Sarah Collins – LPN, Health Services Department at Randolph Campus
In honor of Nurse’s Week this month from May 6th through May 12th, we would like to recognize some of our terrific nursing staff! Sarah Collins is a humble and hardworking member of our Health Services Team down in Randolph! She began working with New Directions in December of 2018. When she was first working towards her certification, Sarah attended the E2CC BOCES nursing program in Ashville, NY, and obtained her LPN license. She is still working towards higher education by attending the University of Arizona Global Campus, majoring in Applied Behavioral Sciences. She also plans to continue on to receive her PsyD to become a Doctor of Psychology. Way to go, Sarah!
Sarah helps the youth at Randolph with medication management along with maintaining their medical and mental health care needs while in our care. She works diligently to keep families involved with this as well. To Sarah, this means keeping the youth healthy and safe, all while keeping the families up to date on their care so that they are informed and feel supported.
Sarah loves every part about working at New Directions. She appreciates how the agency stands behind its employees and encourages them to be a part of a team spanning all of Western New York. She believes that teamwork is amazing through all departments from the bottom all the way to the top and that this creates an invaluable network of support that not only is appreciated by staff, but by the youth and families we serve as well.
Sarah is known for being honest, cheerful and witty with her humor. She loves being outdoors. Hiking, kayaking, camping, going for walks on the beach, and spending time with family and friends are some of her favorite activities. She also loves gardening but will admit that she can’t keep flowers or vegetable plants alive to save her life!
Thank you for your continued dedication to the health of our youth, Sarah!
Melissa Adinolfe – Campus Nurse, Henrietta G. Lewis Campus School
Melissa is another amazing nurse that we have on staff here at New Directions! She takes care of youth on our Wyndham Lawn Campus in Lockport. She gained her nursing degree from NCCC in 2009. When Melissa first started with the agency in January of 2020, she was the only nurse on campus for both the residential program and school (H.G. Lewis) for the year. This broad position was especially challenging through a pandemic. In January of this year, when our non-secure program at Gateway was no more, Henry Huber, RN, accepted the residential position at Wyndham, taking some of the pressure off of Melissa’s shoulders. She has transitioned to being primarily the school nurse. She really appreciates the great teamwork and help he has brought to the table, as their work crosses over a lot!
Being a nurse for New Directions means that Melissa gets to do what she does best; helping kids stay healthy. She provides compassionate care for our youth often when they are at their worst or most vulnerable. Whether it be bandaging a physical injury, being available emotionally or for a positive influence mentally, Melissa is there for the kids. It means so much to her to try to help make a difference and show them there is someone who cares about their health and safety.
Melissa’s favorite part of working at New Directions is the people! From day one, all of the staff have been so welcoming and helpful and really made Melissa feel like part of the family. She loves that she gets to work in a place where great things are being done and where she can have fun at the same time.
When she is not at work, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband of 10 years and their three young children. They are a very active family that enjoys camping, bonfires, hiking, kayaking and fishing – basically anything outdoors! Melissa also helps coach the tee-ball and wrestling teams that her kids are a part of.
Thank you, Melissa, for making sure that our school kids are healthy, safe and supported!
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