issue 06-2
February, 2006
Inside this issue...
New Emergency Operations Center and Warehouse debuts
- Page 1
New Admin Manager announced - Page 1
Celebrating Heart Month
- Page 2
Promoting better oral health for kids - Page 2
Agahi appointed to Women's Health Council - Page 3
Phan receives recognition - Page 3
HCA leadership hosts ProFit celebration luncheon - Page 3
Wagner Award nominations due March 2 - Page 4
Employees receive Recognition Awards - Page 5
Roll Forward Feature - Page 8
Spotlight on Excellence
- Page 8
March Health Observances - Page 8
The Health Care Agency has achieved a major milestone in its continuing efforts to prepare for the possibility of a bioterrorism event with the opening of a new Agency-level Emergency Operations Center and warehouse facility.
The facility houses a dedicated area for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), including work stations, meeting rooms and communications equipment that can be activated on very short notice. "The new warehouse and Health EOC provides the Health Care Agency with a state of the art facility for use in responding to man made or natural disasters," said David Souleles, Chief of Public Health Operations. "The warehouse consolidates all of the Agency's emergency response supplies at a single facility for easier management and deployment in an emergency. Additionally, the warehouse provides Orange County with the critical space needed to receive federally deployed medical supplies and medicines in the event of a large scale emergency."
Funding for the EOC and warehouse facility was provided by Federal grants
for bioterrorism and emergency preparedness activities. The warehouse is large enough
to accommodate the equipment trailers stocked with the items needed to operate
mass vaccination or medication clinics, as well as other emergency response supplies. In
the event that local stockpiles were not sufficient for the scale of the emergency, the
warehouse would be ready to receive items from the Strategic National Stockpile, a
Federal cache of medicines, vaccines and medical equipment that is rapidly deployed to
areas experiencing public health emergencies.
Now that the new EOC and warehouse is established and operating, training will be taking place for those who will staff the EOC and manage the warehouse operations. Future bioterrorism exercises will utilize the facility's capabilities to ensure that HCA can quickly and efficiently respond to protect the public's health in times of emergency.
New Admin Manager announced
HCA is pleased to welcome Latanya Mitchell to the position of Administrative Manager I under the Management Services Division. In her new role, Latanya provides supervisory and managerial oversight for Agenda Staff Report (ASR) coordination, Custodian of Records, Tobacco Settlement Revenue (TSR) & Special Projects and the Word Processing Units.
She joined HCA from the County of Riverside and holds a Masters degree in both Business and Public Administration. Latanya brings an extensive history of staff supervision, as well as various strategic project management to her new role.
Latanya's office is located on the 7th floor of the 405 W. 5th Street building and can be reached at (714) 834-3657.
The month of February marks Children's Dental Health Month and the American Dental Association's Give Kids a Smile Day on February 3. To commemorate the occasion, agencies including HCA's Dental Disease Prevention Program (with services provided under contract by Seals on Wheels), Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County, the Orange County Dental Society, Children's Hospital of Orange County, St. Joseph Hospital's Dental Clinics, the Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove, Ayuda Dental Clinics and Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 have all teamed together to provide much needed services to the underserved, uninsured children in the county.
During this time, children received oral health education, oral health supplies,
dental screening, dental sealants, fillings and other restorative dentistry free of charge
at many sites throughout Orange County.
The need for team efforts like this has been reinforced by the results of the recently released Orange County Oral Health Assessment, sponsored by the Dental Health Foundation and Healthy Smiles of Orange County. Results show that more than 34% of Orange County kindergarten and third grade students have untreated dental disease.
A Seals on Wheels Dental Health Educator presents oral health and nutrition education information to a 2nd grade class in Anaheim.
Untreated decay can lead to pain, infection and decreased quality of life.
These students may miss many school hours and end up with
expensive emergency
room visits.
Although dental disease is transmissible, it is also preventable. Important things to remember include:
Children are not born with the bacteria that cause decay. It is transferred to the child by the caregiver through sharing drinks, food, etc.
Children should have their first dental visit by age one.
Children should not be put to bed with a bottle of milk or juice.
Thanks to all of our collaborative partners who assisted Seals on Wheels in our mission to eradicate the oral epidemic.
A Registered Dental Hygienist and Registered Dental Assistant place dental sealants on a child at a Santa Ana school site with portable dental equipment.
Wear the color red this month to celebrate Heart Month, National Wear Red Day and National Women's Heart Day to increase awareness about heart disease, the no. 1 killer of women in America.
This year, February 3 marked the annual National Wear Red Day for women. On this day, the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" Campaign motivated millions of women to celebrate by wearing the red dress pin as a symbol to support women and the heart disease movement.
The nationwide campaign set out to raise awareness in the community that cardiovascular disease claims about 500,000 women's lives a year. That's more than the next six causes of death combined _ including all forms of cancer.
Although heart disease is the no. 1 killer of women in the U.S., you can do
a lot to help protect yourself from this deadly enemy. Partaking in a
few lifestyle changes like incorporating physical activity into your daily routine,
developing good eating habits and taking advantage of preventive health
screenings can help prevent heart disease.
Are you ready to participate in Go Red for Women? Jump on the movement and start by wearing a Go Red for Women red dress pin available for free by visiting the American Heart Association website online at www.americanheart.org or by calling 1-888-MY-HEART. Get one, give one and Go Red for Women!
In addition to the free red dress pin, the American Heart Association's website at www.americanheart.org also offers various health tools including a heart healthy tracker, family history tree, cardiovascular risk assessment tool and heart healthy recipes to name a few, to help you on your way to staying heart healthy.
Since its inception in 2004, the Go Red for Women grassroots campaign has grown into a vibrant national movement as more women, men, celebrities, healthcare professionals and politicians embrace and elevate the cause of women and heart disease.
Golnaz
is part of a 26-member Council that offers analysis of emerging issues and
contributes to the planning, projects and products of the State's Office of
Women's Health. Members focus their work under four broad areas of concern:
health access, health disparities, data/research and older women's health. They
create opportunities for public-private partnerships and linkages to improve the
health status of women and girls in California.
Phan receives recognition
Congratulations to Kim Phan, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist II with Behavioral Health's Children and Youth Services (CYS) West Region office in Westminster on receiving a Certificate of Special Recognition from Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.
Acknowledged for her positive contributions to the community and her clients, Kim has been active in the Vietnamese population serving in various roles including educator, consultant, mentor, and board member.
She works to improve access of behavioral health care and quality of care to all clients young and elderly. In addition to her current position at CYS, Kim also has a part-time private practice where she provides psychological services to clients, and acts as a Court Appointed Expert regarding dependency and delinquency matters.
Kim has also worked as a contracted Vietnamese bilingual-bicultural staff psychologist at Nhan Hoa Clinic in Garden Grove where she provided consultation and mental health services to the indigent, aiming at reducing cultural stigma and improving one's well-being and overall health.
In recognition of the successful
implementation of the IRIS system billing module, which is called ProFit, HCA Director Julie
Poulson and Assistant Agency Director David Riley hosted a celebration
luncheon January 23rd to recognize those
who played key roles in the project.
The implementation, completed in August 2005, was the result of exceptional effort and hard work, fierce dedication and incredible teamwork demonstrated by HCA employees and Auditor Controller HCA Accounting staff. HCA is now billing electronically to its major health plan sources such as Short Doyle Medi-Cal, Alcohol and Drug Program and Medicare utilizing the HIPAA compliant filing system. This is the first new billing system implemented by HCA in more than a decade.
During the celebration luncheon, key members of the team were
acknowledged and thanked for their contributions and commitment to this important project.
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
With the deadline of March 2nd approaching soon, be sure to submit your nominations for this year's Gerald A. Wagner Excellence in Health Education Award.
HCA is once again partnering with the Orange County Coalition for Health Education (OCCHE) to celebrate Public Health Week during April 3-9, 2006, with this year's theme "Designing Healthy Communities: Raising Healthy Kids" and to present the Gerald A. Wagner Award.
We invite you to nominate an individual working in any health-related capacity in Orange County who has proved to be outstanding in health education, health promotion, and exceptional in their delivery of services to the community.
Health care professional titles that would be considered for this award program include: Medical Doctor, Dentist, Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurse, Social Worker, Psychologist, Public Health Nurse, Registered Dietician, Health Educator & Related Staff, Physician's Assistant, Teacher and Allied Health Professional.
To nominate an individual, please complete and return the nomination form below. Nominations are due Thursday, March 2 and can be sent to:
Martha Veronica Ramirez, MPH
OC Coalition for Health Education
12 Civic Center Plaza, Ste. 127/Pony Mail: Bldg. 12HP
Santa Ana, CA 92701
E-mail: mvramirez@ochca.com
Fax: (714) 834-3492
For more information about National Public Health Week, visit the American Public Health Association's website at www.apha.org/NPHW.
Name of Nominee:
Job Title:
Name of Organization / Practice:
Address:
Phone #: Fax:
Your Name:
Contact Info / Phone #: Email Address:
How do you know this nominee? You are a…
patient / client
supervisor
co-worker
peer
employee
other:
Do you mind if we send your nomination letter to the person you are nominating after selections have been made?
no
yes
yes, provided I remain anonymous
Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability.
A) In your opinion, what makes this health care professional exceptional - exceeding his/her normal job description?
B) How does this health care professional utilize health education techniques and tools that enhance his/her basic job description? (Please give specific examples)
C) Please explain how this nominee practicing health education over and beyond the normal job description has made a difference in your life and/or the lives of others. (please give specific examples)
(Additional sheets of paper may be submitted to answer the above questions.)
HCA employees were recognized for their dedicated years of service and outstanding contributions to the Agency during the Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony held at the Hall of Administration on January 26.
Award of Excellence certificates were also presented to Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) staff for their implementation of a public planning process and creation of a proposed plan for the annual expenditure of community services and supports funding available to Orange County under the MHSA.
The following is a list of service awards presented:
5 Years of Service -44
10 Years of Service -11
15 Years of Service -27
20 Years of Service -13
25 Years of Service -3
Phillip Jun celebrated his 25 years of service and received recognition from Agency Director Julie Poulson and Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz during the Agency's Employee Recognition Awards held on Jan. 26.
20 Years
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
15 Years
Agency Director Julie Poulson, Assistant Director Dave Riley and Steve Franks, Deputy Agency Director of Financial and Administrative Services presented certificates to HCA staff celebrating their 15 years of dedicated service to the Agency. Pictured (left to right) are Elaine Papst, Jeff Nagel, Jo Ann Bowland and Debbie Miller.
Kathleen Doan and Antonietta Drake celebrated their 15 years of service and received certificates from Agency Director Julie Poulson and Institutional Health Services Division Manager Maureen Robles during the Employee Recognition Awards ceremony on Jan. 26.
Micaela Madrigal and Ngach Ho from Public Health Services were recognized by Agency Director Julie Poulson and Family Health Division Manager Tony Edmonds for their 15 years of dedicated service.
10 Years
Myra Kanter, Becquie Venus-Dominguez and Tan Vinh were recognized for their 10 years of service at the Employee Recognition Awards ceremony on Jan. 26 by Agency Director Julie Poulson and Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz.
Agency Director Julie Poulson presented the Mental Health Act Services (MHSA) Team with Awards of Excellence certificates during the Employee Recognition Awards for the collaborative efforts and contributions in implementing a public planning process and creating a written plan for the annual expenditure of MHSA funding available to Orange County. Pictured (alphabetically) are Marco Anzar, Bonnie Birnbaum, Shebuah Burke, Maria Cervantes, Casey Dorman, Don Haylock, Dorothy Hendrickson, Dane Libart, Kate Pavich, Pierre Tran and Jonathon Yu.
"Nothing is too small to know, and nothing is too big to attempt. "—William Van Horne
Behavioral Health's Cultural Competency Program presented the January
2006 Spotlight on Excellence Award to Jonathon Schiesel, Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS) Coach.
Jonathon is recognized for his keen understanding of cultural issues that may impact the treatment of his clients and family members.
He began his career with the County in 1989 and was a member of the steering committee that helped form the Cultural Competency Program in the 1990s.
Prior to his career with HCA, Jonathon served as a Drug Rehabilitation Counselor for the multiply disabled in New York for eight years. He additionally served as Assistant Co-Director for Drug Prevention and Education in Harlem.
Jonathon holds a Masters Degree in Special Education and Counseling from Columbia University.
Pictured (left to right) are Veronica Kelley, Jonathon Schiesel and Rafael Canul.
Do you use the same job numbers each pay period?
Would you like an easier way to enter those job numbers automatically instead of manually keying them in each pay period? VTI has a feature that will do just that for you. On the ADMIN tab, next to your supervisor's name is the Roll Forward box. Check the box and click Update. Once you enter your job numbers in your timecard, these same job numbers will roll forward to your next timecard.
Forgot your User Number while trying to log on to VTI?
Your supervisor has access to your User Number from the REVIEW tab used to approve timecards. Your Employee ID number is the same as your User Number. To print your User Number for future reference, log into VTI and from the Welcome screen you will see menu selections on the left hand side. Select My Employee ID and enter. A screen will display with your name, Employee ID Number and instructions for printing the information. Remember, you will need your Employee ID to access your account on the new OC Employee Portal to see your pay stub.
Spring Holiday Comp!
Spring holiday comp is given each year during the pay period that includes March 1st. This year all full-time employees will be receiving two hours comp time for "spring holiday comp" in Pay Period 5, which begins February 17 (March 10 payday). Part-time employees will receive one hour. Do not record the time on your timecards. It will be automatically credited to your comp balances.
We'd love to hear from you! Email us your questions and comments to HCAPAYROLL@ochca.com.
March Health Observances
National Brain Injury Awareness Month
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month
National Nutrition Month®
Save Your Vision Month
National Poison Prevention Week 19-25
American Diabetes Alert Day 21
World Tuberculosis Day 2006 24
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