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Meet Board Trustee Maribel Borysyuk, Pharm. D.

Read Maribel’s Story
 

Maribel Borysyuk joined the Good Days Board of Directors in 2017, but her first-hand experience with our charity can be traced back to her work as a registered pharmacist in Texas and New Jersey. She would later become a Healthcare Specialty Supervisor, and now serves as a Senior Manager, Patient Care and Advocacy at Walgreens, one of the world’s most admired companies. 

“I already knew Good Days was a user-friendly organization with a valuable mission,” says Maribel. “Before joining the board, I knew exactly what they did, knew the impact, and had even seen the tears of people who were really grateful for their support. That has inspired me to participate.”  

Maribel has worked across multiple chronic disease categories and is currently the national lead for multiple sclerosis and fertility. In that role, Maribel coordinates community-based specialty pharmacies across the United States to ensure an appropriate network of care exists. Walgreens community specialty pharmacies provide patient care to help those managing complex conditions such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, hepatitis C and infertility. 

Walgreens also has a significant history battling HIV/AIDS and supporting the LGBTQ community, beginning in the early 1980’s in San Francisco, where the pharmacy was integral to supporting a community in crisis. Walgreens now occupies the storefront that in 1981 posted the first notices warning about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Earlier this year Walgreens collaborated with Good Days to provide our Patient Care Navigators with HIV/AIDS awareness training so that they can better understand the services and resources available, the opportunities for patients and barriers to HIV care.  

“Part of my job is to ensure we are providing resources where they are needed,” says Maribel. “From a holistic standpoint, Walgreens is working to treat the patient not just the disease state. When we realize someone needs special support, we ensure that our pharmacists and technicians are aware of all resources available to those patients.” 

Maribel’s concentration on improving patient outcomes and creating an environment of personal and professional growth for those she works with make her an invaluable member of the Good Days board. 

PARTNER PROFILE 

LEGACY COUNSELING CENTER

Legacy Counseling Center celebrates its 30th anniversary of providing HIV-informed behavioural healthcare to the North Texas community this year. The non-profit today leads several significant initiatives that together create a comprehensive support path for patients in need. 

The Grace Project serves 200 women in the area and holds families together through a supportive net of services. Homebase for Housing, a housing information and referral program, is dedicated to preventing homelessness and improving the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS. In addition, Legacy operates Founders Cottage, a licensed, seven-room special-care facility in a homelike environment for people in critical stages of their illness who require 24-hour supervised care. 

Legacy’s case managers and therapists are sensitive to HIV care issues and pay attention to medication adherence and HIV related psychological concerns.

“Throughout any crisis they encounter, such as disclosing their condition to children or parents, Legacy is there to help. You can see a therapist weekly, but you might only see your doctor several times a year,” explains Melissa Grove, founder and executive director of Legacy Counseling Center. “Many times, individuals with HIV/AIDS do not take medications because of stigma, they could be embarrassed or feel shameful, don’t want to acknowledge it by taking medication, not have enough money for treatments, or live in a rural area and have trouble accessing treatments. For many who struggle with depression and mental health issues, treatment is not always top of mind.” Among the greatest challenges facing the HIV/AIDS community in Dallas is lack of affordable housing. “It is incredibly difficult to be perfectly adherent to your medical regime if you do not know where you are sleeping at that night,” says Melissa, “If you have to carry everything you own every day, your HIV meds might not be going with you.”

Legacy provides affordable housing for those in need. Once an individual can secure a job with Legacy’s help, they give back part of their income to the organization to contribute towards others who need the support. 

Melissa opened an AIDS hospice center in 1996, just before new treatments were approved by the FDA. “I thought when I started, we would soon no longer need this type of support, yet we are busy as ever,” says Melissa. “We help everyone see there is no reason you shouldn’t get the medications you need to survive.” 

PUTTING PATIENTS FIRST

MEET PATIENT CARE NAVIGATOR JONATHAN POOLE

Jonathan Poole, Patient Care Navigator and Team Lead, is originally from Big Sandy in East Texas. He has lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2002 and joined Good Days after learning about the organization from a friend. 

“I love what I do and that I can say I help people pay for medications that they normally couldn’t pay for,” says Jonathan. “I also love my team at Good Days.”

After five years as a Good Days team member, Jonathan knows how meaningful it is for those reaching out to have a reassuring voice on the other end of the line. He often hears from patients and their family members who express their gratitude for the hope and assistance that Good Days has provided them.

“I once was working with a patient who had difficulty seeing the paperwork she needed to fill out, so we worked together on one piece of information at a time. 
I might have called her and talked to her about 18 times that day just doing that back and forth, to make sure everything was OK with her application,” says Jonathan.

Good Days’ new HIV/AIDS Treatment & Prevention Financial Assistance Fund is a program that is especially close to Jonathan’s heart. 

 “I have known several people over the years who were diagnosed with HIV and who are doing great on prescribed treatments. I also lost a friend three years ago who had cancer in addition to HIV,” says Jonathan. “Being able to provide medications that prevent transmission for individuals not diagnosed is phenomenal.” 

Jonathan is a great example of how our Patient Care Navigators make Good Days the strong and compassionate nonprofit that it is today. He and his colleagues are a beacon of hope to everyone who reaches out to us for support. We thank all our Patient Care Navigators for their dedication and service! 

What’s New?

In 2018, Good Days serviced over 180,000 people! Thank you for helping make that possible.

A WORD FROM GOOD DAYS’ PRESIDENT

CLORINDA WALLEY

The demand for patient assistance is higher than ever before. Even though it is early into 2019, Good Days is already having one of its busiest and most effective years yet. 

In the months ahead, we’ll introduce new and convenient ways for our community of patients, caregivers, and friends to support our nonprofit and help us advocate for access to care. We’re collaborating with new and pioneering disease-specific patient groups to develop partnerships that will allow us to more effectively address individual needs. In addition, on July 10th we will lead the charge with national leaders and local communities across the country to recognize the largest Chronic Disease Day yet. 

Our charity was founded to support individuals with life-altering conditions, from chronic to terminal, by helping to pay for costly treatments. Keeping with that mission, this January we announced a new financial assistance fund for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. This fund offers substantial resources to reduce the financial burden of specialty medications that save lives and prevent future transmissions. 

Our commitment to provide compassionate, efficient and professional attention to every person we interact with remains paramount to our culture. Good Days’ Patient Care Navigators recently completed an innovative professional training course in partnership with Walgreens to prepare to support applicants who are already prescribed FDA-approved pre-exposure or post-exposure HIV/AIDS treatments. We’re especially grateful to offer this assistance at a time when the federal government has committed to end HIV transmissions in the United States once and for all by 2030.

Whether the disease is cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, or any other type of serious illness, when access to treatment and care is restricted, the health of the affected individual deteriorates until they become disabled or their financial resources are depleted. We believe that no patient should have to choose between treatments that are vital to their health and affording everyday living. We still have much to accomplish to make this belief a reality, but we will continue to face this challenge head on. 

As always, thank you for your continued support. 

Sincerely,

Clorinda Walley, President

Good Days