Excellus BlueCross BlueShield recently gave Young Scholars Liberty Partnerships Program (YSLPP) of Utica University a Health Equity Award of $30,000 to support Young Scholars Mental Health Equity Programming.
“The Young Scholars LPP social workers are the first and most trusted mental health professionals available to our students and their parents,” explained YSLPP Executive Director Pamela Matt. “Stigma, cultural restrictions and other barriers often prevent students and parents from seeking mental health support. Providing immediate and free access to mental health professionals for each student upon entering the Young Scholars program helps to remove these barriers.”
YSLPP is a collaborative effort between the Utica City School District and Utica University serving approximately 360 students from diverse backgrounds in grades 7-12. Students nominated for the Young Scholars program are identified as having strong academic potential, but facing equally strong socioeconomic or other challenges that could keep them from realizing that potential.
The mission of the YSLPP is to provide the necessary support for these students to stay in school, earn a New York State Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation, graduate college and be career ready.
In the fall of 2021, Excellus BCBS introduced a new Health Equity Award funding opportunity and invited organizations throughout its service area to apply. These awards help fund programs to improve health equity in communities of color. These segments of our community continue to suffer from health care and social disadvantages due to racism and discrimination. Award categories included, but were not limited to, improving the community’s physical health and mental health, reducing social disparities in health care and ensuring access to health care services.
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In other business news:
Mohawk Valley Community College has appointed Deanna Ferro-Aurience as executive director of Institutional Advancement and the MVCC Foundation. As executive director, Ferro-Aurience will be responsible for developing and implementing all fundraising and development program and will work with other college leaders to maintain and expand collaborative college-wide development efforts. Ferro-Aurience has served the college’s foundation for the past 16 years, beginning as events coordinator before being promoted to director of donor resource and development and later director of development, a position in which she managed high-level donors and grant-funded projects that helped the foundation achieve key programming goals and build long-term relationships and funding resources.
Seetharam Bhat, MD has joined Upstate Urology at MVHS as a consultant urologist and assistant professor of urology for SUNY Upstate Medical University. Bhat received his medical degree from the Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital of Mumbai, India. He completed his residency in urology at Stanley Medical College in Chennai, India, a fellowship in laparoscopy and robotics at AdventHealth Global Robotics Institute in Celebration, Florida and a fellowship in urology at Vattikutti Robotic Urology, Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, India. He has more than 12 years of clinical experience. Bhat is accepting new patients of all ages as needed. His office is located at the MVHS Faxton Campus, 1676 Sunset Ave. in Utica. He can be reached at 315-624-5252.
The Board of Trustees of Cazenovia College has named Dr. David Bergh as the newest president of the college. Bergh, who has been serving as interim president since mid-January, becomes the college’s 30th president immediately. The move is an action that Board Chair Kenneth Gardiner says displays the trustees’ utmost confidence in the professionalism, skills, values, ideas and energy of Bergh and in his ability to lead the college’s next phase of growth. Bergh has more than 25 years of experience in higher education leadership and administration. He has been at Cazenovia College for the past six years, spending the previous two years as the college’s executive vice president and for almost four years before that, as its vice president for planning and institutional effectiveness.
Nascentia Health has added new staff members to its CNY workforce. Christine Kinter, RN, joined the Rome office at The Beeches as a care manager. She supports their managed long-term care plan and is also an on-call nurse for patients in Oneida County. Kinter is a registered nurse with 10 years of experience. She received a nursing degree from Morrisville State College and is currently completing a bachelor’s degree from Utica University. She resides in Verona. Alani Tsouvas comes to Nascentia as a credentialing and contract management specialist. She is responsible for organizing, maintaining and verifying all aspects of the credentialing process with medical providers in their insurance plans. She previously worked at Van Rensselaer Manor. Tsouvas is a graduate of SUNY Morrisville and lives in Oneida.
The Mohawk Valley Health System will host an in-person hiring event from 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, March 9 at The Wynn Hospital Construction Site Offices, second floor, 201 Lafayette St. in Utica. Interviews will be held for nursing positions including registered nurses, nurse technicians, care attendants and lab technicians for inpatient and outpatient services. Participants will have the opportunity to speak with a supervisor, be interviewed and – if qualified – be hired right at the event. Anyone interested can secure their spot today by completing the form at www.mvhealthsystem.org/hiring. Once registered, a human resources representative will reach out to schedule a time for an interview. Walk-ins are welcome.
The Workforce Development Board, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Inc.’s (WDB/HMO) Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program is hosting a free women-focused virtual job fair the evening from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 9. The WANTO program focuses on helping women gain employment in nontraditional occupations, including trades, information technology (IT), advanced manufacturing, transportation, public safety, agriculture, and more. Nontraditional occupations is defined by the U.S. Department of Labor as any industry in which females make up 25% or less of the workforce. The job fair also gives women an opportunity to connect with WANTO staff and learn about the benefits of participating in the grant program. WANTO serves Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Otsego, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Tioga and Tompkins Counties. The job fair is free to job seekers and employers on a user-friendly platform. Employers register at https://pvapi.premiervirtual.com/s/8Q9l58 and job seekers register at https://pvapi.premiervirtual.com/s/xbwgyW.
Sangertown Square is hosting an in-person Get Hired Job Fair from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 29 in Center Court. The job fair sponsored by Galaxy Media Partners and is a convenient opportunity for local employers to interview, hire workers and to help job seekers connect with businesses who are seeking their skills. Employers from a variety of industries will be in attendance looking for candidates at all skill levels. Participating Employers include The ARC, Oneida Lewis Chapter; Galaxy Media Partners; Green Empire Farms; Pyramid Management Group; United Healthcare; and Upstate Cerebral Palsy. Several stores and venues at Sangertown Square also will be hiring to fill open positions and will be accepting applications in-store, including Earthbound Trading Co., Foot Locker, Sicilian Delight, Yankee Candle and many other businesses. This event is free to attend for all job seekers. Employers interested in participating in the upcoming job fair should contact Tom Kennedy at 315-410-6643 or [email protected]. For full details and information regarding the Get Hired Job Fair, visit sangertown.com.
Empowered Pathways is offering the opportunity for women to learn about job opportunities and the trades from 12:30-2 p.m. Wednesday, March 30 at 201 Lafayette St. in Utica. This free event, sponsored by Women in Construction (WIC), will feature a panel of women who have enjoyed successful careers in the trades and will include representatives from laborers, carpenters, pipefitters/plumbers and operators. The panel members, all experts in their respective fields, will share their journey to success and offer insight for women considering this occupation. The event is hybrid and can be attended in person or virtually. It will include lunch for those attending in person and the panel will address questions from attendees. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, call Amanda Fiore at 315-724-1718, ext. 104 or email her at [email protected].
Sovena USA, one of the largest olive oil companies in the world based in Rome, has been accredited by the International Olive Council (IOC) for the chemical testing of olive oils for the 11th time. They are the only private olive oil industry player in the country to hold this certification. Sovena also once again earned their Safe Quality Food (SQF) Certification, which they have held since 2011. Their 300,000 square-foot state-of-the-art bottling facility features the only on-site quality control lab of its kind in the U.S., which reflects how the company earned these distinctive accreditations. In the last year, the plant has produced, stored and shipped about 106 million liters of oil, or about 28 million gallons, to its clients across the entire country. The company is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of private label and branded olive oils in the country, with a portfolio of edible oils that includes olive oils, organic oils, high-volume frying oils, blends, specialty oils and a complete line of vinegars.
