Americare started a Russian language home health aide training program in the last quarter of 2022 to expand our ability to provide care for New York City’s large elderly Russian population.
This program has also provided Americare with an opportunity to support and welcome refugees feeling the conflict in Ukraine and seeking asylum in the U.S.
Once approved, these individuals are granted work visas, but they face challenges when they try to enter the job market – including learning a new language and navigating a new country.
The response from our Ukrainian trainees to the support and knowledge they have received from Americare has been overwhelmingly positive.
The success of this effort has been made possible by Americare’s Russian team, whose three key members work seamlessly together to ensure we can meet the growing need for care in the Russian community.
Americare’s Human Resources Russian Recruiter, Shakhzoda Tilavova, established relationships with refugee organizations to connect those interested in becoming home health aides with our free training program that certifies them to work in New York.
Our Russian RN Educator Tatiana Kojevnikova encourages program participants as they engage in Americare’s rigorous training program by sharing with them her own life story and how hard work led to her current success.
“Information is conveyed in a very professional way,” said program participant Natalia Mutovchy, a Ukrainian refugee. “Tatiana combines all the qualities of a teacher with vast professional experience and a lot of knowledge and skills that can be useful for me …in everyday life in America.”
The educational material is presented in a professional, easy, and accessible form, in a language that we understand, which is very important,” another trainee said. “Tatiana helps us as newcomers to integrate into a new life, in a new country, sharing her life experience with us.”
Once students have completed the course and are certified, they are immediately offered work on an Americare case – usually with a Russian-speaking patient in need of services who has been identified by our Russian Business Development person Larisa Giller.