issue 06-08
issue 06-08
August, 2006
Inside this issue...
HCA welcomes Dr. Handler as County Health
Officer - Page 1
LMC honors Ambriz - Page 1
Flores named LULAC Woman of the Year - Page 2
September Blood Drive planned
- Page 2
5 a Day tips for August - Page 2
Happy New 'Fiscal' Year! - Page 3
Annual survey results are in - Page 3
Magnificent Chargers participate in MS Walk 2006
- Page 4
September Health Observances - Page
4
TUPP receives 2006 Ambriz Team Excellence Award -
Page 5
County's Strategic Focus web site goes live
- Page 5
Employees recognized for service years -
Page 6
Environmental Health receives recognition
- Page 8
HCA is pleased to welcome Eric G. Handler, MD,
MPH, FAAP who will serve as County Health Officer and Deputy Agency Director of
Public Health Services.
"I am excited to be returning to my home state of California and for the opportunity to serve the residents of Orange County in promoting healthy people and families, healthy communities and environments through compassionate care, education and prevention," Dr. Handler said.
Dr. Handler's career includes extensive experience in clinical and academic medicine as well as public health. Most recently, he has served as Chief Medical Officer for the Boston Regional Office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. His public health experience also includes serving as the Deputy Secretary for Children's Medical Services in the Florida Department of Health from 1996-2000. Children's Medical Services provided comprehensive coordinated care to 60,000 special needs children throughout Florida. From 2000-2003 he was the Chief Medical Officer for the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Dr. Handler's excellent qualifications were the key to his selection, according to HCA Director Julie Poulson. "Dr. Handler, who is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, brings to this important position broad experience gained through a balanced career in clinical, academic and administrative roles," Ms. Poulson said.
A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Handler received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and his Medical Degree from Chicago Medical School. He returned to California for his Pediatrics internship and residency at L.A. County-USC Hospital and completed a Pediatric Rehabilitation fellowship at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital. Dr. Handler received his Masters in Public Health from UCLA in 1985 and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
HCA Public Health Services hosted an event for Dr. Handler on August 3rd at the 17th Street Clinic to welcome him to the Agency and offer the opportunity for staff to meet him.
HCA's Labor Management Committee (LMC) honored the late Steve Ambriz, a former LMC member during their June 2006 meeting by voting to rename its annual LMC Team Excellence Award to the Steve Ambriz Team Excellence Award. A perpetual plaque was also created complete with his photo. During the meeting, members donned their Hawaiian shirts in remembrance of Steve as each recalled their favorite memory of him. Additionally, the committee agreed to make an LMC donation to the Kaitlyn Ambriz Scholarship fund.
Also during the June 2006 meeting, the LMC committee welcomed new members, John Crane from HCA Information Technology and Mike Carson from HCA Disease Control & Epidemiology as a new management member.
Congratulations to Susie Flores, Senior Office Supervisor for Birth & Death Registration on being named the National League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Woman of the Year.
Susie received recognition at the 2006 LULAC National Convention held in Milwaukee last month. As part of the criteria for the award, Susie must have been selected as the Woman of the Year at LULAC's Council, District and State levels, as well as contributed her talents, skills and time to the betterment of LULAC and the community.
Susie's long-standing membership with the organization is reflected in her work, which has had a positive impact on the Hispanic community. She was previously inducted into LULAC's Hall of Fame and recognized as a living symbol of the organization's philosophy - one that creates positive change through personal integrity and ethical leadership.
LULAC is a national organization that advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs.
HCA Volunteer Services along
with the Orange County Red
Cross will host a blood drive on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at HCA's
405 W. 5th Street building in the
4th floor conference room between the hours of
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you're interested in donating, visit www.givelife.org to register and include code OC1 when prompted. As a reminder, participants must be healthy, weigh at least 110 pounds and not have donated blood in the last 8 weeks (56 days).
For more information, contact Amber Hannigan from HCA Volunteer
Services at ahannigan@ochca.com or (714) 834-4144.
During the month of August, as the mercury rises and thoughts turn to cool and refreshing ways to combat the heat, the California 5 a Day—Be Active! Worksite Program offers the following quick and simple tips:
Food storage
tricks: Hot weather can complicate workplace
food storage. Whether or not you have access to a refrigerator, many
summer fruits like peaches, plums and nectarines will keep for a couple
of days at room temperature. If you have a refrigerator at work, stock
it with convenient snacks like baby carrots, celery sticks, sliced
cucumber and grapes. You can also use an insulated bag to keep
your lunch fresh. As an alternative to the candy dish, keep a bowl of
fresh fruit at your desk. Or stash a bag of dried fruit in your desk or car.
Raisins, dried peaches, apricots, mangos and apples are all tasty
traveling companions.
Get watered down: Need an afternoon pick-me-up? Skip the soda and coffee and drink water instead. Water keeps you hydrated and can even stave off hunger by making you feel full. If plain water isn't your thing, an agua fresca, literally "fresh water," is a great alternative. Make this simple and refreshing drink by pureeing any juicy fruit—think watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, mango—and mixing the strained juice with water. Add lime juice to taste. Make a batch at home and bring a pitcher of it to work.
Enjoying crisp, fresh vegetables and sweet, juicy fruits are a great way to boost your energy level and fuel your body during the sweltering days of heat. Nothing says summer like peaches and green beans, August's fruit and vegetable of the month. Enjoy them now while they are at they're peak!
For more information about the California 5 a Day —Be Active! Worksite
Program or to view past Fit Business Tips of the Month, visit
www.ca5aday.com/worksite.
A new fiscal year began July 1, 2006 and with each fiscal year comes questions regarding the accrued annual leave payouts. Here are the most common questions answered!
Q What pay code do I use for my payout?
A Pay codes are based on
your classification. You will have only one of the following codes
in
your drop down list of pay codes:
ALAN1
ALAN2
ALAN4
Q How many hours am I eligible for?
A Payout amounts are based on your MOU.
ALAN1 40 hours
ALAN2 60 hours
ALAN4 90 hours
Q How do I code this on my timecard?
A Select the correct pay code for your classification (see above) and enter the hours in the first day of the pay period. (You will only have one pay code to select.) The amounts can be paid out in two equal payments or a one time payment. This means if you choose to request less than the maximum hours you may not request the balance at a later date.
Q How do I know if I have already taken a payout?
A You can review your prior timecards under the ADMIN tab, Document History in VTI.
More questions? Send an email to HCAPAYROLL@ochca.com or call (714) 834-5744.
The annual survey of Health Care Agency (HCA) staff regarding the HCA Compliance Program continues to receive a strong response with over 1,000 people completing the on-line survey.
We are pleased with the response rate of 38% which is a slight increase from the 36% response rate in 2005. Over 100 individuals took the time to write specific comments, suggestions, as well as criticisms. This annual survey gives HCA employees a chance to tell us how well they understand the Compliance Program and identify areas that need special attention in the next year.
In 2006, over 97% of respondents indicated that they understood the purpose of the Compliance Program and that the Code of Conduct is clear and easy to understand. Over 97% of respondents were aware of the policies and procedures related to their job and over 94% indicated that they would report compliance concerns to a supervisor/manager, Office of Compliance or other appropriate area. Over 60% of those responding report that the Compliance Program has affect how they perform their daily responsibilities. Nearly 95% of respondents felt that the HCA Management Team supports the goals and objectives of the Compliance Program and the Code of Conduct.
An area of concern that is consistent with the prior survey is that a fear of retaliation would deter reporting of compliance issues. The Agency's non-retaliation policy is taken very seriously by the Office of Compliance. HCA employees who report issues in good faith should not be subjected to any intimidation, harassment or other form of discrimination related to reporting an issue. Any reported allegations of possible retaliation are thoroughly investigated. Although the details are confidential, appropriate disciplinary action was taken in the instances where retaliatory actions could be substantiated by the Office of Compliance. It should be noted that over 94% of HCA employees participating in the survey would still report a compliance concern.
More information about the HCA Compliance Program is available on the
HCA Intranet at
http://balsam/intranet/compliance/.
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
—Mccallister Dodds
The group received a Gold Award for raising $2,690 for MS Walk 2006. This year's Irvine MS Walk raised more money than ever before in its 19-year history.
Childhood Cancer Month
Fruit and Vegetable Month
Healthy Aging Month
Latino Health Awareness Month
Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month
National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
National Cholesterol Education Month
National Food Safety Education Month
National Preparedness Month
Ovarian & Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
National Rehabilitation Awareness Celebration 17-23
Take A Loved One for a Check-Up Day 19
HCA's OCEA Labor Management Committee (LMC) is pleased to introduce the Tobacco Use Prevention Program (TUPP) as the winners of the 2006 Steve Ambriz Team Excellence Award - formerly called the LMC Team Excellence Award, recently named to honor the late Steve Ambriz. The program received recognition and a perpetual Steve Ambriz Team Excellence Award plaque during the HCA Employee Recognition Awards ceremony held on July 27.
TUPP was selected as this year's winner as the group that best embodied the principles of enlightened leadership and team excellence in action. The team demonstrated collaborative and communicative interaction by sharing their knowledge, varied experiences and skills to support each other and effectively work toward its mission to reduce tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in Orange County.
The team is comprised of multi-ethnic health educators, health education associates, support staff and supervisors with diverse experiences and backgrounds who work in concert to accomplish the various goals of the TUPP program.
As a team, TUPP collaborates with community agencies, youth, services and health organizations, city officials and schools to provide a comprehensive program that includes education, cessation services and policy work. Some of their projects include Tobacco Free Communities (TFC), Tune Out Tobacco, Educators Against Tobacco Addition and the Back that Ash Up Youth Coalition.
TUPP also works to develop and strengthen laws and polices to regulate tobacco, which includes restrictions where smoking is prohibited, reducing the availability of tobacco products to minors and regulating the placement of tobacco advertisements and promotions.
Some of the team's noteworthy accomplishments include a project where they contributed 250 hours of technical assistance to Orange County coastal cities in the development of their smoke-free public beach ordinances. As a result, Seal Beach became smoke-free last year and all city beaches in Orange County being designated as smoke-free within the past five years.
Another accomplishment involves the TFC project where the TUPP team performs program monitoring and coordination of the overall promotion of the TFC programs, which includes three funded cessation providers that serve all of Orange County by providing free cessation services in four languages for adults and teens. The team is also responsible for the administration of the 1-866 NEW-LUNG tobacco cessation Help Line.
. . . continued on page 8
The Tobacco Use Prevention Program (TUPP) team, pictured (left to right) are
Herm Perlmutter, Barbara Brashear, Cynthia Schaeffer, Jorge Curiel, Anabel
Garcia, Chris Prevatt, Kristy Nguyen, Tiffany Vong and Sherryl Ramos. Not
pcitured are Mubula Naku and Andrea Portenier.
County's Strategic Focus web site goes live
A new spot for the County's Strategic Focus has been created on the County's web site at: www.ocgov.com/strategic/strategicfocus.asp. The new site contains current and archived information to keep employees and the public up to date about the County's planning process regarding its new strategic plan to create a renewed vision for the future.
Several months ago, the Board of Supervisors, agency and department heads, and graduates from the Leadership Academy met to define the County's core values and begin designing a map that will take the County successfully into the future.
Part of this planning process includes a survey that was sent to County employees via e-mail during the month of July, which offers staff the opportunity to provide their thoughts and opinions into the process. The deadline to complete the survey is August 31. More information regarding the survey and the County's planning process can be found on the new web site.
"Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills. "
—Minna Antrim
What's UP is a newsletter for employees
of the County of Orange, CA, Health Care Agency.
Editors Tricia Landquist
Howard Sutter
Anne Fialcowitz
Phone (714) 834-6644
E-mail: tlandquist@ochca.com
FAX (714) 834-7644
Pony Bldg. 38-S, 4th Floor
HCA employees received recognition for their dedicated years of service at an Employee Recognition Awards ceremony held at the Hall of Administration on July 27. The following is a list of service awards presented:
5 Years of Service -72
10 Years of Service -15
15 Years of Service -20
20 Years of Service -3
25 Years of Service -10
30 Years of Service -5
Agency Director Julie Poulson and Sandra Fair, Chief of
Behavioral Health Services presented Katherine Huber with a certificate and pin
to commemorate her 25 years of service to the Agency.
15 Years (cont'd)
Regulatory Health Services staff member Bruce Freeman celebrated 15 years of
service with the Agency and received recognition
from Agency Director Julie Poulson and Regulatory Health Services Deputy Agency Director
Mike Spurgeon.
Agency Director Julie Poulson and Institutional Health Services Division
Manager Maureen Robles congratulated Hattie Hutchinson from Medical and
Institutional Health Services for her 15 years of
dedicated service to the Agency.
Agency Director Julie Poulson and Regulatory Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mike Spurgeon presented certificates and pins to Regulatory Health staff for their 10 years of service. Pictured (left to right) are Jeffrey Lane, Jeffrey Warren and Steve Speer.
5 Years
William Mansoor from HCA's Information Technology department celebrated his 5 years
of service to the Agency and received recognition from Agency Director Julie Poulson and
Chief Information Officer Terri Schultz.
Michelle Lopez from Behavioral Health Services received recognition from Agency Director
Julie Poulson and Sandra Fair, Chief of Behavioral Health Operations for her 5 years of service.
5 Years
Regulatory Health employees celebrating 5 years with the Agency received
recognition from Agency Director Julie Poulson and Regulatory Health Services Deputy
Agency Director Mike Spurgeon during the Employee Recognition Awards held at the Hall
of Administration on July 27. Pictured (left to right) are Janis McBride, Wida
Rahimi, Miloni Devani and Michael Vena.
Medical and Institutional Health Services staff Erenia
Perry and Maria Gonzalez-Mayo received a certificate and pin
from Agency Director Julie Poulson and Maureen
Robles, Institutional Health Services Division Manager for their
5 years of service to the Agency.
Behavioral Health staff Sigfriedo Tijerina Jr., Veronica Ortiz, Martha Lechuga, Mari Hill and Hugo Lopez were congratulated by Agency Director Julie Poulson and Sandra Fair, Chief of Behavioral Health Operations for their five years of dedicated service to the Agency
Staff from Financial and Administrative Services and Human
Resources received recognition from Agency Director Julie Poulson and
Steve Franks, Deputy Agency Director of Financial and Administrative
Services on their 5 years of service. Pictured (left to right) are Babar Karim,
David Eckstein, Rob Balma and Hilda Garcia.
TUPP
continued from page 5
The TUPP team possesses talents, strengths, creativity, problem solving skills and goes above and beyond what is required of them often working during evening hours to attend various coalition and City Council meetings or participating in a weekend "beach cigarette butt pick-up" event. No one staff member is ever required to carry their entire workload. The team works in concert, splitting tasks to make team goals easier to accomplish. They also assist each other to complete individual projects, providing a variety to daily tasks and maintaining a positive team spirit and collective team interest in the overall program.
The LMC Committee would like to also congratulate Environmental Health's "Fresh is Best" team and Public Health's Refugee Health as this year's honorable mentions.
For more information about the Steve Ambriz Team Excellence Award, visit the LMC Intranet site at http://balsam/intranet/lmc/default.asp.
—Claude Bernard
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