Meet the SeniorBridge Queens Team
Mark Naghsh, LMSW
Vice President of Regional Operations
In his previous careers, Mark Naghsh has been a Clinical Social Worker at Village Center for Care in Brooklyn, providing family-centered therapy, and was a therapist in private practice with Laurence Florek Associates. He has also served as Clinical Manager and Director of Creative Art Therapies for Housing Works in Brooklyn, where among other roles, he designed and implemented therapeutic recreational programs for the elderly. Mr. Naghsh has been a consultant in music therapy for Global Communication Services, Lake Success, New York, and a music therapist at Parkshore Nursing Home in Brooklyn. He has a Master's degree in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work and a BS in Music Therapy from the State University at New Paltz, New York.
Jennifer Persad, RN, GNP/ANP, MSN
Regional Director of Client Services
Jennifer comes to SeniorBridge with more than 10 years of experience in her diverse nursing career. She has implemented her skill set on the Medical Surgical and Oncology Unit of Mercy Medical Center, as a Registered Nurse for Sun Harbor Nursing Home and with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York in Manhattan as a Nurse Consultant providing geriatric care management. Prior to joining the SeniorBridge family, Jennifer practiced as a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner for Liberty Medical Arts Center and served as Clinical Nurse Manager for Beth Abrams Family of Health in their home care division. Earlier in her career, Jennifer taught at Line Path Secondary School and worked for the Ministry of Education in Guyana. At CUNY colleges in New York, she has taught community health nursing courses to undergraduate students. Jennifer earned her Master's Degree in Nursing from Hunter College and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice from The George Washington University School of Medicine. She is certified in New York as both a Gerontological and Adult Nurse Practitioner and holds membership with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American Gerontological Association.
Athena Heyenoort, LMSW
Director of Client Services
Athena received her Master of Social Work degree from the Columbia University School of Social Work. While earning her degree, she was an intern at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, affiliated with the North Shore-LIJ Health System. There she was responsible for diagnostic assessments, discharge planning and individual psychotherapy as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team. Athena also interned at the Carnegie East House in Manhattan, offering individual and family counseling and support services to the senior community. She was trained in therapeutic crisis intervention while working at the Children's Home of Wyoming Conference in Binghamton, as a Family Life Specialist. Athena served as a Human Development Intern at the SOS Shelter, Inc., a domestic violence shelter in Broome County, NY, and as a Counseling Unit Intern at Safe Horizon in New York City. Athena's interest in crisis counseling began while earning her BS in Human Development (magna cum laude) at SUNY Binghamton, when she worked as a counselor for the campus crisis hotline and was responsible for training new counselors.
Adam Zeidler
Regional Director of Professional Relations
Adam brings more than 9 years of marketing and customer service experience throughout the New York area. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Adam held multiple positions at Sunrise Senior Living, and most recently served as Area Sales Manager and Regional Director of Sales and Marketing, responsible for all aspects of the hiring and training process. He also served as Executive Director responsible for overall leadership, management and community success as well as Director of Community Relations where he developed strong community relationships and educated residents and families on programs. Adam attended the University of Miami in Florida and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Motion Picture Production and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing.
Patti Finkelberg
Director of Professional Relations
Patti brings more than a decade of healthcare experience and more than 20 years of operations and sales experience to her role as Director of Professional Relations. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Patti served as Community Sales Director and Acting Assistant Administrator for Atria on Roslyn Harbor in Roslyn, New York. Throughout her time there, Patti built relationships in senior related and health care organizations, conducted tours for potential residents and mediated family and employee conflicts. Other career highlights include holding active parent responsibilities for the day-to-day management of a special needs child through St. Mary’s Health Care System and having management of residential high-rise gated communities as Real Estate Executive. Patti is also an active member in her community and has been involved with United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau and Suffolk County for the past 7 years. Patti served on the Board of Directors as a Quality Control Member, where she is responsible for organizing and participating in fundraisers, picture day and book fairs to help increase involvement of parents. Patti earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the Rutgers University School of Business in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Carmen Castillo, RN, BSN, CM
Care Manager
Carmen brings more than a decade of professional nursing experience in a variety of settings including hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care. Her commitment to excellence is reflected in her provision of client-centered care and a strong approach to client advocacy. In addition to her role as Care Manager at SeniorBridge, Carmen also serves as inpatient and outpatient Case Manager at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center specializing in bone marrow transplant and responsible for utilization review and discharge planning. Other career highlights include directing client services as per diem Nurse Care Manager at Caring People Home Care Agency, ensuring an interdisciplinary care plan consistent with patient needs as Case Manager of the ER and coordinator of the observation program at St. John's Queens Hospital and working as a per diem hospice nurse for Calvary Home Hospice. Among her accomplishments, Carmen has conducted tele medicine projects in the cardiac arena with the goal for patients to become self-managed at home and reduce hospital admissions. As a result of the success of the projects, she presented at the Oncology Nursing Society Congress in 2009 and published two articles in Nursing Spectrum and Case in Point. Carmen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from State University of New York Down State and an Associates Degree in Nursing from New York Technical College, both located in Brooklyn, New York. Carmen holds licensure in New York State as a Registered Nurse and holds certifications in Chemotherapy Infusion Therapy and Patient Review Instrument (PRI) and is also Inter Qual trained.
Artur Davidov, RN, BSN
Care Manager
Artur is a highly dedicated Care Manager who has a deep commitment for providing client-centered care and advocating for clients and families. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Artur served in the gastroenterology unit at QLIMG in Lake Success where he provided intake for patients going in for various procedures, assessed patient care post-procedure and provided discharge instructions to patients pre and post-procedure. Other career highlights include educating patients about managing care in the home as Community Health Nurse at Alternative Staffing and providing and documenting nursing interventions based on assessed patients needs and plan of care as Community Health Nurse at Marathon HealthCare. Artur earned his Associate in Applied Science in Nursing and his Bachelor of Science in Nursing, both from New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn. Artur holds licensure in the state of New York as a Registered Nurse. He holds certifications in CPR and AED by American Heart Association and also in Fire and Burn Safety from American Red Cross. Artur is also fluent in Russian.
Ursula Moon, RN
Care Manager
Ursula brings more than a decade of professional nursing experience with particular expertise in case management and home health care. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Ursula served as a public health nurse at a New York City elementary school where she provided emergency care to students, administered medication and provided education on the management of chronic childhood diseases. Other career highlights include coordinating care between home health aides and physicians as Nurse Coordinator for St. Mary’s Home Care for Children and completing physical and environmental assessments as Community Health Nurse for Americare CSS Home Care. Ursula holds licensure in the state of New York as a Registered Nurse. She also holds certifications for Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Patient Review Instrument (PRI) and Minimum Data Set (MDS).
Damanie Outar, LMSW
Care Manager
Damanie brings a deep commitment for providing client-centered care and advocating for families. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Damanie served as social worker at New York Foundling Hospital identifying children and family needs, providing psychosocial assessments and ensuring necessary services were provided including in-home client services. Other career highlights include scheduling appointments for patients, assisting opticians in dispensing eyeglasses and preparing for billing insurances as Ophthalmic Assistant at Windsor Park Vision Center Ltd., in Oakland Gardens, New York. Damanie also gained social work experience in the community health center and nursing home settings as intern at South Queens Community Health Center and Ozanam Nursing Home. Damanie earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Work degree from York College in Jamaica and Master of Social Work from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.
Jasmattie Sookram, LMSW
Care Manager
Jasmattie brings more than 25 years of experience in the health care field and more than a decade of social work experience to her role as Care Manager. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, she served as Program Supervisor at SCO Family of Services in Queens Village. Jasmattie worked as an Accounts Receivable Clerk at North Shore Health System in Glen Oaks, New York while simultaneously pursuing a career in social work. Other career highlights include interning at Creedmoor Addiction Treatment Center and Family & Children Services. Throughout her career, Jasmattie has held a number of responsibilities including maintaining complete records for cases, acting as liaison between social services agencies and families, facilitating therapy groups, overseeing daily operations and handling all aspects of compliance and regulations. Before emigrating, Jasmattie worked for the Ministry of Education in Guyana as an elementary school teacher at Corriverton Primary School. Jasmattie earned her Bachelors of Social Work and Masters of Social Work from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.
Nataliya Yesina, RN
Care Manager
Nataliya brings more than 30 years of professional nursing experience with particular expertise in clinical utilization review to her role as Care Manager. Nataliya began her nursing career as a Staff Nurse at Tashkent Railroad Hospital in Tashkent, Uzbekistan where she provided patient skilled care, administered medications and charted patient progress. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Nataliya served as Case Manager of the Medical Management Department at Affinity Health Plan Insurance Company Managed Care. Throughout her time there, Nataliya tracked member care, evaluated the effectiveness of home care services and was responsible for authorization, denial and claim processing. Other career highlights include maintaining compliance with regulatory standards of medical insurances as Home Care Nurse Manager at Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation and implementing physician care plans for COPD, diabetic and mental health patients as Registered Nurse at Coler and Goldwater Memorial Hospital. Nataliya holds licensure in the state of New York as a Registered Nurse. She is also fluent in Russian.