EAP Coordinator earns Quality Service Award

By DEBORAH A. MILES
One of the traits of a PEF Quality Services Award recipient is a natural, unpretentious attitude — a person who gives of his time and talents to help others without expectation of any special recognition.

The newest recipient of this award is Ted Ricciardelli, a civil engineer 1 at the state Department of Transportation (DOT), who volunteers his time as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Coordinator.

What distinguishes Ricciardelli from others is not only his seven years of dedicated service to the EAP program, but also a recent incident at Niagara Reservation State Park.

In March 2002, a 35-year-old park employee named Samuel Husanian, collapsed on the job from a heart condition and died a short time after. He was like a family member to his co-workers, who witnessed this traumatic moment.

Rescuing sad hearts
PEF Division 219 member Jon Wegrzynowski called Ricciardelli, knowing his excellent reputation as an EAP coordinator and member of the Western New York Stress Reduction Program Inc. Ricciardelli, also a trained critical incident stress debriefer, was joined by his EAP field representative, Deborah Hard, at a debriefing session for park employees.

“Most of the people were grieving and still in shock,” Ricciardelli said. “We proceeded to sit and listen to those who witnessed the tragedy. They described what they saw, how they felt then and now.”

This tragedy inspired Ricciardelli to help enhance EAP for employees of the Niagara area parks and also provide materials to park managers to strengthen their emergency preparedness plan.

“There were changes they needed to make because of the vast number of people coming through the parks on holidays and during the summer,” he said. “I gave them the lead, and the park managers took it from there.”

Ricciardelli emphasized the importance of confidentially in assisting employees with marital, financial, drug or alcohol-related problems, and saluted the EAP for providing monthly training sessions to coordinators. The sessions have been recently suspended due to state budget cuts.

Helping others key to award
His role as an EAP Coordinator has guided many people to seek professional help when in a crisis. For example, Ricciardelli assisted a co-worker whose emotionally unstable sister fled to Texas. He contacted the EAP in Texas who located the woman and provided her with the care she requires.

The same co-worker also remains grateful to him for his role in assisting her and her young son in seeking hospice and its programs, after her husband of only a few months died of a brain tumor.

Ricciardelli’s desire to help others is endless and people have come to depend upon him. He’s even been asked to identify a body in the morgue.

Although always dedicated to helping others, Ricciardelli said he never expected to receive an award. He said the letter from PEF honoring him as a Quality Award recipient made him feel fabulous, yet totally stunned.

“The next thing I know, I’m getting congratulated,” he said. “I’m the kind of guy who likes to stay in the background. A lot of people do great things. I don’t consider myself any better than anyone else. I just try to help who I can, when I can. And hope there’s a good result from it.”

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Lawmakers override all 119 budget vetoes
Set state safety, security standard
Thank your legislators

Departments
President's Message:Our work continues
You Said It: Member's letters this month
PS&T Contract Update: Pay hikes hot topic
Member Highlights;Keeping up the good fight
Retirees In Action: New officers take the reins
PEF Membership Benefits Program & Travel Corp
Nurses' Station:
- Derail unsafe staffing, put laws on the fast track
- Roswell Park honors nurses
- Nurses conference addresses timely topics
Legislative Action:
- Union presses lawmakers on contracting out
- Legislature passes 11 bills PEF supports
- Don’t let feds shortchange NY
Health Benefits:
- Feds aim to guard your privacy
- College students need shot in arm
- HMO applied wrong rule for disabled kids

Union Matters
PEF, OASAS train workers for emergencies
EAP Coordinator earns Quality Service Award
Making state park system a summer delight
Pre-Tax Transit pilot put on hold
Balloting brings 13 newcomers to E-Board
Convention 2003: Delegate preview
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