Ruth Farrago, CMC
Vice President of Operations

Ruth Farrago has over 20 years of experience in health care administration. She was the Administrator of an inpatient and outpatient comprehensive Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Division at Downstate Medical Centers in Brooklyn. She has an extensive background in home care marketing and management having worked for St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers as the Director of Intake and was then the Branch Manager/Administrator at New York Health Care. Ruth was also the Executive Director of Sunrise Assisted Living of East Meadow where she was responsible for the daily operations of the facility, client and family satisfaction, management of the sales and marketing team and coordinated community outreach and events. Ruth has a Bachelors of Science from SUNY College of Oneonta where she majored in Business Economics and she is currently completing a Masters Degree at Long Island University specializing in Gerontology. Ruth has received her certification in Geriatric Care Management (CMC). She is a current member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers and the Case Management Society of America.

Odalis Cortes, RN, CMC
Director of Client Services

Odalis is a Registered Nurse who most recently worked in Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Acute Care for the Elderly Unit, where she managed an inpatient geriatric unit that implemented the Hartford Institute’s “Best Practices in Care for Older Adults” guidelines. She was also previously a Home Care Nurse at Mount Sinai’s Home Health Agency, assessing the comprehensive needs of adult and geriatric patients and at Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Services, providing case management for both geriatric and pediatric/maternal health patients. As well as earning an Associate Degree in Nursing from Orange County Community College, Odalis obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at Lehman College School of Nursing. She gathered data on the prevention of pressure ulcers for a Mount Sinai Hospital study and presented findings on the importance of mouth care in the elderly population at a Mount Sinai geriatric conference.

Eileen Zenker, LCSW
Director of Client Services

Eileen joins SeniorBridge with 23 years' experience as a social work administrator and health care planner. Most recently, she served as Acting Director of the Department of Social Work at NYU Langone Medical Center, responsible for leadership and management of social work programs at Tisch Hospital and Rusk Institute, having been promoted from positions as Associate Director and Assistant Director. Earlier, Eileen was Senior Health Care Program Planner Analyst at the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation, working as internal consultant to 11 municipal hospitals and 4 long-term facilities in the HHC system. She earned a BA in Psychology at SUNY Oneonta, a Master's degree in Social Work at the Hunter College School of Social Work, and completed a certificate in Bio-Ethics at Montefiore Hospital. Eileen has presented papers on elder care, discharge planning, and bioethics at professional meetings.

Marsha Flowers, MSW
Director of Professional Relations

That Marsha Flowers' unique career path took her to the doors of SeniorBridge was perfect. Her professional background integrates social work and sales and marketing. She is a psychiatric social worker with extensive, diverse experience that encompasses safe hospital discharge planning, family counseling on effective communication with relatives with dementia, and leading story-telling groups with Alzheimer's patients. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Marsha held the position of Sub-Acute Social Worker at Jewish Home and Hospital. She was a Geriatric Social Worker at Schulman and Schachne Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and held the position of Senior Account Manager for Wilson Learning Company, where she was responsible for selling and managing major training and development projects. She graduated from the University of Texas and earned her Masters in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis.

Barbara E. Katz, MA
Director of Professional Relations

Barbara joined SeniorBridge in 2006 as the Director of Recruitment and is now Director of Professional Relations. Before joining us, she was a Recruiter of clinical and nonclinical staff at the Hospital for Special Surgery and clinical staff at St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers in New York City. In her diverse career, Barbara has also been Placement Manager for an IT company, Training Manager for a graphic arts/advertising company, and Manager of Education and Training at Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. Previously, Barbara taught third grade at The Dalton School. Barbara obtained her BS in Psychology/Communications from Montclair University and an MA in Curriculum Design from Long Island University.

Julie E. Lehrman, LCSW
Director of Professional Relations

Before coming to SeniorBridge, Julie was a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative promoting dermatologic products to physicians for Inventiv Health/Dermik Laboratories and cardiovascular products for Inventiv Health/Novartis Pharmaceuticals in New York City. Previously, she had been a Social Worker at the Children's Aid Society, providing individual and group counseling in a teenage pregnancy prevention program. Julie has also had a thriving private practice as a therapist in Chicago working with couples and families often referred by local physicians and school social workers, and she served as a Family Services Facilitator, coordinating healthcare and support services for special education students in La Grange, IL school districts. Julie earned her BA in Psychology from Michigan State University and MA in Social Work from the University of Chicago. She also studied Spanish culture and language at the University of Alcalá in Spain.

Christienne Mills
Director of Professional Relations

Christienne comes to SeniorBridge from Sunrise Senior Living, where she has been Director of Community Relations at its Brooklyn and Austin, TX, assisted living facilities. Previously she was also Director of Marketing at Ashwood Retirement and Assisted Living in Austin, and Marketing Coordinator at Hearthstone Health Center in Round Rock, TX. Christienne served as Business Development Manager at Harder Consulting in Austin, a professional employment consulting firm. Earlier, she was Staffing Manager/Team Leader and Customer Relations Supervisor for Staffing Now, Inc., West Hartford, CT, where she hired and trained office staff, planned and monitored business development, and supervised employees. Christienne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from Syracuse University and was a teaching assistant in the Department of Reading and Language Arts.

Rae Richards
Operations Manager

Rae comes to SeniorBridge with expert business management skills from various home health care and hospital settings. He previously served as Business Operations Manager at St. Mary's Health Care System for Children, Home Care Programs, in New Hyde Park, NY, where he was responsible for hiring and supervising the business staff, budgets, and work flow management. Previously, Rae had been Department Analyst/Coordinator for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York's Long Term Home Health Care Program in East Elmhurst, involved with budgets, P/L, reports, and strategy development. He also functioned as Department Coordinator at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine's Department of Surgery and Department of Medicine in New York. Rae obtained his BA in Political Science from Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Patricia Charles, LMSW, CMC
Care Manager

Patricia has been a social work professional in nonprofit and philanthropic organizations for the past 30 years. She is a highly skilled care manager, as well as a lecturer and educator. Patricia recently served as Educational Manager in an evidence-based medicine and cultural competency research project for medical professionals at Bronx Lebanon Hospital. For 18 years she was also senior case manager/social worker at Jarvie Commonweal Services in New York, assisting older clients to navigate their environment, healthcare, and life transitions. She has worked as an Adjunct Professor of Gerontology at York College since 1993. Patricia obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Columbia University and a Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University, and is a Licensed Master of Social Work in New York State. She is Co-founder of the National Association for African American Social Workers on Aging and is a Cultural Consultant for Oregon Center for Applied Research. Pat has a certificate for completion of training for Article 81 - Court Evaluator and Guardianship Training.

Sheila M. Evangelista, LCSW, CMC
Care Manager

Prior to Senior Bridge, Sheila provided care assessment and counseling for Value Options, a managed care company. Previously, she had been a psychiatric social worker at Holliswood and New York Presbyterian Hospitals. She earned a BA in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and an MSW from the Columbia University School of Social Work. Fluent in Spanish, she participated in clinical research studies at Holliswood Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. SIFI course trained from Adelphi University, she supervised social work students at Holliswood hospital.

Diane Gellatly, RN
Care Manager

Diane comes to SeniorBridge with more than 10 years diverse healthcare experience. She spent 5 years in the acute care sector at Lenox Hill Hospital's Cardiology Department. Diane also worked at the Madison York Assisted Living Program in Rego Park, where she was recognized for her input in developing a new assessment tool for the geriatric population. Before earning her Bachelors degree in Nursing from the University of Western Sydney in Australia, Diane served as a nursing assistant for disabled children and for the elderly in the community. She is a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association and is in the process of receiving nursing specialty accreditation in holistic nursing.

Robert W. Hofman
Care Manager

Rob has been a Geriatric Care Manager for the past 12 years. Since 2000, he has designed and taught exercise programs for the elderly, including balance improvement and fall prevention, both one-on-one and in small groups, specializing in the frail and memory-impaired older adult. He works as an Exercise Specialist for the Elderly, Advanced Personal Trainer and Chi Gong Group Instructor in New York. Rob finds Tai Chi and Chi Gong, combined with regular exercises and breathing very useful for improving overall well being, strength, flexibility, endurance and balance. He earned a Masters degree in Psychology at the State University in Groningen, the Netherlands, is certified by the National Academy of Certified Care Managers and the American College of Sports Medicine. Rob's motto is "fun and functional."

Debra M. Jacobs, RN
Care Manager

Debra most recently worked as a Teaching and Research Nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Stony Brook University Hospital. She pursued the Critical Care track in a Nurse Residency Program at Stony Brook and had clinical nursing experience at Stony Brook University Hospital and other area hospitals in Manhattan and Long Island. Prior to that, she was a home health aide and dermatologist's medical assistant while pursuing her nursing studies. Debra has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Stony Brook and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Natural Science from Loyola College in Baltimore. She spent a junior year abroad at the University of Newcastle, UK. She is currently in Stony Brook's graduate program pursuing an advanced practice nursing degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner and will graduate in 2009.

Lori B. Jacobson, LCSW
Care Manager

Most recently, Lori was a Social Worker on Mount Sinai Medical Center's Cardiology Units. She previously served in that capacity at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center's Heart Failure/Critical Care and Telemetry and Acute Care for Elders Units, and coordinated the social work volunteers. While there, she was honored as Social Worker of the Year-Excellence in Social Work, and was a 5-time winner of the Falcon Award for superior performance and dedication to patient care, nominated by colleagues, patients and families. While earning her Master of Science in Social Work degree at Columbia University School of Social Work, Lori also interned at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, RGP Adolescent Clinic, at NY Presbyterian, and at Upper Manhattan Mental Health Center's Adult Continuing Day Treatment Center. She has volunteered to direct youth programs and provide counseling for grades 4-12 at various temples in the metropolitan area. Lori received a BA in Family Studies from Hofstra University, earned her MSW, and later obtained a Post Master's Certificate in Palliative and End of Life Care at New York University School of Social Work. A licensed social worker in New York, Lori is completing coursework for and pursuing a Clinical Externship in Family Therapy at the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy.

Bina Luft Pribula, RN
Care Manager

In the past 37 years, Bina has prepared herself in many ways for her work now with SeniorBridge. As the sole School Nurse at a Brooklyn public school, she was responsible for the well-being of 800 children, developing relationships with them and their families as well as educating staff and families in individual and group sessions. Concurrently she was a Legal Nurse Consultant and Court Evaluator for Alleged Incapacitated Persons. Bina also worked as a Home Care Nurse at Mount Sinai Home Care, handling complex cases and doing patient assessment with an interdisciplinary team. She was a Nurse Consultant at the Counseling Center EDNY and an Intensive Case Manager with the Visiting Nurse Service, as well as Inservice Educator for the Nursing Staff for eldercare at the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens. A Registered Nurse, Bina earned an AAS in Nursing at Kingsborough Community College and a BA in Psychology at Lehman College.

Judith Race, LMSW, CMC
Care Manager

Judith has been a strong advocate for older adults throughout her career. Most recently, she was Director of Dementia Care Professionals of America at the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. Previously, as a court-appointed guardian and evaluator, she created and managed a guardianship program in Nassau and Suffolk Counties to help the elderly remain independent in the community. She also served as Coordinator of the Elder Abuse Project in the Queens District Attorney's office, providing direct services to victims and developing in-service training seminars on elder abuse. Among other roles, Judith was Planner of the Chronic Care curriculum for medical students, residents, and practitioners at Weill-Cornell Medical College's Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology and Supervisor of Direct Services in the Elderly Crime Victims Resource Center for the New York City Department for the Aging. She received a BA degree, summa cum laude, from Adelphi University, as well as an MSW degree from Adelphi's School of Social Work. Judith is a licensed Master of Social Worker, a Certified Care Manager, and has received a Geriatric Care Management Certification from Hunter College's Brookdale Center for Health Aging & Longevity.

Jessica Steinberg, MSN, RN, CMC
Care Manager

Jessica was a Nurse Educator of home health aides at Selfhelp Community Services, Inc, in New York, as well as a Nurse Consultant providing geriatric care management services and healthcare management training of professionals for Care Management Consultants in New York and Boston. Previously, she had been a Staff Nurse in the Maternal Child Health in-patient unit at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, where she educated patients and served as a student and new hire preceptor; and earlier, a Nurse Student Scholar in neurosurgery. A Registered Nurse, Jessica earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Nursing Administration degrees, with honors and academic scholarships at New York University. She is a member of the New York Organization of Nurse Executives. She is certified as a RN in both New York and Massachusetts.