issue 02-4

April 2002

Anh has the "write" stuff!

Anh, an Information Processing Specialist for HCA's Office of Quality Management (QM), began drafting poetry by the age of 20. After escaping during the fall of Saigon in 1975, along with many other refugees, Anh journeyed to the United States in search of a better life. Her pursuit of happiness quickly became a triumphant voyage of accomplishments culminating in the release of her latest book, entitled "Love and Remembrance."

Anh's passion is clearly apparent in her stories and poems written in the Vietnamese language that reflect on life in both Vietnam and the United States. After arriving in the U.S., Anh attended college in Virginia and Oregon. In order to pursue her love of writing, she moved to California where a number of Vietnamese language newspapers and magazines are published.

Following her move to California, Anh worked for 10 years as a technician for Tektronix Corp., where she repaired and calibrated electronic equipment. She joined the Health Care Agency three and a half years ago, currently working with the Quality Management staff to organize and create databases. She also uses her Vietnamese language skills to proofread and translate various HCA program materials.

"I truly enjoy working for QM and having the opportunity to convert and proofread materials for translation into Vietnamese," said Anh. "It's similar to what I like to do in my spare time, read and write!"

Since 1989, Anh has been writing for a number of Vietnamese publications and currently serves as a columnist and free-lance writer for several Vietnamese newspapers and magazines

in Canada, Texas and right here in Westminster's Little Saigon. One of Anh's columns focuses on women's issues and another

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CMS nurses receive countywide honor from Sheriff Carona

Registered Nurses Jagdish R. Chopra and Eliseo C. Tajanlangit received Special Recognition Awards for Lifesaving during the Sheriff Department's annual Medal of Valor luncheon, held March 13 at the Disneyland Hotel. The nurses and two deputies at the Central Jail Complex/Intake Release Center were honored for their actions in saving a male inmate who collapsed while showering. The life-saving effort in December 2001 included the use of a portable automatic external defibrillator that can provide a heart-starting shock to a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. A Correctional Medical Services (CMS) physician, Dr. Waayl Salih, also provided assistance at the scene, working with paramedics to administer oxygen and emergency medications. Chopra and Tajanlangit were among just twenty

In attendance at the Sheriff's Department annual Medal of Valor luncheon were (l-r): Lori Gordon, Senior RN; Eliseo Tajanlangit, RN; Dorothy Duarte, Senior RN; Jagdish Chopra, RN; and Nancy Redler, Senior RN.

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New growth charts aid in determining childhood obesity

Soft-Train selected as PC software training provider

The 2001 growth chart created by the National Center for Health Statistics includes a body mass index (BMI), comparing weight, height and age to reflect whether a child

After careful consideration and evaluation, Soft-Train was selected for the following reasons:

• Soft-Train's ability to meet HCA's specific training needs

• Soft-Train provided the best overall vendor presentation of services

• Soft-Train has the most desirable compliment of services and resources

• Soft-Train is the best value for their years of experience in the business

With 18 years experience, Soft-Train has the largest staff of certified trainers, and offers the best value for services provided to HCA. While Soft-Train is the Agency's training provider, HCA employees will be able to retake, on an unlimited basis, any paid course provided by Soft-Train. There is also free 24/7 telephone support on any paid training course, and award winning course materials. Besides meeting all of the Agency's basic requirements, Soft-Train's general per class costs will represent considerable savings when compared to the previous training provider.

A catalog of the new classes, which began on April 2^nd, was distributed in an e-mail on March 15^th along with the required PC Training Request form, which requires Division Manager and Program Support Manager's approval. A schedule of classes is also available on the HCA Intranet at http://balsam/intranet/it/schedule.asp. Once you receive e-mail confirmation of attendance from the TRAINING COORDINATOR in Outlook, your enrollment is complete.

Since opening in August 2000, HCA's PC training facility has hosted 200 class sessions in which more than 2400 agency personnel have been trained.

The new 2001 growth chart includes data collected by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) during the 1990's in four large studies and in four different parts of the U.S. This study includes a sample of children of various ethnic backgrounds, making it more representative of the population of children and adolescents living in the U.S. today.

Previously used growth charts dated back to 1982 and were based on data collected during the 1970's from one large study developed by Wright State University in Ohio. The data collected during the 1982 study focused mainly on Caucasian children born and living in the Midwest and did not account for the remainder of the Country's diverse population.

The growth chart provides assistance to MCAH staff in identifying if the child or adolescent has excess body fat or

HCA Child and Adolescent Health Clinics provide families with the education and information needed to become aware of the importance of healthy eating and adequate activity, both as a means of controlling weight and of improving general health and well-being. For more information about the MCAH program, call the information and clinic appointment line at (800) 914-4887. If you would like to download copies of the growth charts, visit www.cdc.gov/growthcharts.

Refresher compliance training planned

The Compliance Program's training effort was truly monumental in scope, with almost 100 training sessions held over a period of 5 months to meet the busy schedules of HCA personnel and contractors. The successful completion of the training is a tribute to the dedication of dozens of trainers representing all of HCA's service areas, who worked to make the program meaningful to diverse audiences.

A key component of planning the refresher training will be the input received from HCA's Compliance trainers, based on their classroom experiences in presenting the Compliance Program information. A survey will also be developed and sent to a random sample of Agency staff for their feedback on the initial training experience.

Just as the Agency's Compliance training program is evolving, the Agency's Code of Conduct is proving to be a "living" document, with an annual review underway to identify areas that need to be updated. The review of the Code of Conduct will be accomplished with input from the HCA Compliance Committee, the Agency's Executive Team and other Agency representatives.

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

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.

—William Shakespeare

County's blood donors save lives

Gold Star

continued from page 1

The nine blood drives held during March 2002 produced 371 blood donations, an increase of 110 units from blood drives held during a similar period last year. The increase was even more dramatic at HCA's two blood drives, with a 94% increase in donations this year.

Traditionally, County of Orange employees respond generously to the Red Cross blood drive in order to maintain an adequate supply of blood that is necessary to help meet the critical needs of patients throughout Orange County. This year's drive was successful due to the many long-time blood donors who participate in the drives every year, as well as many new donors who gave an hour of their time to offer the gift of life to someone in need of transfusions and other blood products.

A special thank you to all HCA employees who rolled up their sleeves and contributed to the success of this year's drives. We hope many of you will consider becoming a donor before the next Red Cross blood drives are held later this year.

In celebration of the publishing of her third book by Lang Van, Anh visited Dallas, Texas to participate in a book signing hosted by the Ca Dao, a popular Vietnamese language magazine and one of the publications Anh currently writes for. Her newly published book includes nine stories that generally speak of life and include titles such as old age, sorrow and human love, just to name a few.

"I never thought of actually having any of my books published until one of the newspaper editors brought up the idea," Anh explained. "Actually seeing my book in a completed and bound form made me realize how much my work is really appreciated, not to mention what an accomplishment it is."

Also included in Anh's book is a story about a famous statue of a South Vietnamese soldier that was once displayed at the South Vietnamese National Memorial Cemetery in Vietnam. The statue was erected by the South Vietnamese Government during the Vietnam War to honor Vietnamese soldiers.

After the war, the Communist Government destroyed the statue and many graves of South Vietnamese soldiers who fought in the war. Today, many Vietnamese people view the statue as a memorial to honor the struggle of the refugees and soldiers that once fought with strong determination to avoid communism. A replica of the statue is expected to be built near the Westminster City Hall in honor of the many Vietnamese individuals who have since moved to the city in search of a better life.

It is still difficult for Anh to believe how far she has come and how much she has accomplished since traveling here from Vietnam. Today, while working full-time for HCA, Anh still finds time after work to pursue her avid love of writing. She is already working on her fourth book, a historical fiction novel centered on the life of a Vietnamese princess.

"I'm not sure when this one will be complete, but I know that I would also like to have this one published someday, " Anh said.

Several blood donors take it easy while Red Cross nurses stay very busy during one of HCA's recent blood drives. Totals from the county-wide drive show significant increases from last year's effort.

May Health Observances

Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

Clean Air Month

Hepatitis Awareness Month

Mental Health Month

National Arthritis Month

National High Blood Pressure Education Month

National Osteoporosis Prevention Month

Skin Cancer Awareness Month

National Alcohol and Other Drug-Related

Birth Defects Week May 12-18

National Employee Health and Fitness Day May 15

National Emergency Medical Services Week May 19-25

Buckle Up America May 20-27

National Senior Health and Fitness Day May 29

World "No Tobacco" Day May 31

Multicultural Conference draws packed house

(above) Big screens allowed Multicultural Conference attendees to get a good look at Keynote Speaker Robert Guthrie, Ph.D.

(left) Plenary Speaker David Kinzie, M.D., is pictured with Rafael Canul and Veronica Kelley of HCA's Cultural Competency Program.

The conference draws behavioral health professionals from throughout California and is staged by HCA Behavioral Health's Cultural Competency Program in association with Pacific Clinics. This year's theme was "Best Practices with Diverse Audiences: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," with experts offering practical information and advice during a series of workshop sessions. The keynote speaker for the event, Robert Guthrie, PhD., kept the audience enraptured with his personal experiences as an African-American psychologist. His book, "Even the Rat Was White," was a groundbreaking look at racial and other biases in psychological theories, research and testing. Plenary speaker J. David Kinzie, M.D., provided an in-depth look at how the events of September 11^th had reactivated many symptoms among previous refugee groups. Dr. Kinzie is Director of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Clinic at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. The conference also serves as an excellent networking opportunity for providers serving the diverse population of Southern California.

CMS Registered Nurse Valerie Terry helped save an inmate's life in 2000 using an automatic external defibrillator. Showing off the life saving device are Sheriff's Deputy Finn; Dorothy Duarte, RN; Valerie Terry, RN; and Lori Gordon, RN.

CMS Nurses

continued from page 1

CMS personnel have actually used the automatic external defibrillators (AED) on three occasions to save the lives of jail inmates. Another life-saving effort occurred March 28^th at the Intake Release Center when a prisoner watching a handball game collapsed after suffering apparent cardiac arrest. Sheriff's Deputies performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until members of the jail nursing staff arrived with the AED, which was used to deliver four shocks that returned the inmate's pulse to a steady beat. One of the lifesaving crew of CMS nurses was again Jagdish Chopra, who was joined by nurses Jocelyn Esguerra and Emma Catindig. The inmate was hospitalized in stable condition and was expected to survive the cardiac arrest.

The AED's, which are similar in size to a laptop computer, were placed in use at the county jails in January 2000 and training has been provided to jail nurses, physicians and sheriff's deputies on their use.

CC's Spotlight on Excellence

Leaping into the 2002 OC Fair

The Orange County Fair will once again jump into action from July 12-28 in celebration of this year's theme, "Leap into the Fair _ We're Making a Big Splash." To join in this year's festivities, HCA's Orange County Fair Planning Committee is already hard at work preparing for yet another successful booth at the Fair.

To fulfill the Agency's objectives for Fair participation, the Planning Committee has established goals for the event. These will include good health promotion by providing up-to-date information and publicizing HCA services and employment opportunities.

Last year, HCA's booth won Orange County Fair awards in four of the six categories including 2^nd place for Best of Show, Theme and Staff Categories and 3^rd place in the Interactive/Variety Category. These awards were the result of HCA's overwhelming employee participation in staffing the booth during the Fair's operating hours.

This year, HCA is hoping to make a giant splash at the Fair by creating another award winning booth. Employee participation will again be an important factor to the continued success of the booth. Staff participation is needed Monday through Wednesday from 12 Noon to 11:00 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Those who choose to volunteer at the Fair will each receive free admission and parking for the day they decide to work. So mark your calendars and get ready to "Leap into the 2002 Orange County Fair!"

Participating in the presentation of the award were (l-r) Doug Barton, Deputy Agency Director/Behavioral Health Services; Frank Murillo, Patients' Rights Advocacy Services; Vijay Bhakta; Veronica Kelley and Kary To, Cultural Competency Program.

Presenting the award were (l-r): Doug Barton, Deputy Agency Director; Holly Han, MFT II; Kate Pavich, ADAS Supervisor; Veronica Kelly and Rafael Canul, Cultural Competency Program.

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/

Date set for Nurse Recognition Luncheon

Extra help/part-time benefits update

Pictured with some of the silent auction items from just one of the many fundraising events to support the luncheon are the Nurse Recognition Committee members (back row L to R): Mary Jo Vincent, Kathleen Parris, Alan Directo, Diane Wiley, Penny Stastny, Beryle Koenig, Bobbie Thompson and Maite Sbabo. (front row L to R): Dorothy Tran, Grace Roeisler, Colleen Nguyen and Nina Rie Matienzo.

If an Extra Help employee is selected for a regular position, options will be to enroll in the County's Deferred Compensation Plan or to leave the money in the Plan account and continue to earn interest.

Extra Help employees hired before March 1, 2002 will remain enrolled in the Extra Help Employees Defined Benefit Retirement Plan. An employee who leaves an Extra Help position and is re-hired to an Extra Help position, will be enrolled in the new Extra Help Deferred Compensation Plan. For further information, please contact Dana Bianco at (714) 834-3988.

Congrats to Public Health Week quiz winners

A special thanks to the Public Health Planning Committee (Amy Dale, Kelly Broberg, Mindy Smith, Venus Valencia, Angelina Sandoval, Juanita Rios and Pat Markley) and the Orange County Coalition for Health Education for donating the prizes for quiz winners. A special thank- you also goes to all employees who participated in helping to make the Public Health Week quiz a huge success.

Public Health Week is a nationwide health promotion that focuses on the many public health programs and services that protect and enhance public health. The event further acknowledges the exemplary efforts of public health professionals who protect, promote and en

• Anna Peters

• Edith Knott

• Janice Van Mullem

• Maria Montellano

• Maricela Maffey Guzman

• Mark McDorman

• Myra Kanter

• Sally Torres

• Sara Murrieta

• Terry C. Waters

A PIP of a reminder!

If you chose time off for your last PIP award, you must either take the time off OR "cash-out" your PIP leave before your next annual PIP award date! (See Page 25 in your PIP Manual.) To "cash-out" your PIP leave, use the code "PIPAN" on your timesheet. This is the same process used when you are requesting payment for some of your accrued vacation time. If your performance review comes to HCA/HR and there is PIP leave of one hour or greater still on the books, HR will cash it out for you in the appropriate pay period and enter your new award the following pay period. This will result in a delay if you leave it up to HCA/HR, rather than taking action on your own, to cash-in your PIP award.

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 Pony Bldg. 38-S, 4th Floor