October, 2004
Inside this issue---
OAS Summit on Hoarding draws crowd - Page 2
EMS wins 2004 CSAC Merit Award - Page 3
November Health Observances - Page 3
Surprise birthday parties sneak up on Refowitz and Riley! - Page 3
ADEPT receives state grant - Page 5
November deadline for 2004 training - Page 5
Healthy Halloween Treats - Page 5
Spotlight on Excellence - Page 6
Spotlight on Excellence Nomination Form - Page 6
HCA beefs up IT security - Page 6
As Supervising Public Health Nurse for HCA Epidemiology and Assessment (E&A), Mary McDonald is responsible for supervising five Public Health Nurses (PHNs) and two Office Assistants who process, manage and report incoming telephoned, faxed and mailed reports of reportable communicable diseases.
"Mary is fully dedicated to serving the population of Orange County and to maintaining a productive staff, being sensitive to their needs and working to meet those needs in our challenging environment of scarce resources," said Dr. Hildy Meyers, HCA Epidemiology Medical Director.
In her position at Epidemiology and Assessment, Mary enjoys the variety of challenges, and the ability to make a difference in the healthcare environment of Orange County.
"While the core function of the program is to identify and notify the State of reportable communicable diseases, other vital parts of the process also include the education of the public, assuring appropriate treatment and preventive measures are implemented early and completed, and assuring that staffing is adequately prepared to meet the newest emerging disease," said Mary. She adds that the assistance of many healthcare colleagues in the community in acute care facilities, medical groups and individual physicians are essential to the program's ability to report disease in a timely manner.
This year, Mary is also serving as President of the Orange County chapter of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) and Epidemiology, and as Co-Chair for the MRSA Task Force of APIC/OCHCA, which is working to develop recommendations to help control Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in Orange County acute care facilities. . . .
continued on page 2
The 2004 United Way fundraising campaign, "United We Can Find A Way—25 Years of Giving," officially began with a bang when County employees flocked to the annual United Way celebration held at the Hall of Administration courtyard on September 29.
To help raise funds for this year's United Way Campaign, various County agencies hosted booths at the event and sold everything from an assortment of food items and candy treats, to books, candles, and tickets for opportunity drawings. Attendees even had the opportunity to receive a back massage.
The event drew another long line of people to HCA's booth, which featured a menu of Chinese food items including orange chicken, chow mein and egg rolls from the Wok Stix restaurant, owned by former HCA employee Tuoi Tran and her husband.
The second educational seminar on hoarding held at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center on September 29 once again drew a capacity crowd, as attendees came to learn about human hoarding behavior, a recently recognized health and safety issue with mental health implications.
Defined as a situation in which a person has too many belongings to function safely, hoarding is a debilitating disorder unrecognized by many who suffer from it. Newspapers, magazines, old clothes, food containers and animals are a few examples of items most commonly collected by individuals with hoarding behavior.
The Summit addressed numerous topics including understanding hoarding, the changing role of code enforcement, home as a sacred place, legal interventions, animal hoarding, practical de-cluttering techniques, and community resources.
"The interest in these seminars on hoarding has been overwhelming and is a reflection of this growing problem in our society," said Mark Odom, LCSW, of the Orange County Health Care Agency's Older Adult Services. "Senior service providers, code enforcement officials, fire inspectors, animal service employees, vector control, and many others are encountering more and more cases of human hoarding behavior here in Orange County."
HCA's Older Adult Services (OAS) program collaborated with Adult Protective Services, various community based organizations and the CSUF Institute of Gerontology to produce several of the presentations that provided examples of how health and human services professionals can intervene, and offer information on resources available to assist local officials encountering hoarding situations.
Although hoarding has been studied in adults, very little is known about the problems of hoarding among elderly people and the effects on their psychosocial well-being. The Summit on Hoarding provided local professionals the opportunity to develop a better understanding of this community problem and establish collaborative relationships with other service providers to assist in improving interventions.
For more information on hoarding and how to work with individuals
who suffer from this problem, contact HCA Older Adult Services at (714)
972-3700 or visit
www.ochealthinfo.com/behavioral/amhs/olderadult.htm to learn more about the OAS program.
continued from page 1
Mary began her career with HCA in 1991 as a PHN III for California Children's Services (CCS), as a case manager, where she worked for five years reviewing cases and authorizing medical care for seriously ill children.
She then sought the opportunity to serve in another HCA position as Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Clinics Supervising Public Health Nurse for four years, covering clinics in San Juan Capistrano, Costa Mesa, Buena Park and assisting at the Santa Ana location.
Mary's first interests in healthcare began during her first high school job, as a nursing assistant for a retirement home that her parents managed as administrator and director of nursing. Her strong passion to help others stemmed from what Mary learned from her parents, who lived to give to others and to do their part to promote the quality of life in others.
"Living in Bihar, India as a young child, I had the opportunity to observe my mother as she operated a dispensary by herself and performed many health care duties ranging from suturing wounds to pulling teeth," said Mary. "When she passed away, my father remarried another registered nurse who had also been a surgical nurse in India. Watching their commitment to nursing prompted an interest in me to pursue this field of work."
Mary received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing while attending Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. At Millersville State University in Millersville, Pennsylvania, Mary completed coursework in education and attended Cal State Los Angeles studying healthcare management.
Mary is acknowledged for her demonstration of integrity and service in assuring that all concerns of the public are addressed to the best of the program's ability and for her skill in balancing priorities, jumping into new situations and handling crises. Dr. Meyers adds that Mary exemplifies the tenets of her nursing profession in caring for others, striving to meet their needs, and staying until the job is done.
In her spare time, Mary enjoys reading biographies and true-life stories, which has always been a love of hers, passed on to her by her father who was a teacher, administrator and minister. She also enjoys church work, singing, and spending time with her family, especially her one-year old granddaughter.
"I realized that my passion is to give back to the community through
public service," said Mary. "It's not always
the easiest or most comfortable career path, but certainly a very rewarding one."
The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) will present a merit award next month to Orange County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for their program, "EMS Week 2004 - A Salute to Everyday Heroes." From 163 applications submitted from counties across the state, EMS Orange County was selected in the top 31.
EMS Week, held annually each year, is a special week designed to honor those who provide emergency medical services in the County. More than 12 local agencies, representing over 30 cities, 26 hospitals and over 30,000 employees, voluntarily stepped up to invest resources and work collaboratively to promote injury prevention programs to Orange County families.
OC EMS professionals combined resources to offer educational trainings on various topics that included gun safety, CPR training, pool safety, fire safety and car seat safety, to name a few.
EMS week culminated in a community tailgate celebration at Angel Stadium, which featured fire and police vehicles, various informational booths, free food and an exciting baseball game. More than 2,800 attendees joined HCA EMS at the celebration and to see the Angels defeat the Baltimore Orioles.
Each year CSAC presents California counties with the opportunity to apply for their Challenge Awards, which highlight county achievements in overcoming critical challenges. For more information about the annual CSAC Awards, visit the California State Association of Counties website at www.csac.counties.org. To learn more about EMS Week visit www.ochealthinfo.com/emsweek.
American Diabetes Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
National Epilepsy Month
National Marrow Awareness Month
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
National Allied Health Week 7-13
Great American Smokeout 18
GERD Awareness Week 21-27
—Henry Miller
continued from page 1
Back by popular demand were Child Protective Services' gourmet candy apples, and build-your-own baked potatoes.
As this year's Chair of the County's United Way Campaign, Agency Director Julie Poulson joined Co-Chair Jan Goss, Director of Integrated Waste Management, and Supervisor Tom Wilson in welcoming everyone to the celebration, and encouraging all employees to support the County's United Way efforts to help build a stronger and healthier Orange County community.
Remember your gift can make a difference! Keep an eye out for more upcoming United Way fundraising activities or visit http://ocintranet.ocgov.com/unitedway for a listing of already planned events.
You can also help to contribute by completing and submitting the United Way contribution or automatic payroll deduction forms that were recently distributed along with your paychecks. Return the forms to your United Way coordinator or contact Ralph Dumke, HCA Volunteer Services at (714) 796-0235 for more information. You may also submit your pledge or payroll deduction electronically through an e-mail that was sent to all employees on September 30.
Come out and support some of HCA's upcoming and ongoing United Way events listed below:
2004 United Way Golf Tournament—Friday, November 19
Compete for the "CUP"! This year's event will be a foursome "Best Ball" tournament, and the winning foursome (lowest score) will get to keep the engraved trophy cup for the entire year. The Golf Tournament is set for 8 a.m. at the Green River Golf Club/Orange Course in Corona. For more information or to sign-up, contact Steve Kim of Environmental Health at (714) 667-3709. Cost is $80 and includes cart.
Entertainment Books
Experience the best in Orange County! The 2005 Orange County Entertainment Book can save you hundreds of dollars. This year's book includes a variety of discounts on fine dining, take-out and fast food, attractions and retail, and casual dining. Contact Barry Havlick from HCA EMS via e-mail at bhavlik@ochca.com for more information or to order. Orange County books are $35, and editions from other counties are also available for purchase.
Halloween Bats
Hanging plush bats are available for purchase just in time for Halloween. Bats can be purchased for $8 and come in either black, brown or purple. Contact JoAnn Bowland from HCA Facilities and Acquisition Management at (714) 834-3107 for more information, or visit the bat display at 405 W. 5th Street, suite 610 in Santa Ana.
Woven Wraps
Get wrapped up in United Way! Chic, affordable woven wraps are
perfect for any occasion and make great gifts. Two styles (tight or loose machine
woven) and 40 different yarn colors to choose from. Tight woven wraps are
$20 and loose woven wraps are $15. Contact Patty Ruezga in HCA HR at (714)
834-5958 for more information.
HCA's Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Team (ADEPT) was chosen last month to receive a State Incentive Grant to target binge drinking in the County. Orange County is one of 13 California Counties who will share $10.2 million in federal funds over three years to reduce binge drinking in their communities.
The State will distribute, over a three-year period, annual grants to counties to support local prevention efforts, with a particular focus on binge drinking among 12-25 year olds and its impact on communities.
An estimated 5.5 million adults in California are binge drinkers, which is defined as men who drink five or more drinks or women who drink four or more drinks in a row.
To address binge drinking in Orange County, ADEPT plans to target college age students focusing on binge drinking-related problems at two university community sites: California State Fullerton and the University of California at Irvine (UCI). By combining two existing campus school task forces into one community partnership, this grant will increase capacity of the partnership and facilitate a comprehensive campus-community prevention effort.
For more information about the State Incentive Grant, visit the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs website at www.adp.ca.gov, or to learn more about the ADEPT program visit www.ochealthinfo.com/adept/ or call (714) 834-4058.
The 2004 Annual Compliance training is well underway and all employees should have received a copy of the 3rd Edition of HCA's Code of Conduct, along with a letter from HCA Director Julie Poulson providing additional details about this important training effort.
An e-mail from Chief Compliance Officer Jeff Nagel was also sent on September 23, detailing how to participate in the training either online via the Internet or Intranet or through a number of facilitated classroom trainings.
The mandatory Annual Compliance Training, required for all HCA regular, extra-help and Personal Service Contract employees must be completed by November 30, 2004. Be sure to review the new edition of the Code of Conduct, as one part of the training program asks employees to certify that they have read, understand, and will abide by the Code of Conduct.
To access the training on the Intranet visit http://balsam/intranet/compliance/training.asp or on the Internet at www.ochealthinfo.com/training. The e-training consists of modules that must be completed in one session and should take approximately 1-hour. For individuals who wish to take the facilitated/classroom trainings, you may register for a session at the following website http://olt.ocgov.com.
For more information about the Annual Compliance Training or to register for a facilitated training class, call the Office of Compliance at (714) 568-5614.
This Halloween, consider sending trick-o'-treaters home with some healthy Halloween treats as an alternative to candy and sugar-filled sweets. By encouraging kids to practice healthy eating habits, as well as participate in daily physical activity, children can learn the importance of proper nutrition and be on their way to leading healthy lifestyles.
HCA Nutrition Services encourages everyone to participate in giving away some of the following healthy items from a list created by California Project Lean and Project Alisa—Active Living in Santa Ana.
Healthy Food Alternatives:
· Wrapped fruit
· Pretzels
· Fruit cups
· Animal crackers
· Apple sauce cups
· Trail mix
· Mini boxes of raisins
· Pudding cups
· 100% fruit juice boxes
· Granola bars
Other Items:
· Crayons
· Yo-Yo's
· Coloring books
· Pinwheels
· Toothbrushes
· Bubbles
· Pencils
· Paddleballs
· Mini frisbees
· Jump ropes
· Jacks
· Puzzles
· Trading cards
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
Behavioral Health's Cultural Competency Program presented its August 2004 Spotlight on Excellence Award to Victor Cota, Service Chief II with Children and Youth Services (CYS).
Victor oversees both the Costa Mesa and Mission Viejo CYS Regions where he is responsible for monitoring daily operations and supervising personnel. He participates in several committees and attends to the needs of HCA's clients at various school and community meetings.
Victor began his career with HCA in 1989 as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker II with CYS East Region. He then moved on to work for several other CYS locations including the West and Costa Mesa Regions. He received a Masters Degree in Social Work from Cal State Sacramento and a PhD in Social Work from USC.
Victor is recognized for his commitment to cultural issues and for increasing connections to cultural understanding when working with his clients
You may have already heard that there will be some new Information Technology (IT) Security Policies implemented in HCA, such as a tougher password policy, a requirement to log-off or lock your workstation when it is unattended and to shut down your computer each night. These new policies will be rolled out to all HCA employees over the next few months, as part of HCA's efforts to meet the HIPAA Security compliance deadline of April 20, 2005.
To assist you in making the transition, each policy will include procedures that assist with implementation. These procedures will be provided through the HCA IT Integrated Helpdesk's Bi-weekly Tip, in a specific and user-friendly format. Although these policies will be enforced with technical controls after the first of next year, we encourage you to begin these practices now. The sooner we all get into the habit of using these practices, the easier the transition to HIPAA Security compliance will be in April. As always, Information Technology welcomes your comments and suggestions. You can contact us by sending e-mail to Help Desk (HCA) or call 834-3128.
Do you work with someone who exemplifies cultural competency? Someone who is both sensitive and respectful to persons of all cultures, whether colleague or consumer? If so, Behavioral Health's Cultural Competency program would like to formally acknowledge these individuals.
To nominate an individual who you believe is deserving of the Spotlight on Excellence Award, please fill out the following information and pony it to Cultural Competency, Bldg. #38-P or e-mail to Veronica Kelley, Program Manager at vkelley@ochca.com.
Awardees will be honored and presented with the Spotlight on Excellence
Award at an Orange County Mental Health Board meeting held monthly. For more
information about the award and/or nomination criteria, call the Cultural Competency Program
at (714) 796-0188.
Name:
Work Address/Pony Address:
Discipline:
Why you believe he/she is culturally competent:
Examples of dedication to cultural competency:
—Oprah Winfrey
Editors
Tricia Landquist Landquist
Howard Sutter
Anne Fialcowitz
Your Input
Phone (714) 834-6644
E-mail TLandquist@ochca.com
FAX (714) 834-7644
Pony Bldg. 38-S, 4th Floor
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