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Issue 02-03
March 2002
Helping others is top priority
Customer service skills learned long ago while working for an up-scale department store chain have proven invaluable for Jim Marquez, who serves as a Secretary II in Behavioral Health Adult Mental Health Services’ Administrative office.
Jim is right at home in his downtown Santa Ana location, because Santa Ana has been his home for more than 30 years. He graduated from Cal State Fullerton with an International Business Degree and a minor in Spanish, but he gave up his own business to join the Health Care Agency about ten years ago. "I had my own business providing window-cleaning and drapery services, and I was hoping to expand that business, but I became interested in mental health," Jim explained. Starting out as temporary help, Jim took an office technician position in a clinic and was tested early during his career with HCA. "I received a call from a client asking to speak with a doctor who was not in the office that day, and the client threatened to harm both a family member and me if I wasn’t able to connect him with the doctor. I did my best to calm him down. Several members of the clinic staff said they were surprised I came back the next day after that experience. But I really enjoyed interacting with the clients at the clinic and following my temporary assignment, I was offered and accepted a permanent position."
After working at the clinic in Aliso Viejo, Jim joined an HCA program serving the homeless in Downtown Santa Ana, where he worked as an office tech handling data collection and helping to track the progress of clients through the county’s system of assistance. "I also helped connect the clients with board and care services and I found it very interesting to
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HCA programs celebrate grand opening!
In celebration of the services provided by several unique programs for older adults in Orange County, a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house were held on February 19th to signify the opening of the Senior Health Outreach Prevention Program (SHOPP), Older Adult Services (OAS), Substance Abuse Resource Team (START) and Preventative Health Care for the Aging (PHCA). Participating in the open house festivities were Board of Supervisors Chair Cynthia P. Coad, Agency Director Julie Poulson, Deputy Agency Directors Mark Horton and Doug Barton and special guest speaker Mary-Evelyn Bryden from the HCA Tobacco Settlement Committee.
Approximately 100 attendees were on-hand to take part in the open house festivities where they enjoyed food and refreshments while mingling with staff members who were available to answer questions pertaining to the programs and services available to the senior community. Among the many attendees were several clients who shared their success stories and apprecia-
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Cutting the ribbon were (l-r): Mary Evelyn Bryden, Health Officer Dr. Mark Horton, Supervisor Cynthia P. Coad, HCA Director Julie Poulson and Behavioral Health Deputy Agency Director Doug Barton. (Additional photo on page 4)
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Compliance Program marks first anniversary
The accomplishments of HCA’s Compliance Program during its first year of
operation are included in an annual report that is summarized on the
Agency’s Intranet.
The Compliance Program, established in October 2000, had ten major objectives for 2001 and fully accomplished seven of those objectives by the end of the year. The remaining three objectives were partially accomplished during the past year with completion of these objectives expected during 2002. The program’s first ten objectives included:
- Establishment of an HCA Compliance Committee
Development of an HCA Employee Code of Conduct
Creation and distribution of Compliance Policies and Procedures
Development and implementation of an HCA Compliance training program
Establishment of a Compliance Intranet site
Implementation of a compliance issue reporting system including a confidential compliance hotline
Participation in Orange County’s activities related to identifying and implementing requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
The summary of the 2001 annual report can be viewed on the HCA Intranet site at http://balsam/intranet/compliance/.
Compliance training is also entering its next phase, with all new HCA employees receiving Compliance training as a part of New Employee Orientation. There will be a training session offered each month for new Agency contractors, new employees who have been unable to attend orientation, employees returning from a leave of absence and others who have not yet participated in Compliance training. A schedule of these monthly training sessions will also be posted on the HCA Intranet.
To reach the HCA Office of Compliance, call (714) 834-3154.
The HCA Compliance Program offers a confidential telephone hotline to voice your concerns about any situation that may conflict with Compliance Program principles. You may call the hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at: (866) 260-5636
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Compliance trainers were presented Awards of Excellence at the February Employee Recognition event. Serving as trainers are (alphabetically): Dee Dee Allan, Randee Bautista, Barbara Bohlig, Andrew Browne, Christine Caudill, Cort Curtis, Walter Dietiker, Casey Dorman, Susana Fernandez, Tristan Gale, Oscar Garza, Lawrence Howard, Gene Jalbert, Mark Johnson, Lisa Kawashima, Sam Love, Samantha Lutz, Denise Mejica, Susan Miller, Deborah Morton, Karen Munoz, Jenny Qian, Nancy Redler, Rita Rossow, Angelina Sandoval, Donald Sharps, Stephanie Smith, Randy Styner, Howard Sutter, John Van Sky, Colleen Van Winkle, Diana Vasquez, Susan Warnke and Jennifer Whittington. Those who contributed to Compliance Training were also recognized.
Public Health Field Nursing branches out
Public Health Field Nursing (PHFN) has added a new service area location to the growing list of cities in which they offer essential health services to Orange County residents. Service Area V will serve the cities of Costa Mesa, Tustin and portions of Santa Ana.
The new service area offices located at 200 West Santa Ana Blvd. in Santa Ana will provide access to many in-home and community nursing services including family-centered assessment, case management, client advocacy, preventative health teaching, health care access and community resources to at-risk patients.
For further information regarding PHFN or the new service area location, please contact the Service Area V office at (714) 347-0331.
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You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know when it will be too late.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
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HCA employees serve at 2002 Tet Festival
The Chinese New Year began with a bang at the 2002 Tet Festival, marking the Year of the Horse. This year, HCA staff members from several Behavioral Health and Public Health programs participated in the festivities by working at the HCA booth. Vietnamese speaking staff were able to interact one-on-one with the community to educate and inform individuals about the many health programs and services available to children, adults and seniors.
With a crowd of more than 80,000 people expected for the entire festival weekend, the HCA booth proved to be quite effective in providing outreach to the Vietnamese community. A display board showcased some of the many Health Care Agency programs including tobacco education, animal care, immunizations, older adult services, breast cancer awareness and TB services, just to name a few.
The annual Tet Festival draws a significant number of Vietnamese Americans from all over Southern California to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the beginning of Spring. By participating in the festivities of Tet, HCA was able to provide an essential outreach and education component in informing the Vietnamese community about the health services and programs that are available to them and their families. Special thanks to all of the Behavioral Health and Public Health staff that helped make the HCA booth such a huge success!
HCA staff members who represented the Agency and their programs in the booth included: Ti An Huynh, ADEPT; Chanh Nguyen, CHDP Program; Ken Nguyen, PHN, SHOPP; Nhung Nguyen, OAS/SHOPP; Tanny Nguyen, WIC; Tricia Nguyen, MEHES; Vicki Nguyen, WIC; and Donna Tran, PHN, SHOPP. Volunteers from collaborative community organizations who worked in the HCA booth included Dr. Quyen Ho of VNCOC and Jackie Tran of OCAPICA.
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HCA’s colorful booth at this year’s Tet Festival attracted interested Orange County residents of all ages.
Horton invited to Project Vietnam
Attending pediatric conferences is nothing new for HCA Deputy Agency Director for Public Health, Dr. Mark Horton. However, at-
tending a pediatric conference in Vietnam will be a new experience and one Dr. Horton is looking forward to with great anticipation.
Dr. Horton has been invited by Quynh Kieu, MD of the local chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, to participate in this year’s Project Vietnam Perinatal Conference, scheduled for March 26-28 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Dr. Horton will be presenting information to obstetricians, pediatricians and other specialists on perinatal transmission of HIV and Hepatitis B. His audience will include representatives of the obstetrical and pediatric departments of more than 60 hospitals in Vietnam as well as other health care providers. And while helping to educate these physicians is the main purpose of the visit, Dr. Horton says he hopes to come away with information that will be useful in Orange County. "I hope this trip will allow me to gain a better understanding of the tuberculosis problem in Vietnam as well as get a closer look at their health care system. By learning more about the health seeking behaviors of people in Vietnam, we may be able to learn more about how HCA can better accommodate the cultural expectations of our Vietnamese clients," Dr. Horton explained.
In addition to the conference, the itinerary for the trip includes visits to the National Institute of Pediatrics, K Hospital and the Institute for Protection of Mother and Newborn. Dr. Horton also hopes to meet with representatives of the US Centers for Disease Control who are based in Hanoi. Dr. Horton said, "With issues like AIDS and tuberculosis, we have learned that we have to contribute to the solution of these problems on a worldwide basis in order to address our own problems. The ease of international travel makes the control of these diseases a global issue."
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Gold Star continued from page 1
see people move from homelessness to eventually achieving independent housing."
After a stint with the Inpatient Treatment Authorization Requests (TAR) unit, Jim had the opportunity to move to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS), where he has provided support for the Deputy Director’s position over the past six years. "Here, I have the ability to interact more with the public, while in other units I interacted more with clinicians. I enjoy the public contact." AMHS Deputy Director Maria Marquez says Jim is often a primary contact for the public in communicating with the Division, and she sees him as an ambassador, not just for AMHS, but also for the Agency and County workforce. "Jim has had the opportunity to work on many projects with community groups and organizations and I always receive compliments about him from those he has worked with," Maria stated. Jim credits his customer service skills to time spent working for Nordstrom’s, where he learned to project a professional and confident image over the telephone. Obviously, that image also comes across in person while he supports the work of groups and committees associated with the Agency.
Jim hopes that his career with the Agency will someday take a new direction as he seeks to become a Marriage and Family Therapist by attending the Master’s Degree in Counseling program through Cal State Fullerton. "While working in the clinics, several of the therapists stated they thought I would be good in the field because I demonstrated a natural ability to work with the clients. I also think the fact I speak Spanish will be an asset because it seems that many Spanish speaking individuals are becoming more open and receptive to seeking the assistance of a counselor," said Jim. He sees family therapy as an area of special interest, after having grown up in a large family.
Away from the office, Jim finds time to give back to his hometown by serving as a member of the Santa Ana Historical Society and as a volunteer mentor at Pio Pico Elementary School. And while many county employees will be getting their first experience as an election worker during March, Jim has served for many years as an election worker in the City of Santa Ana. Somehow, we’re sure he’s able to put those customer service skills to work at the polling place, just as he does at HCA.
PH division holds first all-staff meeting
It took the Board of Supervisor’s Hearing Room to accommodate the first all-staff meeting for Public Health’s Disease Control and Epidemiology division, held on January 30.
The division, under the direction of Penny Weismuller, DrPH, includes the Epidemiology, Pulmonary Disease and TB Prevention, Birth and Death Records, Special Disease Services and Radiology Departments. While each department provided a brief summary of their accomplishments over the past year, a major topic of the meeting was the Enterprise Health Care Information Systems and how this new technology will bring change and improved communication to the Public Health programs and clinics. AIDS Surveillance staff member Art Thompson and Rhena Carusillo, a supervisor in TB Disease Prevention, were acknowledged for their service on the Access and Clinical Teams helping to implement the Enterprise system. Also recognized was Peg Jones, who helped to organize this first-ever staff meeting for Disease Control and Epidemiology.
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A feature of the Open House celebration for HCA programs serving older adults was a new display touting the services offered by the programs and their locations throughout Orange County. Social worker Priti Khoshoo and Dan Ketchum of Behavioral Health Quality Improvement and Program Compliance were among those viewing the display.
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Public Health Week activities planned
Orange County residents now enjoy better health, live in healthier conditions, know more about their own health care, and live longer than anytime in the past, because of the vital role of public health and public health workers. Public Health Week, April 1 - 7, is a nationwide health promotion focusing on the many public health programs and services that protect community health, prevent the spread of disease, keep the environment safe, promote healthy behaviors, prevent injuries, assure quality health care and respond to disasters.
Activities planned for Public Health Week include presentation of a resolution by the Orange County Board of Supervisors, posting of an agency-wide calendar of events for the week on the HCA website, presentation of the Gerald Wagner Award for Excellence in Health Education, an outreach event at the 17th Street Clinic, and promoting health careers curriculum to teachers. In addition, a quiz for HCA employees testing your knowledge of the agency will be on the HCA Intranet site after March 15. Accurately completed quizzes will be placed in a drawing for several small prizes.
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tion of how the programs have helped them.
The opening ceremony also signified a new office location for the four programs at 1540 East First Street in Santa Ana. Having the programs in the same location allows for a more effective means of outreach and collaboration since many staff members work closely together in ensuring their clients are receiving proper assistance and needed health care.
Primarily funded through tobacco settlement revenue, the programs work collaboratively with each other to ensure that their clients receive services including behavioral health assessment, health education, linkages to community resources and substance abuse consultation and assistance.
The many available services and assistance provided by the programs support the optimal health of aging adults living in Orange County. For further information regarding any of the programs, please call SHOPP at (714) 972-3700.
March event celebrates healthy eating
The staff of HCA Nutrition Services is participating in the observance of National Nutrition Month® during March as the spotlight focuses on the contribution of nutrition to a healthy lifestyle.
National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. National Nutrition Month® also promotes ADA and its members to the public and the media as the most valuable and credible source of timely, scientifically based food and nutrition information.
The theme for this year’s observance of National Nutrition Month® is "Start Today for a Healthy Tomorrow." The ADA says there is much to gain from taking a balanced approach to nutrition and offers the following advice:
Americans of all ages can benefit from making healthful eating, physical activity, and lifestyle choices.
Trying new foods and new physical activities can jump-start your plans for health.
Personalize the Food Guide Pyramid as your roadmap toward eating a variety of foods, using moderation when selecting portion sizes, and balancing your choices over time.
Taking the first step toward making healthful choices can be easy if you enlist help from friends and family.
If you’d like more information on nutrition, check out the American Dietetic Association’s website at www.eatright.org. The site includes daily nutrition tips, nutrition fact sheets and healthy lifestyle information.
April Health Observances
Alcohol Awareness Month
Cancer Control Month
Counseling Awareness Month
Autism Awareness Month
Child Abuse Prevention Month
Occupational Therapy Month
STD Awareness Month
Youth Sports Safety Month
National Public Health Week . . . . . . . . .April 1-7
Kick Butts Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .April 4
National Infants Immunizations Week . . April 14-20
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Staff members receive recognition at Employee Recognition Awards
The Employee Recognition Awards ceremony held on February 14th honored more than 100 individuals for their outstand- ing dedication and service to HCA. Agency Director Julie Poulson along with Deputy Agency Directors Mark Horton, Doug Barton and Herb Rosenzweig awarded employees their certificates of recognition and service pins. Special awards of excellence were also presented to Compliance Trainers. A breakdown of the awards given is as follows:
5 Years of Service . . . . 39
10 Years of Service . . . 27
15 Years of Service . . . 14
20 Years of Service . . . . 8
25 Years of Service . . . . 6
30 Years of Service . . . . 4
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Accepting 5 years of service certificates from Agency Director Julie Poulson are (alphabetically): Andrea Barbera, Joseph Chen, Stella Conde, Claudia Ely, Jovita Gonzalez, Frank Hernandez, Christine LaRosa, Sen Le, Carla Parmeter, Patricia Riedel, Lorena Sanchez, Sheela Surapaneni, Judith Urbanos and Jeannine Vitug.
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Agency Director Julie Poulson presents 10 year Service Awards to (alphabetically): Thea Bullock, Mary Casdorph, Jorge Contreras, Casey Dorman, Nancy Price, Dolores Sweigart, Mai Tang, Brian Uyeda and Jose Valle-Ochoa.
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(Left to Right) Leslia Beck, Susan Sullivan, Frank Boswell, Michelle Davies, Priti Khoshoo and Gwendolyn Lawrence accept their 15 years of service certificates and pins from Agency Director Julie Poulson.
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Agency Director Julie Poulson awards Judy Ogan and Karyn Sebbo certificates for 20 years of service.
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(Above) Frank Madrigal accepts his 25 years of service certificate from Deputy Agency Director Herb Rosenzwieg and Agency Director Julie Poulson.
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(Above) Deputy Agency Director Doug Barton and Agency Director Julie Poulson award Barbara Greenfield for her 25 years of service.
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(Left) Sharon Crabtree accepts her 30 years of service certificate from Deputy Agency Director Mark Horton and Agency Director Julie Poulson.
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(Below) A 25 year service award was presented to Sandra Fair by Deputy Agency Director Doug Barton and Agency Director Julie Poulson.
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(Below) A 25 year certificate of service award was presented to Allen Stroh by Agency Director Julie Poulson.
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Check-up event helps reduce child safety seat misuse
The Orange County Child Passenger Safety Task Force (OCCPSTF) recently held a community child safety seat check-up event on February 11th in Costa Mesa to educate parents about the proper use, functionality and installation of child safety seats.
During the event, parents brought their vehicles, child safety seats and their child to receive information and demonstrations on correct installation by one of the certified Child Safety Technicians. The technicians helped to supervise parents while installing their own child safety seat and assisted them in making corrections where necessary. The overall goal of the event was to have each child leave the event safer than when they arrived and for each parent to be able to install the seat correctly for future use.
The product of a partnership between OCCPSTF and the Right Start store, the event proved to be quite effective when 41 out of 45 child safety seats contained potentially dangerous installation errors. Results of the event seemed to be quite common during many other check-up events. In fact, the National Safe Kids Campaign estimates that 4 out of 5 child safety seats are being used incorrectly.
Ana Merk and Juliette Moehn Brown, HCA staff members from the Buckle Up Safety Program, part of Health Promotion’s Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention Program, are certified and trained Child Safety Passenger Technicians who participate in many check-up events to help assess car seats and educate parents about proper use. As members of OCCPSTF, Ana and Juliette’s proactive safety outreach efforts to parents help ensure that children are properly restrained while riding in vehicles. Other members of OCCPSTF include nurses, fire personnel, law enforcement, health care providers, community-based non-profit organizations and health educators.
For further information regarding the Orange County Child Passenger Safety Task Force, please call HCA’s Buckle-Up Orange County program at (714) 834-3059. To find out when the next scheduled Child Safety Seat Check-Up Event is being held, please call the announcement line at: (714) 796-0173 (English) or (714) 796-0174 (Spanish).
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Shellie Hunt, Ana Merk and Juliette Brown from the Orange County Buckle Up Program, part of Health Promotion’s Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention Program, educate and inform the community about proper child safety seat installation and use.
IMPACT program helps others "Navigate the Maze"
The Immediate Mental Health Processing, Assessment and Coordination of Treatment (IMPACT) program recently completed an informational video to
help educate individuals about mental illness and treatment by utilizing personal experiences of consumers in the program. Co-produced by HCA and the Sheriff’s Department, the video "Navigating the Maze" features personal interviews with mental health professionals and family members who have had to deal with a loved one diagnosed with mental illness.
The video was produced to be shown at the visitor centers of the Main Jail Complex and the Theo Lacy Facility to illustrate and provide information on the signs and symptoms of mental illness, problems associated with mentally ill individuals using alcohol and illicit drugs and how to obtain assistance from the Behavioral Health programs in the County.
The IMPACT program hopes that "Navigating the Maze" will help reduce the chances of individuals being re-arrested by providing useful information to assist families and friends in dealing with a mentally ill family member.
A key individual responsible for the creation of the video was Ed Smith, Mental Health Specialist. Though having almost no experience with video production, Ed was able to turn a challenge into an opportunity. By involving family members and utilizing the expertise and assistance of Robert Smith, Audio Visual Specialist for the Sheriff’s Department, Ed created an exceptional information tool to assist the IMPACT program in providing outreach and educational information to family members and friends of mentally ill individuals.
IMPACT is an outpatient program of Correctional Mental Health and is in its third year of a four-year Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction (MIOCR) grant from the State of California Board of Corrections. The overall goal of the grant and the program is to significantly reduce the amount of re-incarcerated mentally ill adults in the Orange County Jails by further linking them with treatment services and case management upon their release.
For further information regarding "Navigating the Maze," please contact the IMPACT program at (714) 480-6777.
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
We will keep current issues on line for a year. Let us know how you like the convenience!
What’s UP is a newsletter for employees of the County of Orange, CA, Health Care Agency.
Editors . . . . . . . Howard Sutter, Tricia Landquist, Anne Fialcowitz
Your Input
Phone . (714) 834-5109
E-mail . HSutter@ochca.com
FAX . . . (714) 834-7644
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