issue 05-10
issue 05-10
October, 2005
Inside this issue...
Volunteer Mentoring Opportunity - Page 1
New HCA appointments announced - Page 2
December deadline for 2005 Compliance Training - Page 3
Dave Horner receives CHC Certification - Page 3
Poster featured at Hall of Admin - Page 4
November Health Observances - Page 4
The chance to help evacuees from Hurricane Katrina became the opportunity of a lifetime for four Health Care Agency nurses who recently reported on their experiences to members of HCA's Executive Team.
Amy Getchel, Debbie Gutierrez, Mari Hill and Janet Winter were all sent to different locations in Louisiana and Texas, where they served as Red Cross volunteers serving those displaced by the nation's worst natural disaster. Their experiences are being put to good use, providing HCA with important insight into what could be faced in Orange County during a natural disaster or other emergency.
All four participated in American Red Cross training before being sent to shelter locations, where each faced very different assignments. Debbie Gutierrez, a Behavioral Health Comp Care Nurse, worked at a shelter in Denham Springs, Louisiana and on Emergency Response Vehicles near Houma, Louisiana, often working 12 or more hours at a time. Mari Hill from Behavioral Health Patients' Rights, helped transport medically compromised mentally ill individuals from Houston to Dallas and also worked in a make-shift isolation ward in Houston's Astrodome. Amy Getchel from Public Health Community Nursing worked in a shelter in Alexandria, Louisiana, where over 20 shelters were established to care for those who evacuated from the New Orleans area. Just down the road, Janet Winter, also from Public Health Community Nursing, worked in a massive shelter set up in Lafayette, Louisiana's Cajun Dome.
Each experience was uniquely challenging, but each of the nurses brought back lessons. One of the biggest problems faced by the volunteers was helping evacuees obtain the prescription medicines they left behind and dealing with the medical issues experienced because so many people had been off their medications for a week or more. Infection control was an issue, and the nurses faced the possibility of encountering isolated cases of medical conditions they had only learned about in textbooks, like cholera and diphtheria. Coordination of resources and communication between relief agencies proved challenging, as did dealing with the drug and alcohol issues faced by many of the evacuees. In spite of all of these challenges, the nurses said they came away from the experience feeling like they had made a difference. Each saw the tremendous needs faced by the evacuees, and in doing so gained a greater appreciation for life as a result of the experience.
HCA Nurses served as Red Cross volunteers to
assist those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Pictured (left
to right) are Mari Hill, Janet Winter, Amy Getchel
and Debbie Guiterrez.
Debbie Morton, Bioterrorism Planning Program Manager assists
Amy, Janet, Mari and Debbie as they gather supplies
and materials for their trip to Louisiana and Texas.
During the past six years, more than 500 Civic Center area employee mentors have worked with children attending Pio Pico Elementary School. Through their efforts, 90 percent of the children have increased their language proficiencies by one reading level, and 80 percent advanced by two to three grade levels.
The County hopes to broaden this opportunity for academic success by
encouraging Civic Center area employees
as well as employees working in other parts of Orange County to get involved
in neighborhood mentoring programs close to their work sites.
Employee volunteers will tell you that they get as much out of the experience as the children they work with and feel that mentoring is one of the most important and gratifying ways to give back to the community.
For more information on becoming a volunteer mentor, please contact Amber Hannigan of HCA Volunteer Services at (714) 834-4144 or by e-mail at ahannigan@ochca.com. Jane Dawson, County Academic Mentoring Liaison, may also be reached at (714) 834-7440 or by e-mail at Jane.Dawson@ocgov.com.
Please obtain approval by your respective supervisor prior to making a commitment to ensure adequate coverage is arranged for the time that you will be away from your worksite.
The month of September proved to be another busy time for HCA as several new appointments to the agency were announced.
Thea Bullock, former Manager of the Tobacco Settlement and Special Projects Division of Financial/Administrative Services, was appointed to the position of Assistant Compliance Officer within HCA's Office of Compliance. In her role, Thea will assist in the day-to-day operations of the Compliance program and will be responsible for developing and maintaining training and communications programs, coordinating audits and investigations and keeping the Code of Conduct and Compliance Policies and Procedures relevant and up-to-date.
Former Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Coordinator, Greg Boswell, RN assumed the position of Program Manager for EMS. Greg has been with HCA since 2003 and has worked closely with local trauma centers, hospital emergency departments and paramedics to ensure compliance with local and state EMS regulations. Greg's nursing career included service at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Huntington Beach Hospital, where he served as Director of Critical Care from 1999-2002.
Deborah Morton, RN, BSN will serve as the Administrative Manager I for the Bioterrorism Planning Program. Debbie has been with HCA since 1997 serving as a Public Health Nurse in Pulmonary Disease Services. She supervised the Directly Observed Therapy staff and coordinated large contact investigations. In 2002, she joined the newly created Bioterrorism Preparedness and Planning Program, where she developed plans, drills and exercises to prepare the Agency for emergency response.
Phillip Cook was named new Facilities Manager. In his role, Phil is responsible for heading up the facilities operation team to support construction and remodel projects, coordination of major relocations, managing building repairs and telecommunication requests. Phil brings more than 20 years of experience in Senior Operations Management from the private sector to HCA. He spent the last three years working as Vice President of North American Operations for a large DVD manufacturer servicing the home entertainment industry.
Maria Montellano was appointed to Secretary III and will provide support to Dr. Margaret Beed, Chief Medical Officer and David Souleles, Chief of Public Health Operations. Maria brings with her a variety of secretarial experiences, with her most recent assignments being with Disease Control and Epidemiology and Environmental Health.
Anjou Parekh, MHS, MS was named Community Programs Manager for Family Health. In her position, Anjou will assist Tony Edmonds in providing coordination and direction related to budget, facilities, compliance, systems, contracts, human resources and integration of goals and services to all programs of Family Health including Community Programs, Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health (MCAH), Dental Clinics and Nutrition Services. Anjou previously served as Commissioner of Health for the Cleveland Department of Health where she administered more than 13 programs, oversaw the operation of three city health centers and managed a budget of over $8 million annually.
Donna Fleming, former HIV Planning and Coordination Program
Manager, was appointed to Division Manager for Disease Control and Epidemiology. In her role, Donna will be responsible
for providing management of Disease Control and Epidemiology division programs
including HIV Planning and Coordination, HIV/STD Clinical Services, TB
Services, Epidemiology and Communicable Disease Control, Vital Records,
Bioterrorism and Employee Health. Prior to joining HCA, Donna served as Executive
Director of Camp Fire USA Orange County Council and in several positions with the AIDS
Services Foundation in Orange County including Deputy Director and Director
of Social Services.
The 2005 Annual Employee Compliance Training is well underway and all employees should have received a letter from HCA Director Julie Poulson providing details about this important training effort.
An e-mail from Chief Compliance Officer Jeff Nagel was also sent on October 5, 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 Employee Compliance Training, required for all HCA regular, extra-help and Personal Service Contract employees must be completed before December 2, 2005.
To access the training on the Intranet go to http://balsam/intranet/compliance/training.asp and 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 ½ - 2 hours. 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 Employee Compliance Training or to register for a facilitated training class, call the Office of Compliance at (714) 568-5614.
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
The CHC professional is a person with knowledge of relevant regulations and expertise in compliance processes sufficient to assist the healthcare industry to understand and address legal obligations, and promote organizational integrity through the operation of effective compliance programs. Dave joins HCA Compliance Officer Jeff Nagel in receiving this certification.
Dave Horner started his career with the County in 1994, and moved into his current role as the head of Behavioral Health Services Quality Improvement and Program Compliance in 2000. When asked about why he wanted to get the CHC certification, Dave indicated that the preparation for this exam helped him achieve a broader view of the compliance work that he does. The CHC designation also demonstrates Dave's hard work and dedication in performing his job.
"The mind doth shape itself to its own wants and can
bear all things. "
—Joanna Baillie
Poster featured at Hall of Admin
Agency Director Julie Poulson posed for a photo with three HCA nurses who are depicted in a nursing recruitment poster "Many Roles, One Profession," which is posted at the Hall of Administration. The recruitment poster highlights the diverse roles of HCA's nurses and is used along with a detailed brochure to inform individuals about nursing career opportunities at the Agency. Pictured (left to right) are Agency Director Julie Poulson; Alberto Verduzco, Correctional Medical Services; Tina Chen, Behavioral Health Services; and Carla Marcinek, Public Health Services.
HCA Environmental Health hosted its annual Pollution Prevention Fair at the Hall of
Administration in September, with over 250 participants viewing information on the latest in "green" technology.
In addition to Environmental Health's Used Oil Recycling Program, participants included the
Orange County Sanitation District, County Integrated Waste Management District, Orange County
Water District and Sempra Energy. The American Red Cross was even on hand to provide
information about emergency preparedness. Many county employees and visitors to county facilities stopped
by the booths to learn about ways to protect our environment, from water conservation to
using materials made from recyclables. Congratulations to Environmental Health on another
successful event!
"Man is, at one and the same time, a solitary being and a social being."
—Albert Einstein
continued from page 1
Several other HCA staff members "made a difference" during their deployment to the area for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, as well as the response to Hurricane Rita. These include Disaster Medical Assistance Team members Merritt "Chip" Schreiber, Bryan Hanley, John Van Sky, Barry Havlik and Mark Chew; Urban Search and Rescue Team member Dr. Ken Miller; and nurse practitioner Lilia Witthuhn, who also assisted as a volunteer. In addition, dozens more HCA staff members utilized their skills and talents while working at the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross, at the Village of Hope and at InfoLink Orange County by assisting people who had self-relocated to Orange County after the hurricane.
We are very proud of the caring and commitment demonstrated by these
individuals and salute their willingness to respond in time of crisis!
American Diabetes Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month
National Hospice Month
National Allied Health Week 6-12
Great American Smokeout 17
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Awareness Week 20-26
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
Phone (714) 834-6644
E-mail TLandquist@ochca.com
FAX (714) 834-7644
Pony Bldg. 38-S, 4th Floor
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