Nira Tobochnik — Fan Tribute

\n Who She Is\n

Someone who shows up.

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Nira Tobochnik is the kind of person who doesn’t just care about people in the abstract — she builds the systems that actually reach them. As Training Coordinator at Health Homes of Upstate New York (HHUNY), she works at the intersection of healthcare and human dignity, equipping care coordinators with the knowledge and tools to navigate a complex system on behalf of the people who need it most.

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“Health Homes” sounds like a building. It’s really a lifeline — and someone has to make sure that lifeline actually holds for vulnerable New Yorkers. Nira is that someone.”

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This is high-stakes, demanding, deeply skilled work. Getting it right means real people get real care. Getting it wrong means people fall through the cracks. Nira gets it right.

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\n What She Does\n

The roles she fills.

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Training Coordinator — HHUNY

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Health Homes of Upstate New York. Building the expertise of care coordinators across a network that serves the most vulnerable New Yorkers — the kind of work that requires deep knowledge, steady judgment, and genuine commitment.

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Treasurer — NCJW Greater Rochester Section

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National Council of Jewish Women, GRS. Treasurer (term ending 2017) and Board Member since 2015, stewarding an organization rooted in social justice, advocacy, and the belief that women’s leadership makes communities stronger.

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Youth Group Advisor — Temple Sinai

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Rochester, NY. Mentoring the next generation through Jewish community life and values-driven programming — the slow, patient, irreplaceable work of helping young people figure out who they are.

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\n A Journey\n

The arc of a life in service.

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2015

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Joins the NCJW Greater Rochester Board

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Became a Board Member of the National Council of Jewish Women’s Greater Rochester Section, an organization built on the conviction that women’s leadership transforms communities.

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2015–2017

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Treasurer, NCJW Greater Rochester Section

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Stewarded the finances of an organization rooted in social justice, advocacy, and service to women and families in the Rochester region.

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Ongoing

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Youth Group Advisor, Temple Sinai

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Mentoring teenagers through Jewish community life — the kind of slow, patient work that shapes people for decades without anyone counting the hours.

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Present

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Training Coordinator, HHUNY

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Building the capacity of care coordinators across a network serving 22 counties in Upstate New York. The people who train the people who help the most vulnerable New Yorkers — that’s Nira’s layer of the work.

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\n The Work\n

What HHUNY actually does.

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Health Homes of Upstate New York connects the most vulnerable New Yorkers — people managing chronic illness, navigating Medicaid, falling through the cracks of a fragmented system — with coordinated, person-centered care. Founded in 2013, HHUNY is the largest Health Home network in the region: five affiliated Health Homes, over 90 Care Management Agencies, and a reach across 22 counties from the Southern Tier to the Finger Lakes to Western New York.

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The model is simple in concept and genuinely difficult in execution: one care coordinator, assigned to one person, holding the thread across every provider and system involved in that person’s life. Making that work — at scale, consistently, for the people who have the fewest resources to navigate failure — requires real expertise. That’s where Nira comes in. She’s the one building the people who hold the threads.

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As Training Coordinator, Nira develops the skills and knowledge of care coordinators across the network — equipping them to show up well for the people who depend on them most. That ripple effect is enormous.

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\n 22\n Counties served\n

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\n 90+\n Care Management Agencies\n

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\n Why She Matters\n

What makes her extraordinary.

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Look at what Nira has chosen to give her time to. Every single thing. She didn’t stumble into any of it — she chose work that is difficult, often invisible, and essential. That’s not a coincidence. That’s character.

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She works where it actually matters

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Care coordination for people with chronic illness, navigating Medicaid, often without strong support systems — this is some of the most meaningful work in healthcare. Nira didn’t end up here by accident. She chose to be in the room where people get the help they actually need.

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Her impact multiplies

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A training coordinator doesn’t just help one person — she shapes dozens of care coordinators, who each serve dozens of clients. The skill and care Nira brings to her work radiates outward in ways that are genuinely hard to overstate. She is a force multiplier for good.

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She shows up in every direction

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HHUNY. NCJW. Temple Sinai. This isn’t scattered energy — it’s a coherent picture of someone who believes that showing up for your community is just what you do. She does it at work, she does it at shul, she does it for teenagers who need a mentor. Consistently. Without fanfare.

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She makes things work

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Whether she’s stewarding an organization’s finances as Treasurer, building training programs that hold up under real-world pressure, or helping young people navigate identity and community — Nira is the kind of person who makes the things she touches actually function. That’s rarer than it sounds.

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“The work that most needs doing is rarely the work that gets celebrated. Nira does it anyway, and does it beautifully.”

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