July 2013

Staff member of the month is Debbie Wigren, RC.  Debbie has always been fully invested in the welfare of not only her clients, but all of the residents at the North Main CR.  Debbie is actively involved in each individual's case, and works closely with treatment providers in order to advocate for her clients' rights.  Debbie frequently comes up with ideas that help not only the individual, but the entire program.  Debbie has never been afraid to stick up for her clients, and recently intervened and stopped a situation that could have eventually been fatal to one of her residents.  Debbie had a resident who had spent a long time at WCA 3 Main and transferred to Buffalo Psychiatric Center (BPC).  BPC called the CR and told staff that this resident was doing great as he was now on Clozaril.  Debbie informed BPC that this resident was not supposed to be on high levels of Clozaril as it had destroyed his White Blood Cell count in the past.  However, this information was never communicated from WCA to BPC, and BPC wanted to continue giving the resident normal dosages of Clozaril.  Debbie spent countless hours mediating between WCA, BPC, and pharmacies, reminding each agency of how detrimental high levels of this medication was to her client.  Due to Debbie's persistence, the resident's medication dosage was eventually lowered to a less harmful level,  and he was put on weekly blood draws so that the effect of the medication could be monitored more closely.  Besides her commitment to situations such as these, Debbie is also a great team player.  She always volunteers to cover extra shifts when she is available, and is actively involved in day-to-day decisions that benefit all of the residents at the North Main CR.  Congratulations!