issue 05-05
issue 05-05
May, 2005
IT analysts noted for positive contributions - (page 1)
Nurse Recognition Month celebrated all during May - (page 1)
Get a grip on security! - (page 2)
HCA volunteers recognized at ceremony - (page 2)
Police collaboration focus of AB 2034 Conference - (page 3)
Employees recognized at awards ceremony - (page 4)
June Health Observances - (page 6)
HCA employees participate in MS Walk 2005 - (page 7)
Jonathon to appear on Moneytrack - (page 7)
Prop. 63 workshops begin - (page 7)
Volunteers needed for OC Medical Reserve Corps - (page 8)
Spotlight on Excellence - (page 8)
Pictured at top, Carl Funke. Pictured at bottom, Virgilio Fermin
As both System Analyst IIs for HCA's Information Technology (IT) department, Virgilio Fermin and Carl Funke are noted for their positive contributions and dedication in assisting the Agency with two key California Department of Mental Health (DMH) computer application projects.
Having begun his career with HCA seven years ago, Virgilio is responsible for software development involving health care applications for both Behavioral Health and Public Health, and interface development for the Integrated Records Information System (IRIS) project.
Virgilio is most noted for his role and efforts with the IRIS Electronic Data Interface (EDI), which has resulted in the Agency's recent Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) certification from DMH. This certification provides HCA with the capability to submit claims and process payments electronically.
"With a tight deadline to follow, Virgilio worked long hours without complaint, has cancelled numerous vacations and rearranged his work schedule to accommodate the requirement of getting the job done," said Ralph Huff, Senior Systems Programmer/Analyst. "His confidence and professional manner match his dedication and joy of doing a good job."
Virgilio holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering, an Associate Degree in Computer Programming and is completing a Masters in Business Administration.
"I originally wanted to pursue a career in medicine when I was in college, " said Virgilio. "Utilizing my IT knowledge for the improvement of the healthcare environment is the closest thing to my original ambition."
Like Virgilio, Carl Funke has also been with the Agency for seven years.
He is responsible for defining user requirements and implementing
computer related projects. His significant endeavors have included the automation of
Animal Care Services (ACS), implementation of the ACS website
www.ocpetinfo.com, and the implementation of document
imaging for Correctional Medical Services and Birth and Death Registration.
. . . continued on page 2
Chairman Campbell presented a "Nurse Recognition Day" proclamation to HCA Director Julie Poulson, Rhena Carusillo and Kathleen Parris during the May 10 Board of Supervisors meeting
On May 10, the Board of Supervisors honored Orange County nurses and proclaimed May12 as "Nurse Recognition Day" in the County. Each year during the month of May, nurses are honored for their dedication and positive contributions to the health and well being of the community.
A variety of events and activities were planned by HCA programs to celebrate this year's theme of "Nursing: One Profession, Many Roles." A celebratory breakfast will also be held on Thursday, May 26 at the Santa Ana Elks Lodge from 7:30-9:30 a.m. and will feature guest speaker Ronald Norby, RN, Director for the Veterans Administration Long Beach Healthcare System. For more information about Nurse Recognition and the upcoming breakfast at the Elks Lodge, please call Rhena Carusillo, Lead Clinical Services Coordinator at (714) 834-7584.
The HIPAA Security Rule requires us to establish a security incident reporting and response protocol. In order for HCA/Information Technology to successfully accomplish this task, a basic understanding of what constitutes a security incident in the IT world must be provided to all HCA staff. The following article is intended to provide HCA staff with the information needed to recognize and report a potential security incident.
Some security incidents are easier to recognize:
a computer was stolen or physically damaged
a document is missing or changed
your password no longer works
you accidentally emailed confidential information to the wrong person
Other security incidents may not be so easy to recognize:
a computer virus or spyware
unauthorized access to your computer
illegal copies of software
hacker activity
The most common security incident is a virus or worm that infects your computer. What is a virus or worm? A virus or worm is malicious computer code that is usually downloaded from the Internet or in an email. The main purpose of a virus or worm is to wreak havoc on computers and networks. Although we use state of the art anti-virus protection, new viruses are introduced every day.
The following tips will help HCA avoid the threat of a virus attack:
Do not open any unknown attachments or unrecognizable emails
If you receive an unrecognizable or suspicious email, report it immediately to the Helpdesk (714-834-3128).
Do not disable the virus protection software on your computer.
Do not download unapproved files from the Internet, or access unapproved Internet email accounts such as hotmail.com, yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.
Make a special note of any attachments with a file extension of .exe. These are executable files or software that often contain viruses.
A security incident could also be a co-worker who does not have authorization to view certain patient information, but uses your user ID and password because he/she forgot their own.
. . . continued on page 3
Gold Star
continued from page 1
Carl is most noted for his recent contributions to the new IRIS system, which required a complete redevelopment of the Client and Service Information (CSI) reporting system for DMH. The CSI system contains client information to meet state and federal reporting requirements for persons served by mental health programs. By linking CSI data with County cost reports, cost calculations for clients and services can be obtained.
In addition to the challenges of developing a way to pull information on an ongoing basis from IRIS, there were several issues with data that HCA had previously submitted from the old legacy system.
Carl was tasked to develop a project plan to clean up the past five years of CSI data that had been submitted, and also to create a new process to extract data from the new IRIS for CSI.
"Despite significant staffing limitations and challenges, Carl has served as project manager, reporting requirements expert, programmer, analyst and tester," said Ralph Huff. "As part of the implementation, Carl taught himself Visual Basic in order to develop the new CSI software. Because of his work, the State approved the process he had designed and written, and HCA can now begin to send the CSI data from IRIS."
Six HCA volunteers were honored at the Ninth Annual Volunteer Recognition Awards ceremony held at the Hall of Administration on April 20. The honorees received commemorative plaques and were acknowledged by the Orange County Board of Supervisors for their significant contributions and dedication in serving as County volunteers.
The recipients were selected as "Volunteers of the Year" from more than 19,223 individuals who volunteered their time within County agencies/departments during 2004. Last year volunteers contributed 984,423 hours of service, with total combined efforts valued at more than $23 million in avoided costs for County government.
Within HCA, a total of 844 volunteers contributed 135,728 hours, saving the Agency more than $2 million.
More information on the annual volunteer recognition ceremony, as well as photos and biographies of all individuals honored, can be found on the County website at www.ocgov.com/hr/volunteer/volunteerrecognition2005.asp.
Thank you to the following 2005 HCA "Volunteers of the Year." The time and talents you have contributed to the Agency are recognized and sincerely appreciated.
Lisa Clem Animal Care Services
Margo Jolly Aspen—Project Together
Elizabeth Shewring CYS Project Together
Irene Cervantes-Chishom Juvenile Drug Court
Michael and Vicki Ferguson
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services - Risk Reduction, Education &
Community Health (REACH) Program
HCA's Amber Hannigan and Sylvia Valles created a display designed to showcase photos of the 2005 County volunteers of the year. The display was available for viewing at the Hall of Administration through the end of April.
Members of Behavioral Health's Assembly Bill (AB) 2034 Homeless Outreach Program were selected from among other such programs through-out the State to discuss the collaboration between the program and local law enforcement at the annual California Institute for Mental Health's AB 2034 conference held at the Sacramento Convention Center on April 13.
Panelists and presenters discussed how the partnership between the police and mental health has proven to be a formidable approach to addressing some issues concerning the homeless population and the community as a whole.
During their discussions, they explained that having the police as the AB 2034 eyes and ears in the community helps to facilitate outreach efforts, and that the continual engagement in recovery is enhanced when the police force understands the process.
"Locally, the police involved in Orange County's AB 2034 program have been a great tool in reducing the incarceration and hospitalization of our consumers," said Anthony Delgado, Service Chief of the program. "The partnership has been key in maintaining contact with our sometimes transient population."
Those representing Orange County's AB 2034 program during the presentation
included: Anthony J. Delgado, HCA Service Chief; Chief Andrew Hall, Westminster
P.D.; Lance Lindgren, Outreach; Mark Davis, Outreach; Sergeant Michael Chapman,
Westminster P.D.; Officer Dave Bridgewaters, Westminster P.D.; Randy Beckx, Santa Ana
Police and Tino Gallo, Santa Ana Police.
AB 2034 consumer Donald Haylock provided an introduction during HCA's AB 2034 presentation at the annual AB Conference in Sacramento on April 13. Donald spoke of his previous interaction with police as a homeless person and the changes in the culture he has seen while working with these officers.
Panelists and presenters from Orange County's AB 2034 Program discussed the collaboration between the program and local law enforcement at the AB Conference in Sacramento. Pictured (left to right) are Anthony Delgado, HCA AB 2034 Program Service Chief; Corporal Tino Gallo & Officer Randy Beckx, Santa Ana P.D.; Mark Davis, AB 2034 outreach; Chief Andy Hall, Westminster P.D.; Lance Lindgren, AB 2034 Outreach: Officer Dave Bridgewaters and Sergeant Michael Chapman, Westminster Police Dept.
Security
continued from page 2
Other examples include:
Discovery of unauthorized hardware or software you or someone else installed on your computer.
Evidence of tampering with data (changes that should not have been made).
Unauthorized access or repeated attempts to access data (from internal or external sources).
Email that includes threats or material that is considered offensive.
"Social engineering" (someone that is trying to trick you for your password or other confidential information).
But what does that mean to you as a HCA employee? How do you recognize what is and what is not a security incident, and then what do you do about it? Let's say you receive an email that was sent to you by accident, but you open it and see that it contains patient information, or it contains inappropriate pictures. What should you do? First, jot down the email address or name of the sender, then delete the email from your inbox. Call the Information Technology Helpdesk at (714) 834_3128 and report what you found. If IT determines that an investigation is needed, you will be notified.
Another security incident may be that you notice your computer running slower than usual or when you try to access the HCA Intranet site your computer goes to a website that sells pharmaceuticals. You may have what is called "spyware" on you computer. Some spyware can track the keystrokes you make and send that information back to a hacker who may then use that information to gain access to the HCA network. Again, contact the Helpdesk and report what is happening.
So, if you see or suspect an activity that may threaten the HCA network security, or may disclose patient information inappropriately, call the HCA Helpdesk at (714) 834_3128 and discuss it with them. They will advise you on any action you should take and will determine if the activity should be investigated as a security incident.
Thank you for doing your part to create a secure environment for HCA.
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
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. "
—Mark Twain
HCA employees were recognized for their dedicated years of service and outstanding contributions to the Agency at the quarterly Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony held at the Hall of Administration on April 27. The ceremony combined both January and April awardees and also honored the 2004 United Way coordinators for their assistance in helping to raise more than $1 million dollars for the 2004 United Way Campaign. The following is a list of January and April service awards presented:
5 Years of Service 91
10 Years of Service 9
15 Years of Service 56
20 Years of Service 21
25 Years of Service 11
30 Years of Service 9
35 Years of Service 3
Administration
(Right) Administrative employees celebrating 30 or more years of service were
honored by Assistant Agency Director Dave Riley and received years of
service pins and certificates during the ceremony. Pictured (left to right) are
Dana Bianco, Alice Manning, Hal Maloney and Ralph Dumke.
(Left) Assistant Agency Director Dave Riley honored Financial and Administrative Services Manager, Alice Manning at the Recognition Ceremony on April 27 for her 30 years of dedicated service to the Agency
(Left) Assistant Agency Director Dave Riley honored administrative
employees celebrating 5, 10, 15, 20 & 25 years
of service to HCA at the Awards Ceremony on April 27. Pictured (alphabetically)
are Christine Alden, Kalpana Chakrabarti, Walter Dietiker, Janet Holcomb,
Angelo Lugo, Stephanie Smith, Howard Sutter and Kerry Wilson.
Public Health
(Left) Celebrating 15 years of service to HCA, Public Health employees were recognized by Tony Edmonds at the quarterly Employee Awards Ceremony and received certificates and years of service pins. Pictured (alphabetically) are Maria Aguilar, Christy Cooper, Virginia Fernandez, Yvonne Flynn, Nga Huynh, Teresita Mansfield, George Masaryk, Giselle Rocha and Marie Woronowicz.
Public Health employees celebrating 20 and 25 years of service to
HCA received recognition from Family Health Division Manager Tony Edmonds.
Along with the recipients, Tony also celebrated his 20 years of service to HCA.
Pictured (alphabetically) are Irma Anthony, Tony Edmonds, Ja Nellyn
Hannah, Nicholas Vainas, Jan Shoda, Becky Stone and Judith Waddell.
Family Health Division Manager Tony Edmonds presented certificates and
pins to Public Health employees with 30 years of more service at the
Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony. Pictured (alphabetically) are Martha
Bass, Blanca Hernandez, Maureen Perron Masters and Diane Wortman.
(Left) Family Health Division Manager Tony Edmonds presented 5 and 10 years of
service recipients with award certificates and pins at
the Employee Recognition Awards on April 27. Pictured (alphabetically) are Jeanette Beck,
Doris Billings, Jane Elder, Cynthia Estrada,
Cristina Herrera, Karen Lanham, Vivian Luu,
Cynthia Martinez, Joan McDonald, Cindy Murillo,
Ken Nguyen, April Orozco, Cherry Quiambao,
Georgina Quiroz, Veronica Sanchez, Amber Wallace
and Diana Webber.
Regulatory Health
Deputy Agency Director Mike Spurgeon recognized Regulatory
Health employees for 30 and 35 years of dedicated service at the quarterly
Employee Recognition Ceremony on April 27. Pictured (left to right) are Kevin
Whelan, Ray Evans and Monica Mazur.
Regulatory Health employees celebrating 5, 10, 15 and 20 years of service
with HCA were honored by Deputy Agency Director Mike Spurgeon and
received award certificates and pins. Pictured (alphabetically) are Ossama
Abu-Shaban, James Hendron, Patricia Henshaw, John Johnson, Valerie
Kenekeo, Mozhghan Mofidi, Brenda Puepke, Scott Travis and Gary Zimmerman.
more photos on page 6 ...
Behavioral Health
Behavioral Health employees celebrating 25 years of service with
HCA received award certificates and pins from Deputy Agency Director
Mark Refowitz. Pictured (alphabetically) are Gary Govett, William Hunt,
Bennett Stromberg and Minh Vo.
Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz recognized Behavioral
Health employees celebrating 15 and 20 years of service and presented them
with certificates and years of service pins. Pictured (alphabetically) are
Carlos Andrade, Anthony Brailow, Paulette Guyer, Mary Hale, Suzanne
Leonard, Jeffrey Nottke, Brett O'Brien, Daniel Rivers and Thoa Kim Tran.
Deputy Director Mark Refowitz honored Behavioral Health Services
employees who celebrated 5 years of service with HCA at the Employee
Recognition Ceremony. Pictured (alphabetically) are Cynthia Dettweiler, Jennifer
Dinicola, Sharon Dobbs, Michele Fike, Kathleen Huh, Dolores Munoz, Jenny
Ngyuen, Brian Petros and Dana Schultz.
Medical & Institutional Health
Medical and Institutional Health employees who celebrated 5 years of service with HCA received recognition from Division Manager Frank Madrigal. Pictured (alphabetically) are Stacy Berardino, Jackie Torres and Maria Zamora.
(Not Pictured) Division Manager Frank Madrigal honored Medical and Institutional Health employees Mia Delgado and Elizabeth Bausman who celebrated 15 years of service and presented them with certificates and pins.
United Way
Assistant Agency Director Dave Riley recognized the 2004 United Way Campaign coordinators for their positive dedication and contributions in helping to raise more than $1 million dollars for the fundraising event last year. Those in attendance at the April 27 Employee Recognition Awards are (alphabetically) Magali Bustamante, Ralph Dumke, Hilda Garcia, Priscilla Harsh, Ken Kawamura, Ronnie Kelley, David Kim, Christine Lane, Dori Malloy, Roxanna Osborn, Maggie Rawlins, Carrie Robles, Cynthia Soruco, Sylvia Valles, Denise Westrick, Kerry Wilson and Debra Zamudio.
June Health Observances
National Aphasia Awareness Month
National Scleroderma Awareness Month
Vision Research Month
National Headache Awareness Week 5-11
National Cancer Survivor's Day 6
National Men's Health Week 13-19
National HIV Testing Day 27
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
Pony Bldg. 38-S, 4th Floor
(Right) Significant Seven members get ready to start the MS Walk 2005 held at UCI on April 10. Pictured in back row (left to right) are Ruth Zamora, Joe Zamora and Alessandra Muniz-Gallardo. Pictured in front row (left to right) are Carrie Robles, Shehrnaz Irani, Vera Nicholson and Kathy Clark.
(Above) HCA employees and family members reach the finish line and receive
medals at the annual MS Walk 2005 at UCI.
Pictured (clockwise) are Joe Zamora, Carrie
Robles, Alessandra Muniz-Gallardo, Vera Nicholson, Shehrnaz
Irani, Kathy Clark and Ruth Zamora.
HCA's "Significant Seven"—Shehrnaz Irani, Ruth and Joe Zamora, Carrie Robles, Kathy Clark, Vera Nicholson and her daughter, Alessandra Muniz-Gallardo, participated in the annual Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Walk 2005 held at the UCI campus on April 10 to help raise funds for and awareness of MS.
The group helped to contribute to the total funds raised this year of $197,839, which will go toward research and to fund the many programs and services that the National MS Society provides.
The Society's three Southern California Chapters place emphasis on wellness and provide critical programs to thousands of local families faced with MS, including education, durable medical equipment, emotional support, exercise classes, adaptive recreational programs, family programs, and emergency financial assistance.
If you or someone you know has MS, contact the National MS
Society at 1-800-FIGHT MS or visit
www.nationalmssociety.org.
Jonathon to appear on Moneytrack
Jonathon Rich, Ph.D., a Psychologist in Behavioral Health's Quality Improvement and Program Compliance Division, will appear on MoneyTrack, a new public television program devoted to helping consumers learn how to invest successfully and take control of their personal finances.
Jonathon who recently authored the book, "The Couple's Guide to Love and Money," will answer questions and provide comments regarding a young couple's conflicting financial styles on the episode scheduled to appear on Channel 58 from 11:30 p.m. to midnight on June 6.
Prop. 63 workshops begin
The transformation of Orange County's public mental health system moved forward last month with the kick-off of a series of training workshops that are key to the Mental Health Services (MHSA) planning process.
With more than 400 individuals who have already expressed an interest in participating in the MHSA workgroups, the training workshops aimed to provide participants and attendees with the same general level of knowledge about the mental health system.
The trainings were held at five different locations throughout the County and included HCA speakers Mark Refowitz, Deputy Agency Director for Behavioral Health Services (BHS) ; Casey Dorman, BHS Training Coordinator; Ronnie Kelley, Cultural Competency Coordinator, and Dane Libart, BHS Family Advocate.
Mental Health professionals, consumers, family members and others who are
interested in learning more about MHSA, the training workshops or about becoming a
participant in the workgroups can call (714) 834-6023 or visit
www.ochealthinfo.com/prop63. The Mental Health Services Act, also known as Proposition 63, was approved
by California votes in November 2004 and became law on January 1, 2004.
Through MHSA, Orange County is expected to receive millions of dollars in funding to
expand mental health services and develop innovative programs for mentally ill children,
adults and older adults. (Bottom) A dispensing station was set up during
a simulated drill in March involving U.S. Postal service employees, Santa Ana Fire and Santa
Ana Police. The County of Orange Health Care Agency's Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is presently recruiting and registering
medical and non-medical volunteers who can be called upon during an actual
disaster-related event that might overwhelm Agency resources.
MRC units have been formed or planned across the nation, and
thousands of medical and public health volunteers have joined local units in
response to the national MRC program launched in July 2002 by President Bush. The
program identifies the MRC as a specialized component of the Citizen Corps, a
national network of volunteers dedicated to making sure their families, homes
and communities are safe from terrorism, crime and disasters of all kinds.
MRC volunteers include medical and pubic health professionals such as
physicians, nurses, pharmacists, emergency medical technicians, dentists,
epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists.
Other key support positions include interpreters, chaplains, amateur radio
operators, logistics experts and legal advisors.
Individuals interested in becoming MRC volunteers will train and drill
with County staff to prepare for a health emergency response that might be needed
in a large epidemic, disaster or terrorist event.
Recently, County staff exercised their response to an anthrax release in a
joint drill with U.S. Postal Service employees and with Santa Ana Police and Fire.
Staff from throughout HCA participated in the response, which included a field
prophylaxis clinic set up to provide medical
screening and medication dispensing.
Drills similar to this exercise provide a unique opportunity
to test and improve response preparedness for an actual event.
By adding a trained cadre of MRC volunteers, HCA can further
expand its ability to respond to a large or unanticipated multiple event
that could overwhelm Agency resources.
As a County employee, every Health Care Agency staff member is already
enrolled as a disaster service worker. Please encourage those you know who are
18 years of age or older to register as an MRC volunteer. Interested individuals
can call (714) 834-2335 or e-mail Peggy Evans at
Pevans@ochca.com for an application or for more information. Applications
will be accepted for experienced medical and non-medical individuals.
Behavioral Health's Cultural Competency Program named Sarah Park as the
recipient of the April 2005 Spotlight on Excellence Award. As a Care Coordinator for Adult Mental Health's Anaheim Clinic for the past 7 years,
Sarah works closely with the Agency's Korean-speaking clients and leads an
Education/Support group for this population.
Sarah is acknowledged for successfully engaging treatment-resistive clients
who would go without treatment if not for her positive outreach, and for her contributions
in helping to educate the Korean population about mental health services and the
many available resources in the community. Sarah Park from Behavioral Health Services received the April Spotlight on
Excellence Award at the April 27 Mental Health Board Meeting held at the Hall of
Administration. Pictured (left to right) are Ronnie Kelley, Sarah Park, Greg
Masters and Rafael Canul.
"People would have more leisure time if it weren't for
all the leisure-time activities that use it up."
—Peg Bracken
(Top) Santa Ana Fire representatives briefed U.S. Postal Service employees
during a simulated anthrax release drill in March.
Volunteers needed for OC Medical Reserve Corps
Spotlight on Excellence
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