HRHCare Patient Representative Wins Planetree Award for Innovation in Patient Care

Trafina Ceja

Trafina Ceja

Peekskill, NY – HRHCare (Hudson River HealthCare, Inc.), a nonprofit, federally qualified healthcare system offering a range of medical services for underserved communities throughout the Hudson Valley and Long Island, is proud to announce that patient representative Trafina Ceja will be presented with the Planetree Innovation Award. This award is presented by the HRHCare Planetree Institute to exemplary employees who find new ways to advocate for patients and provide them with high quality and affordable health care.

As a new staff member at the HRHCare Health Center in New Paltz, Trafina Ceja has already become an incredibly valuable asset to the organization and a champion of migrant farmworker health. Migrant farmworker patients are often completely dependent on outreach teams to provide them with transportation to receive the primary, specialty and dental care they need. HRHCare has long provided this important population with transportation services, but Trafina took it a step further when she developed an electronic transportation log book to increase patient appointment tracking accuracy. By replacing the traditional log book with the electronic format the error rate has dropped from up to 20% monthly to less than 5%. This increased accuracy in providing transportation services has had a major impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of the practice and, most importantly, on the lives of those served.

Before arriving at HRHCare, Ceja worked as a Therapeutic Assistant at a school in her native California where she helped to establish a curriculum for children diagnosed with autism. With a shared sense of compassion and mission, HRHCare was a perfect fit for Ceja upon moving to New York in 2013. “Everyone at HRHCare has a genuine desire to help the patients in every way,” said Ceja. “Even if it is to open the door for a patient or to give directions, going the extra mile makes their day a little easier. We can make a huge difference and encourage our patients to stay a part of our growing community.” In her spare time Ceja enjoys reading, riding her bike, photography and travel. She also has a passion for language, frequently helping others to learn English, and has been studying Mandarin Chinese for the past three years.

Planetree is the global leader in advancing patient-centered care solutions, integrating the technology of modern medicine with the healing dimensions of compassion, comfortable surroundings, shared knowledge and freedom to make educated choices. HRHCare has been an affiliate since 1996 and remains the only Federally Qualified Health Center to be a part of this alliance. The HRHCare Planetree Institute was established in 2012 and provides state-of-the-art training to prepare staff in delivering passionate and personalized care. The HRHCare Planetree Award honors employees who have been nominated by their colleagues for going above and beyond to provide individualized patient care and enhance healthcare services in their respective facility.

About HRHCare

HRHCare (Hudson River HealthCare) is a nonprofit, New York State licensed, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Founded in 1975 to provide care to the medically underserved population of Peekskill, HRHCare has grown to include 29 health centers delivering care throughout a 10 county region of New York to 112,000 patients with nearly 200 primary care practitioners.

HRHCare provides comprehensive services including adult and pediatric care; obstetrical and gynecological care; family planning; HIV counseling, testing and referral; dental services; mental health counseling; nutrition counseling; podiatry; WIC services; health education; and a full complement of outreach, translation, transportation, benefits counseling and health insurance enrollment assistance.

HRHCare has a profound commitment to the communities it serves and works to improve community health through partnerships and collaborations with key stakeholders including local businesses, social service agencies, housing organizations, food banks, farm worker alliances and other community organizations.

For full information: hrhcare1.wpengine.com or 1-844-HRH-CARE

 

For more information contact:

Lauren Candela-Katz

VP of Communications & Development

914-734-8555

lcandelakatz@hrhcare.org

 

Jeffrey Palmer

Public Relations & Development

914-524-4107 ext. 62015

jpalmer@hrhcare.org

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