His work has always focused on evaluation and the creative use of of technology and data-related collection to organization and optimization of shared outcomes. Before John’s health care role, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of Tribune Media Services (a Tribune Company, now Gracenote), where he presided over years of growth though creation and launch of go-to-market strategies involving several new products and services deployed world-wide. John has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.A in Computer Science from Ithaca College. In his Alliance role as Chief Strategy Officer, John and his team is work to transform communities toward the new realities of value-based payment models toward a shared goal of better health for our communities, better care experiences for patients and providers, and lower total cost of care. John often jokes that in the first stage of his career he worked hard to cause people to watch inordinate amounts of TV. Now, in his health care role at Alliance, he is working to help get folks off the couch and living healthier lives! John enjoys problem solving and building businesses. In his spare time, he enjoys watching his kids compete in college athletics. He also enjoys skiing, biking, golfing and reading.

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Sarah joined Alliance because she believes real change, the kind that cultivates a brighter future by challenging the status quo, begins at the community level. In her role, she manages the business development and strategic marketing efforts for Alliance’s long-term sustainability plan and future business model. Designated to help inform the strategic direction and evolution of Alliance’s organizational voice, her work largely centers around advancing community relations efforts. A firm believer that the greatest asset of any organization is empowering people to do their best work, Sarah assists in fostering a workplace culture of autonomy, productivity, and respect. Prior to joining Alliance, Sarah worked as the Manager of Analytics for Albany Medical Center’s Performing Provider System, Better Health for Northeast New York, while also completing the Master’s Program in Health Care Data Analytics at Clarkson University. All of this because she is confident that data can and should be a catalyst for effective change, especially in health care. Sarah lives in Albany with her family and their Husky, Rue.

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Manasi is responsible for creating portfolio of products and solutions that enables social health care organization to apply their services to the target population more efficiently and effectively. Her work involves understanding the community needs, assessing the effectiveness of existing solutions and impacting consumer experience through continuous improvement of products and solutions. Prior to joining Alliance, Manasi worked at General Electric for over 18 years where she held many leadership roles in product management, software solutions and customer experience. Manasi is also a certified NY State EMT and she volunteers weekly at her local EMS outside of her work. She also serves as the President of the Board of Directors of a local non-profit organization called Utsav. Manasi is a passionate advocate for consumers and believes technology will play a huge role in transforming how health care is delivered today and how it will change the outcomes of tomorrow.

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I am here because I love change and the DSRIP Program is changing health care in unprecedented ways. In my role, I drive performance improvement leveraging the clinical expertise of our partner network and robust data analytics platform. I lead a team of Account Managers that deploy to Alliance partners equipped with tools and expertise to guide through this changing climate. The lynchpin to our success is developing relationships with our network of providers, our goal is to remove complexities, understand barriers and seek opportunities. Our providers are at the front lines of the change and their satisfaction is critical to the quality of care that is being delivered. Prior to joining Alliance, I was a DSRIP Program Manager for Public Consulting Group providing administrative oversight of the Program for New York State. I have experience consulting with large Health Systems and Community Based Organizations and in 2016, I was granted a Federal Utility Patent for a data capture technology. I am a volunteer for Brandon’s House, an international prisoner rights foundation. My favorite activity is hanging out by the campfire on Friday nights with my family.

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I am here because I see DSRIP as a great, possibly once in a lifetime, opportunity to make a difference for the Medicaid population by removing barriers to health equity using federal and state funds. In my role, success means facilitating the provision of technology solutions, funding or guidance to Alliance partners to assist with collaboration and innovation. Sometimes, just bringing the right people together in a room (often traditional healthcare providers and community based organizations) can result in discussion and workflow redesign that fosters meaningful change in the community. Prior to joining Alliance in January 2016, I was introduced to Medicaid Redesign and DSRIP from the perspective of a Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO). Most recently, I was the Medicaid Operations Director at MVP Health Care. I have more than 25 years of experience in various roles with MCOs which has provided me with the expertise to contribute to the Alliance goal of preparing for success in a value based payment environment. I enjoy spending time with my family including my husband and adult children who both live in New England (but are still Yankee fans!) and outdoor activities including running, kayaking, hiking and walking the dog!

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I am here because I knew, from the first minute I heard about NYS’ Medicaid Redesign, and DSRIP in particular, that it was a real opportunity to make things better for people, to enable people to realize a new level of health and wellness if we did it right. I’ve been with Alliance since inception, having worked on the initial application to form a PPS and participate in DSRIP. Prior to Alliance, I worked for St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation, and for St. Peter’s Health Partners in Business Development. I also enjoyed many years working at Verizon, where I retired as Verizon’s Vice President for Regulatory and Government Affairs for New York and Connecticut. My work at Alliance, be it in helping to build the governance and business infrastructure, developing methodologies for the optimum distribution of funding, or ensuring that Alliance operates in the most ethical manner possible, all builds upon my previous experiences in ways that I find deeply satisfying. I am a big believer in innovative and constructive problem-solving and have volunteered for many years as a community mediator, certified by the Unified Court System of New York. Although I’ve lived in a number of different places, I’m very happy to be back in my hometown, close to a large extended family and life-long friends. I love to coach youth basketball for my 14 year-old son, as well as get together with my grown twins and grandson at every opportunity.

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I am here because I believe that it is important to serve those in need. Community Based Organizations are the front-line to serving the impoverished, those with basic need emergencies. Every role that I have held in my career has been through a Community Based Organization, and now I am able to provide them with support to continue to break silos, demonstrate value, and align their services with the medical community. As a former Community Health Worker, and Transition Coordinator, I saw firsthand the needs not only of the community, but also the needs of the workforce. The importance of knowing the population served, the resources available in the community, and the ability to engage community members are critical skills needed to truly serve your community. I have held various workforce development positions for the community health workforce, and currently teach at both Hudson Valley and Schenectady County Community College. I hold a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and pursing a Master’s in Human Resource Management at the University of Connecticut. My interest in social determinants of health elevated when I became a mother. I was fortunate enough to know how to navigate resources available to our family but seeing other families struggle hurt. I have led family skill building groups and facilitated a women’s bible study called Propel Women. My husband and I have four beautiful children and we ensure that they understand the importance of giving back by volunteering at the South End Children’s Café in Albany, NY.

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I joined Alliance for Better Health because I know social and economic opportunity are the cornerstones to good health. My position as a Data Analyst here at Alliance allows me to pursue my passion of empowering communities to leverage data to improve health outcomes. I hold a Master of Public Health with a concentration in epidemiology. My vast experiences in direct service work led me down the path to becoming a healthcare analyst. Whether I was serving as an emergency medical technician in my home town, conducting development work in a youth home in Montana, or facilitating migrant farm worker outreach in the Hudson Valley, the populations I was living and working among had one common denominator: lack of access to basic social resources. I find fulfillment in taking every opportunity possible to learn the unique needs of specific populations. In my spare time, I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and running, and, of course, my four-legged friends.

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I am here because I believe that our community is full of innovated ideas and Alliance is the catalyst to make things happen. In my role as a Product Manager, I scope out, plan and implement innovative ideas. I have had the pleasure of guiding our partners in meeting our 2017 DSRIP deliverable and launching new products such as AristaMD and Circulation. I love applying my strategic, execution, and relationship building skills on every project that I work on. Prior to joining Alliance, I worked for over 10 years in a Medicaid and Medicare managed care setting as an executive and as a consultant. My primary focus was enhancing patient center care models that allow individuals to remain safe and healthy in the place they call home. I grew up in the Western NY snow belt region, but my husband and I have called Albany our “hometown” for the past 25 years.

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I am here because I think it is important to treat everyone, regardless of social status or wealth, with respect and care. I believe that the patient population we serve deserves health equity, and know that by working through Alliance, we can provide them the opportunity to receive the holistic care they deserve. I believe that we can provide support to our partners with identifying areas of opportunity for them to make systemic improvements that will provide patients with care that meets their physical and social needs. I have a Bachelor’s in Communications, but of course was drawn to the psychology and interpersonal communication aspects of human nature during my college career. I have been in the Human Service field for almost ten years and have operated in the capacity of assisting and advocating for patients and/or consumers. I am passionate about various local charities that I support. I live in Troy and recently purchased my first home with my wonderful boyfriend. I also enjoy outdoor activities especially kayaking and being by the water.

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Amber is here because she enjoys being a progressive part of the changing health care continuum. As someone who has both lived in poverty and worked with individuals experiencing several barriers in the community, she recognizes that helping people address social determinants of health can lead to huge changes in health behaviors. In her role as Behavioral Health Acount Specialist, she is in charge of advocating for innovative ideas brought up by partners serving the BH/SUD population and any supports they may need as well as relay organizational information in regards to Alliance for Better Health’s ever growing and changing future landscape. Collaboration is the key to creating holistically healthy communities and she is happy to give everyone a voice at the table. Prior to Alliance, Amber worked on DSRIP initiatives at AHI and served as a Psychiatric Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at Liberty House Foundation. In her free time you can find her paddleboarding, hiking through the Adirondacks, or reading.

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Sam joined Alliance with a desire to maximize community resources to address gaps in the health care system. She wants to create data content that is actionable and reliably connects more people to care. In her role, she finds threads in varying datasets to create a picture of the needs and health outcomes of a population so that partner organizations can target interventions and analyze effectiveness. Prior to Alliance, Sam worked as a data analyst where she built interactive content and was responsible for ensuring data quality from partner organizations. Sam holds a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management. In her spare time, she enjoys playing ice hockey and golf.

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Yolanda is here because healthcare should be accessible and affordable for all. Hearing and learning from others sustains her passion for uplifting and empowering our community. In her position, she uses her skills to assist in the delivery of Alliances’ programs and initiatives, ultimately working towards health equity for all. Prior to Alliance, Yolanda has worked for the New York State Nurses Association, Albany Medical Center, and a Nurse Case Management company. She has a BA in Sociology, Medical Humanities concentration from Davidson College, and a BS in Nursing from University of Virginia. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and providing home health care services.

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Stacey is here because she wholeheartedly agrees with Paul Farmer, American medical anthropologist and physician, that “health care is a human right.” She recognizes that it is an exciting time to be a part of the movement to change the landscape of healthcare. She has a Master of Public Health degree from Tulane and her entire career has focused on health and wellness and she is passionate about ensuring everyone has equal access to both. Prior to joining Alliance, Stacey worked for seven years as the Director of the Wellness Center at The Sage Colleges. In her former life, she spent a decade in international development and was fortunate to work alongside community health workers in Togo, West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer and in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Now, she is working with Community Based Organizations at Alliance and sees many parallel between the grass roots work on the ground in Africa and on the streets of the Capital Region; the power of peers crosses all racial, geographical, and cultural divides. Stacey lives in the adorable village of Round Lake in Saratoga County with her equally adorable family!

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Michele is here because she believes that every individual should have the same access and opportunity for health care and basic need services regardless of the social and economic conditions in which they were raised or live. She is a CPA and has spent over 20 years directing the financial and operational efforts of Community Based Organizations, helping their dedicated staff work tirelessly to address the social determinant needs of individuals and families. With that assistance, they can then think about planning for other areas of their lives including health care. She worked with the Alliance for the last 4 years as a Partner and a member of the Finance Committee and was very excited to pursue this opportunity to join this dynamic team developing an innovative and integrated system of care across the community. She is on the board of The Next Step Foundation and a member of the Glenville Local Development corporation Loan Committee. She lives in Glenville and enjoys spending time with friends and family and on the New England coast.

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Lisa is here because she believes the transition to a value-based payment world is integral to the success of our healthcare system. Reforming the way funds flow to support health care services at every level, including social care, is essential for cultivating the change that is needed to support the improved health of our community members while simultaneously driving down the overall costs. As the Finance Manager at Alliance for Better Health, she works on all finance-related activities, including fiscal stewardship, budget, and value-based payment. She works with a multi-disciplinary team to create strategic and innovative funds flow models that support the communities we serve, while readying our partners for a value-based world. Prior to joining Alliance, Lisa served as the Finance Manager at Albany Medical Center PPS, now know as Better Health for Northeast NY, and has held various roles in finance, sales, marketing, and public relations in the workers’ compensation, public accounting, and software industries. She loves to spend her free time with her family, usually enjoying the outdoors on the shores of Cape Cod or Long Island, skiing in the winter, or escaping to a tropical place when possible.

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