More Hillside employees, youth and families are getting their COVID-19 vaccinations every week, supported by an ongoing commitment from Hillside staff like Amy Patterson, a Senior Nurse Manager from West Seneca, NY.

Patterson has organized and held multiple vaccine clinics in Rochester and Buffalo—and she’s had plenty of help from other staff and leaders as well as partnerships with community organizations including Upstate Pharmacy, UR Medicine, D’Youville College and Fantastic Friends of Western New York. But if there’s been a Hillside vaccine event, it’s likely that Amy has been on the scene (behind a mask, of course).

So far, her efforts have helped ensure the vaccinations of more than 500 employees, youth and families and Hillside foster families. And that’s all on top of her regular duties supporting the health and well-being of individuals in Hillside group homes and day treatment programs in the greater Buffalo and Rochester areas.

“It’s a balance, but I like to be busy,” she says. “These vaccinations are so important – it’s great to be able to help.”

Patterson has even turned this work into a family affair: her husband Jim, also a nurse, and her daughter Jamie have pitched in at different vaccination events.

Thank you, Amy, for all you do!

The regularly evolving role of technology in Hillside’s work dramatically accelerated with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Use of Hillside’s TeleCare virtual conferencing tools skyrocketed, literally overnight—from approximately 60 sessions per month to 350 per day, enabling staff to maintain secure remote connections with youth and families. Meanwhile, nearly half of Hillside’s 1,800-person workforce successfully transitioned to remote-work scenarios in a matter of days. Leaders and staff are continuing to explore how to apply lessons learned during this period to future service pathways.

For parents like April Coffey, whose son Anthony has received virtual support in remote sessions from his Hillside youth care professional during COVID, these innovations have made all the difference. “It would be difficult juggling all this and having to leave the house and meet the providers face-to-face,” she said.