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January 2001

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Issue 01-01 January 2001

A n observation made half a world away has turned into a career and a calling for Nancy Clifton-Hawkins, a health educator with Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, a component of Public Health's Health Pro-motion Program. Health educators are versatile professionals specially trained in health education and promotion techniques who serve in more than one hundred possible career positions with public and private institutions nationwide. For Nancy, the events that shaped her professional future occurred while she was serving in the Peace Corps in Thailand. "I noticed that so many people were dying from things that could be prevented," Nancy remembered. "There was a 34-year-old woman dying of cervical cancer, which is one of the most preventable and treatable types of cancer when it is detected early. However, there were cultural issues pre-venting women from getting Pap smears. I wanted to learn how we could prevent causes of disease and injury while pre-serving cultural practices," said Nancy. While her undergraduate degree was

in sociology, Nancy earned a double Masters degree from Loma Linda University in Health Promotion Education and Inter-national Health, with an emphasis in Maternal and Child Health. Health educators are required by law to have a Masters degree in Public Health, Health Education or Community Health Education. Nancy describes health educators as "Jacks of all trades" in Public Health, bringing many specialties and talents together. This versatility allows them to work with a diverse group of people to pro-duce lasting results. "You could send me out into a neighbor-hood and I could help build a health delivery system from the ground up," Nancy stated. Health educators perform many roles from building collaboratives among community groups and organizations to developing community-based marketing cam-

Health Educators’ specialty is to bring people and resources together

. . . continued on page 2 Another key position at Orange County Animal Care Services (ACS) has been filled with the appointment of veterinarian Dr. Kristi Fisher as Manager of Veterinary Services. Dr. Fisher joins the recently selected Director of Animal Care Services, Dr. Julie Ann Ryan Johnson, on the management team at ACS. Following the selection of the new Veterinary Services Manager, Dr. Johnson said, "We are looking forward to the expertise Dr. Fisher can add to our veterinary services as well as her passion and commitment toward the care of our animals." For the past six months, Dr. Fisher has served as a consultant to ACS on feline care and her previous experience includes service with the Cat Care Clinic in Orange. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California, Davis in 1997 and is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American and Southern California Veterinary Medical Associations.

In her new position as Manager of Veterinary Services, Dr. Fisher will direct daily operation of the Veterinary Services section, including supervision and training of the clinical animal care staff. In carrying out her responsibilities, she will work closely with the County Health Officer, other veterinarians, private interest groups, public and private organizations and other County departments.

ACS Management Team Complete ACS Manager of Veterinary Services Dr. Kristi Fisher and ACS Director Dr. Julie Ann Ryan Johnson (l-r).

paigns that help people change harmful Pictured above: Nancy Clifton-Hawkins, Health Educator, and Frank Hernandez, Health Education Associate

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This month, Tech Talk invites you to test yourself on some of the valuable information we have provided to you over the past year. If you've been paying attention to these helpful Tech Talk hints, you should be pretty well informed and get every question correct. A less than perfect score, on the other hand, should at least help to clear up any misconceptions. We've kept it simple by making this a true or false answer quiz, with your only lifeline being a 50/ 50— exactly your odds on each question, even if you're guessing. Good Luck! TRUE FALSE oo 1. The HCA Network offers network storage on our enterprise for back up of each and every PC, so users don't have to back up their own files. oo 2. You don't ever have to worry about new shrink-wrapped software having a virus. oo 3. Placing e-mail that you want to save inside of your Personal Folder's file stores it locally on your hard drive. oo 4. There is an increased risk of viruses if other people have shared the disks. oo 5. A Super disk has twice as much storage as a regular diskette. oo 6. It is a good idea to save attachments to a file, instead of leaving it in your mailbox. oo 7. CD-ROMs from the manufacturer are not necessarily always virus free. oo 8. Once your data is backed up on a diskette or Super disk, it should be kept in a cool, dry place. oo 9. Here at HCA, we have over 5,000 computers, but not all are networked. oo 10. Because of it's large size, the Enterprise network rarely changes.

Answers on page 4

february Health Observances American Heart Month

National Children’s Dental Health Month National Patient Recognition Week . . . . . . . February 1-7 National Burn Awareness Week . . . . . . . .February 4-10 Sexual Responsibility Week . . . . . . . . . . . February 11-17 Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week . . February 11-17

Check Your Tech Talk Knowledge By HCA Information Technology Health Educators continued from page 1 behaviors. "But it's not just leading a project, it's building relationships and showing collaborations how to keep people together." In 1997, Nancy and other local health educators joined to form the Or-ange County Coalition for Health Educa-tion to expand their abilities to work to-gether. The organization has been in-volved in many exciting projects including the planning activities that led to the for-mation of the Safe Healthcare Project and the coordination of Public Health Week and Orange County Fair activities. During this year's Public Health Week obser-vance, the group will award its second annual "Dr. Gerald Wagner Achievement Award" for excellence in health education. According to Nancy, "Our first recipient was a school nurse who developed a curricu-lum to teach students First Aid and Safety. We want to recognize people who are do-ing public health education the right way." HCA's health educators work as part of a team that includes health education associates and health education assis-tants. "We require that health education associates have a Bachelors degree in health science or community health edu-cation. Health education assistants were originally recruited from specific commu-nities to represent public health programs in their communities," detailed Nancy. "While the health educator may lead the project, the health education associates and assistants are instrumental in the ground work." Just before Christmas, Nancy re-ceived a recognition award from Prevent Child Abuse-Orange County. "This was the first professional award I have re-ceived as a health educator. I have been working with them for three years on the development of a guidebook for new par-ents which is now being given to parents considered to be at high risk. While the award was for me, I really felt like it was an award for health educators in general," Nancy proudly admitted. Nancy believes health educators are at the core of what public health is all about. "People have to understand why they need to do something before you can teach them what to do," she ex-plained. However, health educators serve in varied roles, working closely with other public health professionals to meet com-munity needs. Many health educators use their skills in administrative positions and as educators, helping to prepare the new generation for their challenges. Professional opportunities for health educators are expanding because of their

many skills and talents, as organizations realize they must work together to pro-duce maximum results. A health educator's skills in areas like needs as-sessments can be used in any type of community-based effort, which is what Nancy calls "The beauty of being a health educator." In Southern California, UCLA, Loma Linda University and San Diego State University have Schools of Public Health offering Masters degrees that can lead to a career as a health educator. California State University, Long Beach also offers a

Masters degree in Public Health and Bachelor degrees are available at UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. Many health educators also have earned the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential. This in-volves the successful completion of an examination and required continuing edu-cation. More information about careers as a health educator is available from orga-nizations including the Society of Public Health Education ( www. sophe. org ) and the American Public Health Association ( www. apha. org ). 2 2 Page 3 4 3 T he Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program of Public Health Services, plays an important role in providing health care access for children and adults. MCAH clinics offer services tailored to cli-ents of different ages including, babies, children, adolescents and adults. These MCAH clinics in-clude: Child Health Clinics (CHC)— provide free well-child exams to eligible children birth through 7 years of old. Adolescent Pediatric Care (APC) Clin-ics— provide free well-child exams to eli-gible children ages 7 and above. Pediatric Ambulatory Care (PAC) Clin-ics— provide low-cost care for minor ill-nesses to children from birth to 18 years of age. Immunization clinics— provide free shots needed to prevent childhood illnesses. Family Planning Clinics— provide free or low cost services to eligible women and men. This includes reproductive health exams, cancer screening and nec-essary referrals, family planning and contraception services, pregnancy testing and education, sexually transmitted diseases testing and treatment, free hepa-titis B vaccinations for family planning clients, and Measles/ Mumps/ Rubella vaccinations for women. More information on the location of MCAH clinics, their operating hours and ser-vices is available from the HCA Health Referral Line at 1-800-564-8448. For the hear-ing impaired, call 1-800-801-7100 (TDD).

C apturing the essence of a ma-jor project in just a few words is a real challenge. However, HCA's Compliance Committee proved to be up to that challenge in the selection of a motto to be used as part of the Agency's Compliance Program. After reviewing more than a dozen suggestions, the committee selected " Committed to Excellence" as the program's motto. According to Chief Com-pliance Officer David Riley, the motto will be used in program materials to uniquely identify the Agency-wide compliance ef-fort. "We wanted something that would truly represent what the Compliance Pro-gram is all about," said Riley. "The motto will hopefully remind all HCA staff mem-bers that each person should be 'Commit-ted to Excellence' in all that we do." The committee meets regularly to provide assistance to the Compliance Office staff in the on-going development of the program. Representation from all Agency services will help to ensure that the unique needs of HCA's diverse pro-grams will be taken into account in pro-gram development. One of the next steps will be the selection of a group of HCA staffers to assist in the drafting of key principles for the Compliance program. If you have questions about HCA's Compli-ance program, please contact Chief Com-pliance Officer David Riley at (714) 834-4422 or by e-mail at DRiley@ hca. co. orange. ca. us.

T he County of Orange Office Supervisors (COOS) is about to embark on its annual mem-bership drive with a representative of the Health Care Agency at the helm of the organization. This was to be the start of her year as COOS President for Joan Hertel, Se-nior Office Super-visor of the HCA Birth and Death Registration Unit. However, Hertel took over the re-sponsibilities of President in the Spring of 1999, when the group's elected President began a leave of absence. According to Hertel, COOS provides many opportunities for growth and development. "The mission of COOS is to allow office supervisors to share their knowledge and improve upon their

MCAH Clinic Update

Office Supervisors group grows skills as supervisors. The group was or-ganized in the 1950's and currently has about 65 members, including many HCA representatives," said Hertel. Membership is open to those with the classification of Office Supervi-sor A or higher or to anyone whose main duties include supervising office employ-ees.

In the past year, the group's monthly meet-ings have in-cluded speak-ers on a wide variety of sub-jects, including screening po-tential employ-ees, personal and office safety and Enlightened Leadership. Ac-cording to Hertel, "Our December meet-ing is really a luncheon that gives us a chance to thank our managers for their

Compliance Program motto not just a slogan

support throughout the year." Public Health Disease Control Division Manager Ron LaPorte helped to open this year's luncheon with a "Thought for the Day" and County Chief Information Officer Leo Crawford addressed the group on how technology will shape our future. Just ahead is COOS' annual fund-raiser, "Fast Eddie Day" at Santa Anita Race Track. Scheduled for February 24, "Fast Eddie Day" provides a day of fun at the horse races, including track admis-sion, racing program and lunch in a spe-cially reserved area of the track's infield. "Fast Eddie Day" was first organized by Forrest Story, a longtime trainer for the county, and includes a race dedicated to the group. For information on COOS member-ship or on the Fast Eddie Day fund-raiser, please contact Joan Hertel by e-mail or by telephone at (714) 480-6710. Pictured at the annual Office Supervisors' (COOS) Holiday Luncheon are (l-r): Dianne Saylor, Probation; Vincent Sholl, SSA; Ron LaPorte, Epidemiology & Disease Control, HCA; Joan Hertel, HCA; Leo Crawford, Assistant County Executive Officer; Lucy Cardwell, HCA; Noeline Fallon, Sheriff's Department; Linda Carrillo, SSA. 3 3 Page 4 4 What’s UP is a newsletter for employees of the County of Orange, CA, Health Care Agency. Editors . . . . . . . Howard Sutter Pat Markley Anne Fialcowitz

Your Input Phone . (714) 834-5109 E-mail . HSutter@ hca. co. orange. ca. us FAX . . . (714) 834-7644 Pony . . Bldg. 38-S

S taff members at HCA Nutrition Services have started preparations for the March observance of National Nutrition Month, with entry forms going out to area high schools for the annual "Health & Nutrition Essay Contest." The contest is open to students attending high school in Orange County and offers a $200 savings bond to the winner. Other prizes will be awarded to the second and third place essayists, as well as to a pair of essays receiving honorable mention. Winning es-says are displayed at the Orange County Hall of Administration and all students submit-ting essays will receive a certificate of participation. More information on the essay contest is available by contacting Leigh-Anne Rice, MPH, RD, at (714) 956-4483 or by e-mail at LRice@ hca. co. orange. ca. us.

Answers to Tech Quiz from page 2: 1. False— Backing up data is each user's own responsibility. 2. False— Viruses have been found on new shrink-wrapped software. 3. True 4. True 5. False— A Super disk has about 80 times the storage a regular diskette has. 6. True 7. True 8. True 9. False— HCA has over 2,500 computers, of which 2,000 are networked 10. False— The Enterprise network is always growing and ever changing.

we’re on-line! You can check out the latest issues of the Health Care Agency’s newsletters by using

this URL: http://www.ochealthinfo.com/newsletters/index.htm

We will keep current issues on line for a year. Let us know how you like the convenience!

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Making a list . . . checking it twice! Representatives from several HCA Public Health Services programs joined forces to staff the Operation Santa Claus holiday store in December. Among those who took on the task of finding just the right gift were (l-r): Carole Valencia, Disease Control; Yvonne Flynn, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health; and Karen Schneider, Special Disease Services. Operation Santa Claus provided approximately 5,000 toys to children involved in HCA programs. At an average cost of $10, that's $50,000 dollars in toys!

H CA Human Resources has launched two major efforts to provide the public and HCA staff with easy access to vital job infor-mation. In December, Human Resources de-buted its site on the HCA web page. Working with the Web Development staff in HCA Quality Management/ Public Infor-mation and Communications, the site was created to provide easy access to a com-plete and current listing of HCA job op-portunities. It also includes a link to the Orange County job listing website, which allows on-line applications. More help arrived in January, with the distribution of the HCA HR Explorer 2.0. This helpful tool provides links to the PIPWorks and PSI websites, as well as on-line class registration and information from the data warehouse on employee review dates. Your can also use the Ex-plorer to reach the HCA HR web page and the County of Orange Human Re-sources site. The County site features information on Rideshare and other im-portant programs. Using the "Help" button provides contact information for on-line training registration assistance and ques-tions about the data warehouse informa-tion. Our thanks to HR for these useful resources!

Nutrition Services offers essay contest for high school students

$50,000 in toys to HCA Kids! HR provides useful tools 4

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