Oasis Rehabilitation and Nursing in New York specializes in Parkinson’s care. When Sherry Vigliotti, Oasis Parkinson’s Program Director, found out about PMD Alliance’s Certified Parkinson’s Disease Care (CPDC) training program for professional care providers, she knew it was the perfect fit for her team. She was drawn to the flexible, on-demand education, monthly resources, and the train-the-trainer model that inducts CPDC advocates to share what they learned with their colleagues.
“The Parkinson’s Foundation offers a 40-minute fundamentals class for professionals, but we needed something more comprehensive,” Sherry told us. “PMD Alliance’s CPDC was able to provide exactly what we needed.”
Sherry’s background in shoe marketing helped her envision how to amplify the impact of the training in her community. Her mind turned to something she’d planned in the past, a ribbon cutting, to announce their facility’s newly enhanced care and make it a special event for her team.
It was a tremendous success. Four proclamations were received from local lawmakers and community leaders in support of the move, multiple new outlets attended, and one senator even spoke. Some attendees traveled all the way from Manhattan to the Long Island facility.
When asked if the team noticed an impact on their referrals following the ribbon cutting, Sherry said: “We’re getting calls constantly, and there’s a waiting list. It’s almost like a five-star review when they see the certification and that we’re the only one in the state that’s certified.”
“We’ve definitely had an uptick in referrals since we were certified,” agreed Andrea Serie, the Oasis Administrator at that time.
But they weren’t done amplifying CPDC after the ribbon cutting—far from it! With large signs with the CPDC badge in their lobby, and CPDC cards that they delivered around to the local hospitals and doctor’s offices, they kept utilizing the program to build connections in their community. “We had a doctor place their patient here because they found us from the card… It’s helped tremendously because they know we specialize in Parkinson’s,” said Sherry.
Oasis also prints out the monthly CPDC Digest resources and puts them on their bulletin boards, so families and patients can see them, as well. Some are even included in discharge packets. “A lot of patients don’t know how to take medication properly, and these resources aren’t wordy, so they’re perfect to send home with them,” said Sherry.
We wanted to know if the Oasis team had any additional tips to share for other CPDC providers looking to make the most of their certification. In addition to the ribbon cutting, they’ve had open houses and connected with local press, but Sherry said: “Our favorite thing is partnering with other organizations to give back to the community, which then gives back to us.” When we spoke with them, they were planning an 8-week fall prevention program at the library in partnership with Stony Brook University Medical Center.
“If they don’t have one already, creating a dedicated Parkinson’s team within the staff really makes a difference,” added Andrea, with a well-deserved nod to Sherry and her colleagues. Since the time of this interview, a new Oasis Administrator, Steven Lewis, has taken over for Andrea, but their services remain as robust and compassionate as ever!
According to Sherry, when she first fell into the Parkinson’s therapy world, she faced a lot of discouragement. “Everyone said, ’You don’t want to work with them. They’re really challenging,’ but I love a challenge, and I saw that I could make a difference.” And that’s exactly what she and her team are doing at Oasis for every person they treat. And by taking the time to talk with PMD Alliance about their experience with CPDC, they’re helping to enhance the program for others across the country, making a difference far beyond their local area.
