issue 04-06
June, 2004
Jennifer Phillips selected to lead ACS - Page 1
Supportive housing welcomed to Midway City - Page 1
Robinson honored at CAP celebration - Page 2
Therapist of Year Award presented to Darlene Snyder - Page 2
Stone receives 2004 SCPHA Award - Page 2
HCA set to jam at the OC Fair - Page 2
July Health Observances - Page 2
Cover the Uninsured Week celebrated - Page 3
Recent Compliance survey shows improvement in key areas - Page 3
Board proclamations announced for May - Page 4
Stigma "Experience" implemented at Meeting of the Minds Conference/Fair - Page 5
Celebrating EMS Week—May 16 - 22 - Page 6
HCA tests its Bioterrorism Response - Page 8
HCA welcomes new Animal Care Services (ACS) Director, Jennifer Phillips, who began her duties at the Animal Care Center in Orange last month.
Prior to her new position with HCA, Ms. Phillips served as assistant to the city manager in Fullerton and principal financial analyst for the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). While at the City of Fullerton, she worked with the city manager in preparing a multimillion dollar decision package in FY 2003-04 for general fund expenditures. During her tenure at OCTA, she managed the development of a $6.5 billion long-range strategic financial plan.
"Ms. Phillips brings a wealth of budgetary knowledge to her new position and is widely recognized for her expertise in management and administration," said Mike Spurgeon, Deputy Directory for Regulatory Health Services. "We are fortunate to gain her broad expertise, seasoned background and impressive communication skills. We appreciate the dedication she's exhibited in working with the Orange County community."
Ms. Phillips earned both her Masters in Public Administration in 1991 and Bachelor of Science degree in 1988 from California State University, Long Beach. She has active memberships in several animal care organizations.
A Grand Opening celebration for the Jackson Aisle Apartments was held on May 20, and the event, attended by over 100 people, was a great success.
Jackson Aisle, located in Midway City, is a 29-unit affordable apartment complex for homeless individuals suffering from chronic mental illness. Jackson Aisle was built from the ground up via collaboration between H.O.M.E.S., Inc., a private non-profit agency (also the co-owner), A Community of Friends (developer), the Orange County Housing Authority, and the Orange County Health Care Agency. This is the first project of its kind in Orange County.
The apartment units are targeted to persons earning 35% of the area median income. Residents pay no more than 30% of their income for rent, and the Orange County Housing Authority subsidizes the remainder of the rent through Shelter Plus care funding.
Jackson Aisle residents receive ongoing supportive services from the Orange County Health Care Agency and other HCA Adult Mental Health Services contracted clinics. Services provided to residents include basic needs assessment, mental health care, life skills and job training programs, advocacy/education, and crisis intervention. Additionally, education on independent living skills in the areas of cooking, cleaning, budgeting and accessing public transportation will be offered.
Currently, the Jackson Aisle Apartments are full and there is a waiting list for prospective new residents. Referrals are submitted via Health Care Agency mental health and contract clinics. This is an exciting housing opportunity for those with special needs, and has given residents support to maintain independent living and enrich their lives.
The Community Action Partnership of Orange County honored Dawn Robinson of Public Health's Nutrition Services Program at a reception held at Bowers Museum on Thursday, May 27.
As a Registered Dietician, Dawn received recognition for her outstanding dedication and positive contributions to the Orange County community. She is currently an active participant in several nutrition groups, including the Nutrition and Physical Activity Collaborative (NuPAC) and the Children and Weight Task Force.
Dawn was honored among a group of dedicated community members and leaders including Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Assemblyman Lou Correa and A.G. Kawamura, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
This year, the Community Action Partnership celebrates "40 Years of Caring" and the legacy of Community Services Block Grants to fight the war on poverty. The celebration recognized this year's recipients as key individuals making a difference in the present and those who are leading the way for tomorrow.
Hats off to Becky Stone, Supervising Public Health Nurse (SPHN), on receiving the annual Southern California Public Health Association (SCPHA) Leadership Award, which was presented to her during the Association's "Converting Public Health Challenges into Accomplishments" conference held in March.
Becky was acknowledged for her determined work ethic, professionalism and leadership in both her role as a SPHN for Community Health Nursing and as an officer in SCPHA.
An active member of SCHPA for more than 15 years, Becky received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Biola University and currently serves as the Association's Secretary. She has participated as a public health nurse representative to the SCPHA Governing Council and has served on both the Membership and Conference committees.
Congratulations to Darlene
Snyder, Physical Therapist
with the California Children's Services (CCS) Medical Therapy
Program, on receiving the Kathy McCarthy Therapist of the Year Award.
During her career with HCA, Darlene has worked at the Tynes Medical Therapy Unit (MTU) in Placentia, Carl Harvey MTU in Santa Ana, and most recently at, the Woodcrest MTU in Fullerton. She is recognized for her resourcefulness in solving difficult treatment issues and for her true passion in teaching and sharing her knowledge with others. Darlene's peers also see her as a self-motivated individual who strives to get things done, and who leads others in an unassuming manner.
The Therapist of the Year Award, established by CCS 13 years ago, recognizes staff therapists who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their profession, CCS, and the clients CCS serves. The award was named in honor of the late Kathy McCarthy, an occupational therapist who spent her 25-year career with HCA.
It's that time of year again for the 112th annual Orange County Fair to roll into town and HCA is set to host an educational and informational booth inside the Orange County Building from July 9 through July 15.
This year's fair, whose theme is "Jammin' at the Fair - the Year of the Grape," will run from July 9 through August 1 and is closed Mondays, July 12, 19 and 26. Be sure to come out and visit the Agency's booth and enjoy the fair's carnival rides, good eats and concert series line-up! Visit www.ocfair.com for more information.
Eye Injury Prevention Month
Hemochromotosis Screening Awareness Month
International Group B Strep Awareness Month
National Therapeutic Recreation Week 11-17
With statistics showing that an estimated 240,000 adults (12 percent) and 69,000 children (9 percent) in Orange County lack any healthcare coverage, a variety of activities and events took place during the week of May 10-16 to celebrate Cover the Uninsured Week.
To expand health coverage and provide a medical home to Orange County's children, scheduled activities included enrollment events at local schools, mini health fairs, and free health screenings.
A reception on May 11 was held at the County Hall of Administration Building prior to the Board of Supervisors meeting. A proclamation declaring May 10-16 Covering the Uninsured Week in Orange County was presented to coalition members at the Board meeting by Chairman Tom Wilson.
Each year, Cover the Uninsured Week is celebrated nationally to raise awareness of the growing number of children without a healthcare home and to find solutions to ensure that they receive the health and medical services they need. For more information, visit www.covertheuninsuredweek.org.
… more photos on page 6
The HCA Compliance Program received high ratings in a recent on-line survey of Agency employees, but Office of Compliance staff say there's room for even more improvement.
HCA Chief Compliance Officer Jeffrey Nagel says the survey showed significant improvement over the previous 2002 survey results in the percentage of employees who are aware of the Compliance Program Intranet site and those who would feel comfortable reporting a concern or issue through the Compliance Program Hotline. "We're glad that over 80% of HCA employees are familiar with the resources available on the Compliance Program website, and that the Compliance Hotline is viewed as an effective way to report issues for further investigation, but we'd like to see even more improvement in future surveys."
Of those who responded to the survey, 95% said the on-line Annual Compliance Training was effective or very effective and by a four-to-one ratio, they expressed a preference for more on-line training in the future. The ratings for on-line training were even higher than the scores for in-person training, demonstrating the effectiveness of the on-line training approach.
Over half of all issues reported to the Compliance Program since its inception have come through the confidential hotline established to allow staff to report issues in a confidential manner. "One of the Compliance Program's goals is to provide an open channel of communication for employees to report potential compliance issues, and then objectively investigate those issues," Nagel said. This survey reflects that fewer employees reported any concerns about bringing forward an issue to the Compliance Program.
Nagel encourages employees to call back to the hotline for feedback or to provide additional information when needed, indicating that up to half of the employees who report concerns to the Compliance Hotline don't call back for feedback. "We'd like to be able to communicate with employees about their concerns, but we can't unless they call back on issues that are reported confidentially through the hotline. When contacting the hotline, we also need employees to provide more specific information, such as days, dates, times, or locations that issues may have occurred, so we can focus our investigation on these specific details."
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
What's UP is a newsletter for employees of the County of Orange, CA, Health Care Agency.
Editors Tricia Landquist Landquist
Howard Sutter
Anne Fialcowitz
Your Input
Phone (714) 834-6644
E-mail TLandquist@ochca.com
FAX (714) 834-7644
The May 11 Board meeting proved to be a busy day for the Orange County Board of Supervisors with the presentation of several proclamations to recognize a number of key health events and observances occurring in Orange County during the month of May.
HCA staff joined Agency Director Julie Poulson, Deputy Directors Dr. Mark Horton and Mark Refowitz and Supervisor Wilson in proclaiming May 10-16 Covering the Uninsured Week, May 2004 as Mental Health Month, May 12 as Nurse Recognition Day and May 16-22 as National Emergency Medical Services Week in Orange County.
The annual Meeting of the Minds Mental Health Conference and Resource Fair held at the Disneyland Hotel on Tuesday, May 25 drew an attentive crowd again this year and provided attendees with the opportunity to take part in a new interactive/educational stigma-awareness activity.
Along with visiting booths and attending educational workshops, visitors at this year's conference had the option to participate in a new educational "blue- eyes, brown-eyes" exercise called "the Experience." Staged by the Orange County Stigma Elimination Task Force, the exercise simulated a stigma experience based on eye colors.
Those with brown eyes were given preferential treatment over those with blue or other eye color, which included a raffle drawing for a mystery prize. While a number of attendees were a bit surprised at some of the better treatment provided to those with brown eyes, all appreciated the educational opportunity to learn how it actually feels to be a victim of stigma.
To reinforce the lessons of "the Experience," Mark Ragins, MD, Staff Psychiatrist and founding member of the Village Integrated Service Agency, explained the goals of the interactive/ educational activity during the conference luncheon. And as a surprise to everyone, two raffle drawings took place for both brown-eyed attendees and those with blue and other eye color.
The Orange County Stigma Elimination Task Force adapted "the Experience" from the work of Jane Elliot, an internationally known Mental Health teacher, lecturer, diversity trainer and recipient of the National Mental Health Association Award for Excellence in Education.
The Meeting of the Minds conference is held annually by the Mental Health Association of Orange County. For more information, visit their website at www.mhaoc.org.
"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world. "—George Bernard Shaw
Orange County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) celebrated National 2004 EMS Recognition Week from May 16 - 22 by partnering with several local agencies and community organizations to stage a week of educational health classes and trainings, culminating in the annual EMS Week Tailgate Celebration at Angels Stadium.
A series of events including Super CPR Sunday, booster seat distribution, pool safety, DUI checkpoints and free blood pressure checks, to name a few, kicked-off on Saturday, May 15 and led up to the "No Fear" Conference held on Friday, May 21 at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.
The EMS program also hosted its annual EMS Recognition Awards at Mission Hospital, which recognized individuals from fire departments, law enforcement agencies, 911 dispatch centers, ambulance companies and hospitals that provide emergency services to residents and visitors of Orange County.
EMS Week ended in a tailgate celebration and baseball game on Saturday, May 22 at Angel Stadium. Free hot dogs and burgers were provided as visitors enjoyed viewing law enforcement, fire and paramedic vehicles and listening to the sounds of Midnight Train.
EMS day at Angels Stadium proved to be a complete success as fans later packed the stadium to see the Anaheim Angels defeat the Baltimore Orioles that evening!
… more photos from EMS Week!
On Wednesday, May 26, HCA practiced its bioterrorism response along with the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross in a staged mock smallpox mass vaccination exercise held at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove.
With approximately 1,400 HCA employees and community volunteers participating in the exercise, the drill aimed to test the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) recommendation that local health departments vaccinate 350 people per hour in order to ensure that the affected population is vaccinated in a timely manner.
Volunteers were given different roles, false names, and symptoms, and some were asked to play the role of non-English speakers to simulate an actual smallpox bioterrorism event. Also participating in the drill were nurses, paramedics and behavioral health specialists who were on hand to "administer" vaccine and care for patients.
Several ambulances were also used to transport patients to nearby UCI Medical Center during the simulated exercise.
The mock vaccination exercise enabled HCA to exercise its smallpox response plan, which helps to identify gaps in preparedness and improve the ability to respond in the event of an actual outbreak.
Special thanks to all HCA employees who volunteered their time and contributed their talents in implementing the exercise.
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