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. Bachwani completed his residency at Ellis’ Family Medicine Residency Program in 2005 (former St. Clare’s Hospital). He was board certified in Clinical Informatics in 2013 with the first batch of physicians across the country. He earned his Ph.D. in Information Science from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 2017 at the University at Albany (SUNY) with a primary specialization in Health Informatics and secondary specialization in Decision and Policy Sciences. His doctoral dissertation was titled “Reducing Medication Errors: A Dialectical Journey from the Phenomenological to the Ontological.”

He was named “Resident Teacher of the Year” during his residency (2005), won the Emergency Department’s “Physician of the Year” award in 2009 and 2011, and the Regional Emergency Medical Organization (REMO) Award in 2012.

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.

Mr. Milton brings to the executive team a proven track record of collaborative accomplishments under his leadership, including the development of the Medical Center of Clifton Park, and the realignment of facilities and services at Bellevue Woman’s Center, McClellan Street Health Center and Ellis Hospital.

Prior to joining Ellis, Mr. Milton was Chief Operating Officer of The Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut, a 328 bed teaching hospital and level II trauma center. Previously, Mr. Milton held the following positions: Chief Operating Officer of Northeast Health, Troy, NY, where he played a key role in the merger of Albany Memorial and Samaritan hospitals; Vice President of Administration for Middlesex Hospital, Middletown, CT; and Vice President of Operations at the Stamford Health Care Corporation, Stamford, CT.

Mr. Milton earned his master’s degree in health services administration from George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Miami University, Oxford, OH. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Among Mr. Milton’s other experience includes services as a community health care coordinator with the United States Peace Corps in Malawi, Africa.

Barden joins SPHP from Blaze Advisors, LLC, where she served as senior vice president. She has more than 30 years of experience in health care planning, marketing, business development, and operations, including leadership positions at Methodist Health System in Dallas and United Health Services in Binghamton. She also served as senior vice-president/executive officer of VHA Inc.’s Empire-Metro office, which coordinates and directs the health care network’s efforts to serve 47 hospitals across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

Barden holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. She earned a master’s degree in health administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Adetona is an accomplished and highly skilled Family Medicine physician in the capital district area of New York state. She is well respected in her community, earning many accolades for the quality of her work and her patient centered care. She has been awarded and praised as one of the Top Performing Doctor in the capital district for several years.

Furthermore, she is the owner and president of Lansingburgh Family Practice P.C., a successful private practice in the under-served area of Troy, NY. She also serves on the physician advisory board for Fidelis Health Care, the board of directors of Alliances for Better Health, the EPC advisory board and the board of directors for Capital District Physician Health Plan (CDPHP).

Her enthusiasm for her vocation is unparalleled, as she strives to deliver the best of health care with deep compassion, and truly meeting each patient at the point of care and need. Last but not
least, she is the wife to a privately practicing OBGYN, a loving/doting mother and grandmother.

Dr. Reider joined Alliance because as a family physician, he 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 President of Healthy Alliance IPA, the sister entity 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.

Anne joined Alliance because the mission to bring health to the communities Alliance serves perfectly aligns with her goals. Although it can be difficult to know what we want to be, she has always known she wanted to help people. Living in many different cities, towns, and states has helped to develop an appreciation for how communities can take varying approaches in trying to achieve a healthy community. Anne’s nursing career has always fulfilled this desire, from working with patients in critical condition, teaching self-management of chronic illness to patients in their homes, to mentoring a new nurse. Over the last 34 years, Anne has worked in many health care settings; starting as a nurse’s aide while attending college, working in many RN roles in hospitals, home care, and Hospice, to Director level positions in Home Care and Care Coordination. Anne has worked on several implementations of electronic medical records and believes technology platforms can link the community together to assist in making people healthier. As a graduate of Russell Sage College School of Nursing and Villanova University with a Masters in Community Health Nursing focused on Administration & Education, Anne has also worked as an Adjunct Nursing Instructor in Community Health. She is currently the Board of Directors President for Kee to Independent Growth, who serves individuals with ongoing disabilities. Her most recent work utilized Patient Centered Medical Home Model based on Population Health. Anne brings all these experiences to the Performance Team to help integrate the goal of health for people by working with our Community Based Organizations, Health Plans, and Clinical Partners. Anne loves to spend her free time with family and friends (both 2 and 4-legged), golfing, skiing, gardening, and exploring.

Kate joined Alliance because she believes 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 her role, Kate is responsible for the efficient operation of Alliance’s administrative and operational infrastructure. As the lead resource to senior management, she ensures the timely follow up and execution of all commitments made to staff and/or partners. She has a B.S. in Marketing/Management from Siena College. Kate is pleased to have come back to health care after time away from the field. She previously worked at Albany Medical College in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Kate is a member of the Columbia Greene Humane society and volunteers time/efforts to many different groups in the area. She lives in East Greenbush with her husband, their rescue fuzzy babies Lucy the Foxhound and 2 cats Stella and Jewels.

Blake joined Alliance because he enjoys contributing to a mission of bettering the health of the Capital Region. Prior to joining Alliance, Blake served as the Vice President of Birch Hill Catering, where he modernized an 83-year-old family business, overhauling its technology infrastructure head-to-toe. Blake earned his dual degree in Engineering and Management from Clarkson University, from which he graduated a year early. He started at Alliance as an independent contractor, working on overseeing and overhauling Alliance’s IT infrastructure. He was brought on full-time in September of 2019, where he grew into a managerial roll, overseeing the IT department. Blake currently builds custom applications to support the landscape of future VBP contracts to promote and improve community health.

Lindsey joined Alliance because she is excited to be part of a talented and passionate team that is working towards health equity for all. She is originally from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton region of Pennsylvania and relocated to New York in 2012. While living in Pennsylvania, Lindsey received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Shippensburg University and was employed as a financial analyst for a non-profit network, with fiscal oversight of multiple programs including behavioral health, adoption/foster care, and residential IDD. She also has progressive accounting experience in different industries including real estate, hospitality, and paper manufacturing. Throughout her career, she has been successful at reducing costs and maximizing revenue with her contributions to financial management. Lindsey currently resides in Glenmont with her husband, stepdaughter, and adorable Pembroke Welsh corgi. In her spare time, she enjoys camping, kayaking, and going to concerts.

Naomi joined Alliance because she believes that the highest human act is to inspire. She feels that we all are in search of inspiration every day. The opportunity to inspire or be inspired is what creates movements. Being a part of Alliance’s movement allows her to inspire people to make connections that they might not have known were available to them in their community. Human service has always been her passion. After working at the Sister Maureen Joyce Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen her eyes were open even more to see the layers of poverty in the community where she was born and raised. After working there, she began working at Healthy Capital District Initiative where she began enrolling people of all ages in health insurance and seeing how people struggled with medical insecurities. Totally different viewpoint from her prior 7 years in the Medical ICU at Albany Medical Center before the pantry and soup kitchen. Being creative, resourceful and committed to serving those often unheard is what keeps Naomi going. In her spare time, you can find her out enjoying the sunshine, or up early at a yard sale or flea market looking for hidden treasures for her refurbished furniture business.

Chris joined Alliance because she has a passion for helping and advocating for underserved populations. She has dedicated her life’s work to advocating and giving voice to those who have not been heard. She was a young teenage mom who left high school, received her GED, then moved on to gain her Associates degree from HVCC in Human Services. Chris is currently enrolled at Empire State College to finish up her BA in Human Services. Throughout the progression of her career, Chris spent many years in community-based organizations working in food pantries, assisting with SNAP and HEAP applications and case management. She also spent time working in the housing field as a referral coordinator. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and friends. She is excited to be part of a team that is so passionate about helping people achieve great things and feels like Alliance is a perfect match! After all, she hearts (loves) referrals!

Michele joined Alliance because of her continued desire to support clients and their families through a team based approach to care coordination & support services that fosters independence and self-management, reduce redundancy in services, and create a more seamless approach to medical and social care needs – while helping to minimize the burden of navigating a complex system of health and social care in our communities. As a Registered Nurse serving the community for over 30 years, Michele has spent much of her career serving clients and their families, providing a holistic client centered approach to care and services. Placing the clients’ needs first in all we do is essential in meeting the challenges our clients and communities face daily. In her free time, Michele enjoys hiking, reading, golfing, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Kristen joined Alliance because she sees 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 her 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, Kristen was introduced to Medicaid Redesign and DSRIP from the perspective of a Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO). Most recently, she was the Medicaid Operations Director at MVP Health Care. She has more than 25 years of experience in various roles with MCOs which has provided her with the expertise to contribute to the Alliance goal of preparing for success in a value based payment environment. Kristen enjoys spending time with her family including her 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!

Keshana joined Alliance because she believes that it is important to serve those in need. Community Based Organizations are the front-line to serving the impoverished and those with basic need emergencies. Every role that she has held in her career has been through a Community Based Organization, and now she is 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, Keshana saw firsthand the needs of 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 the community. Keshana has held various workforce development positions for the community health workforce, and currently teaches at both Hudson Valley and Schenectady County Community College. She holds a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and is pursing a Master’s in Human Resource Management at the University of Connecticut. Her interest in social determinants of health elevated when she became a mother. Keshana was fortunate enough to know how to navigate resources available to her family but seeing other families struggle hurt. She has led family skill building groups and facilitated a women’s bible study, called Propel Women. Her husband and she have four beautiful children and they ensure that they understand the importance of giving back by volunteering at the South End Children’s Café in Albany, NY.

Linda joined Alliance because she believes that the community is full of innovated ideas and Alliance is the catalyst to make things happen. In her role as a Product Manager, she scopes out, plans and implements innovative ideas. She has had the pleasure of guiding Alliance’s partners in meeting the 2017 DSRIP deliverable and launching new products such as AristaMD and Circulation. Linda loves applying her strategic, execution, and relationship building skills on every project that she works on. Prior to joining Alliance, Linda worked for over 10 years in a Medicaid and Medicare managed care setting as an executive and as a consultant. Her primary focus was enhancing patient center care models that allow individuals to remain safe and healthy in the place they call home. Linda grew up in the Western NY snow belt region, but her husband and she have called Albany their “hometown” for the past 25 years.

Yolanda joined Alliance 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.

Caroline joined Alliance because she believes that all individuals should be able to improve their health and have resources available to them, no matter their status. In her role as the Senior Communications Specialist, Caroline handles outreach to the community, partners, and staff through social media and marketing platforms, informing and educating all parties on the wonderful work Alliance is doing. Caroline previously worked for the Office of Health Insurance Programs at the New York State Department of Health before joining Alliance and has her MBA in Healthcare Management from Clarkson University. In her free time, Caroline loves to workout, explore the outdoors, and hangout with her family and friends.

Michele joined Alliance 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.

Lisa joined Alliance 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.

Amanda joined Alliance because she believes in driving meaningful change both within her community and the organizations she supports. Amanda has a wide range of experience assisting organizations maximize their human capital potential through leadership development, talent acquisition, coaching, recognition, and employee engagement programs. As the Director of HR, Amanda provides consultative support across all levels of the organization to champion Alliance’s mission and values to support a culture of inclusion where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to the workplace. Amanda also maintains a watchful eye on current and evolving state and federal labor laws and regulations to manage workplace compliance. Amanda earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Marist College and studied Organizational Psychology at Columbia University. Amanda is a member of the Capital Region Human Resource Association and the Society for Human Resource Management and is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional. In the early morning hours, Amanda can be found rowing on the Hudson River with the Albany Rowing Center masters team.

MaryBeth joined Alliance for Better Health because she believes that connectedness is key to our overall wellbeing. Having spent her career supporting people with developmental and other disabilities so that they are able to be included in all aspects of community life, MaryBeth recognizes that employment, safe housing, and other social determinants of health are an important complement to clinical care. In her work with people with disabilities, she encouraged self-empowerment, advocated for rights protection and used creative, person-centered approaches to help people meet their life goals. She worked to cultivate a strong and dynamic coalition of businesses that embrace and understand the value of an inclusive workforce. She greatly values the friendships, perspective and skill development her career has afforded and is very happy for the opportunity to use her experience in support of Alliance’s mission. MaryBeth has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Texas State University and master’s degree in Public Administration from The Sage Colleges. She proudly serves on the Board of Grace Children’s Foundation which seeks to connect children from all over the globe to vital health and continuous care resources. For fun, MaryBeth loves to cook for friends and family and spend time with her husband, son, and daughter. Her favorite quote, “it is in the shelter of each other that the people live,” reflects her beliefs about the importance of inclusive communities.

Scott is a seasoned executive who is highly respected among his colleagues at St. Mary’s and throughout the Capital Region for his knowledge, judgment, insight, analytical abilities and collaborative leadership. He is able to see the big picture while maintaining focus on mission and what drives performance on a daily basis. Scott has established an excellent rapport with his peers and with those who report to him. He is respectful, creative and ever mindful of the poor and vulnerable who seek care at St. Mary’s. As one colleague stated, “Integrity and values are the backbone of Scott’s leadership style.”

With Scott’s guidance, St. Mary’s Healthcare will continue to move toward its vision of being a strong, independent, catholic health care ministry dedicated to improving the health and well-being of our community.

Lynne joined Alliance because she believes that everyone’s health is impacted by their medical, behavioral, social, and economic circumstances, and that everyone should be able to get the care they need. She is excited to make a difference, working for an organization that creates bridges between community-based organizations, managed care organizations, and providers – all working together to improve health. In Lynne’s role, she focuses on transforming the way in which organizations share data. With this data, Alliance and its partners can demonstrate the impact of meeting social needs on health and collaboratively improve services. Lynne has a B.S. and M.B.A., both with a concentration in Health Services Administration. She brings a wealth of cross-functional business, technology, and data knowledge from her 30 years of experience in the health care industry.

Ebony joined Alliance because she believes that doing this work affords her the opportunity to give back to her community by helping to fill in some of the gaps in care that community members face. Having the opportunity to participate with the DSRIP program work for the past 2 years, she has really seen the need for a change in the quality of care and services that people receive. Being an active member in the community is very important to her. Outside of work, she hosts a yearly birthday blood drive, organizes drives for the homeless and others in need, volunteers with local organizations such as “We Rise Above the Streets Recovery Outreach”, and is always eager to cease new opportunities to be involved and connected. Ebony loves spending time with her family and friends, performing with her improv team, instructing Zumba classes, and learning new things.”

Tammy joined Alliance because she was excited to be able to continue to help build a network designed to foster the holistic health of our communities. Bringing people together to work for a common goal has always been central to Tammy in her professional life. Making connections, creating value, and supporting others as they strive to help members within our community brings her joy. Most of Tammy’s career entailed developing programs and services in the CNY region for survivors of crime, particularly domestic and sexual violence. Prior to joining Alliance, she served as the project manager for three initiatives – Palliative Care Integration, Care Transitions, and the CNY Referral Network projects. It was the work of the CNY Referral Network that afforded her one of the greatest opportunities to truly improve the well-being of community members by connecting individuals to timely services through the technology of Unite Us. Tammy is enthusiastic about continuing with this vision for the future.

Grant joined Alliance to work with an innovative team to serve the needs of communities and improve the quality, cost, and access to social care services. As a Performance Consultant, he works to establish partner relationships to find solutions to gaps in services and build a network of partners who work together to change lives. Prior to joining Alliance, he worked with Population Health for Ellis Medicine. At Ellis, Grant led initiatives involving HealthySteps and LAUNCH programs. These programs work with pediatric patients 0-8 years of age to make sure all children have the support necessary, from complex feeding situations to social support beyond health care. Grant also worked with a readmission reduction team to establish health discrepancies and identify performance goals. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors by hiking, running, and fishing with his family.

Aleks joined Alliance because he believes in the team’s mission to help improve a health care system that he believes is fragmented and riddled with misaligned incentives. Prior to joining Alliance, he was a Manager of Program Solutions at Ellis Medicine, where he monitored value-based payment programs such as MIPS, PCMH, CPC+, PCF, IHANY, and other payer-specific incentive opportunities. He has experience in guiding and managing practices through quality improvement as a consultant and practice administrator. Aleks received a BS in Neuroscience from St. Lawrence University and an MBA in Healthcare Management from Clarkson University. He loves spending his time traveling to different countries, playing hockey, golf, and making pizzas for his family (including the crusts for his dogs, Bubba and Dats).

Mark joined Alliance because he is drawn to organizations that are of direct benefit to the local community around him, and by extension, the people we interact with in our day-to-day lives. Mark has 14-years of experience in the Information Technology field, and prior to Alliance, he worked at GlobalFoundries as a Data Center Operations Manager. He was also employed as a contractor for the U.S. government in both Washington, D.C. and southern Arizona. Although having moved around quite a bit, Mark’s roots are local: he attended the University at Albany for his Bachelor’s Degree, in addition to having started his career at a state agency here in the Capital Region – New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Mark’s role at Alliance is to oversee the company’s IT infrastructure and security, which is increasingly important in today’s world as much of the workforce is remote, and companies everywhere strive to transform themselves. Mark enjoys fitness, spending time with his wife and daughter outdoors, and is a pocket billiards enthusiast.

Marjorie joined Alliance because she feels drawn to their vision and culture. She believes Alliance is her ‘work soulmate’ because of its philosophies as an innovator and disruptor regarding social determinants of health, and how it creates a welcoming environment for employees to do their best work and feel good about their contributions.
Her background is in community-based non-profits, mostly fundraising and events management, and feels it is her calling to advocate for others. She strongly believes the mantra of ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’ and feels privileged to be part of the team, making sure community members have access to the services they need.
She is a relationship person, has deep roots in her community, and tries to effect change in a positive way. She hopes to continue in that vein by bringing awareness of Alliance to a wider community.
She is married with two adult children who make her feel blessed every day. When she is not working, she enjoys cooking for family and friends, reading, hiking, and volunteering.

Currently, Deborah serves dual roles for St. Peters Health Partners as Clinical Executive of ICCS as well as Director of System Social Work. These system-wide positions allow Deborah to achieve fluid care coordination between settings, as well as to build partnerships within the community. As part of her current roles, Deborah also serves St. Peter’s Health Partner’s Clinically Integrated Network, IHANY. Deborah also serves as a Crisis Evaluator for her healthcare system. Deborah graduated from the University at Albany with her Master’s in Social Work, and is nationally-certified in Case Management, Hospice and Palliative Care, as well Crisis Intervention. Deborah serves as an adjunct faculty member at the College of St. Rose; sits on the Advisory Board at Siena College for their BSW program; and is a field instructor at both the College of St. Rose and the University at Albany. Deborah is also a PASRR Screener and serves on her local Surrogate Decision-Making Committee.

Erin Simao has over 10 years of experience working in Schenectady, NY, leading and managing community health initiatives focused on the underserved. She has worked in a number of different settings; Schenectady County Public Health Services as the Public Health Systems Administrator; Ellis Medicine as the Community Health Outreach Coordinator; Alliance for Better Health as the Transformation Specialist for Cultural Competency and Patient Activation; and City Mission of Schenectady as the Program Manager for Empower Health, a program that conducted outreach and health and social services navigation for Medicaid and the uninsured utilizing a Community Health Worker-inspired model for staffing. Erin is currently the Manager of Practice Transformation for Hometown Health Centers, focused on practice innovation and population health. She completed her MBA in Healthcare Management at Clarkson University in August 2021 and received her Master of Public Health degree from the University at Albany in 2011. Erin also spent 3 years teaching students in the Community Health Worker certificate program at SUNY Schenectady.

In her current role she serves as the executive lead for several service lines across the care continuum including the Wilkinson Residential Healthcare Facility, Palliative Care, Therapy services, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Clinical Resource Management and works to facilitate a coordinated approach to patient care and population health at both the health system level and with community partners.

Sarah currently represents St. Mary’s on the Healthy Alliance IPA Board of Managers and is a member of the IHANY Joint Operating Committee. She is also a board member for Community Health Center CHHA and Home Healthcare Partners LHCSA both located in Johnstown.

Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the State University of New York at Oneonta.

As the Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Angela serves as a member of the Executive Leadership team for Whitney Young Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center, providing the oversight and leadership necessary to ensure organizational plans, programs, budgets and delivery of high quality services to community members in need of integrated, patient-centered behavioral health care.

Ms. Doe possesses over 25 years of experience working in the fields of Addiction and Mental Health; providing direct oversight for the provision of Behavioral Health operations; in rural and urban committees, in the public and private sector, and across a robust continuum of care.

Ms. Doe joined WYH from United Helpers, Inc., one of the largest Health and Human Services Providers in Northern New York. As the Director of Behavioral Health Services, she was credited with enhancing the clinical operations of the Behavioral Health Services Division, including the development and expansion of outpatient clinics designed for those seeking recovery from co-occurring disorders, Medication Assisted Therapies, Residential Treatment, Health Home Care Coordination, Supportive Housing, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), and a Children’s Mobile Wrap-around Treatment program.

In addition to serving as CBHO, Angela serves as an adjunct faculty member for SUNY teaching courses in Human Services, Applied Psychology, and Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling.

She holds a Master’s degree in Counseling, as well completed post graduate course work at Bowling Green State University and The Sage Colleges in Health Services Administration. She is a NYS Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), a Master Level Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC-master), International Credentialed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC), and a Board Certified Human Services Practitioner (HS-BCP).

Ms. Doe serves on local boards of directors, served as past member of the regional planning consortia, board of managers for NCI, board/executive committee member for North Winds IPA, chairperson for the ADK BHCC/North Winds IPA Clinical Integration Committee, annual presenter for The National Organization of Human Services Educators and Practitioners and Northern Tier Providers Conference.