issue 08-04
April 2008
Inside this issue …
Additional MSI funding saluted by BOS
During their March 11 meeting, the Board of Supervisors recognized the efforts of a committed group of Orange County health care organizations to the Health Care Agency’s successful effort to expand funding for the county’s Medical Services Initiative (MSI) program.
Board Chairman John M.W. Moorlach presented Certificates of Appreciation to members of the Coverage Initiative Committee including Ed Kacic of the Irvine Health Foundation; Julie Puentes of the Hospital Association of Southern California; Isabel Becerra of the Coalition of Orange County Community Clinics; Nancy Rimsha of the Health Consumer Action Center; Ruth Kurisu of the Health Funders Partnership of Orange County; and Barbara Shipnuck of the Kaiser Foundation. Also recognized by the Board but unable to attend the meeting were Dr. Gwyn Parry of the Hoag Hospital Community Foundation; Chris Leo of St. Joseph Health System and Michele Revelle of the Orange County Medical Association.
The Coverage Initiative Committee provided the funding, guidance and support needed to obtain an additional $50 million in Federal funding over the next three years that will boost the number of Orange County adults served by MSI, as well as provide expanded primary and preventive care services to those already enrolled in the program. MSI currently serves about 14,000 low-income adults between the ages of 18-64. Under the Coverage Initiative, an additional 3,300 people will be enrolled in the program and work is already underway to enroll those participants. MSI clients will be linked to a community clinic or primary care physician to provide a “medical home” where they can receive health care services in a medically appropriate, cost effective setting. Disease management services will also be available for those with chronic health conditions, designed to improve their overall health while decreasing health care costs.
Members of the Coverage Initiative Committee receive recognition
from Board Chairman John M.W. Moorlach during the March 11
Board meeting for their successful effort to expand funding for the
County’s MSI program.
LMC Team Excellence Award May 1st deadline
nears
The deadline for the 2008 Steve Ambriz Team Excellence Award is fast approaching on May 1. The HCA/OCEA Labor Management Committee (LMC) is seeking nominations for the Award and encourages you to submit a nomination before the deadline. Last year’s nominations were very competitive. Nominations for teams that were previously not selected for the award may be resubmitted this year. Be sure to revise the application that was formerly submitted so that it is current and confirm that it contains a clear portrayal of each of the individual criteria.
The Award was created to recognize teams that exemplify principles of Enlightened Leadership and Team Excellence, and to identify the qualities and characteristics of effective work teams.
This is an excellent opportunity to nominate a team of individuals, program, or department within HCA that demonstrates these characteristics.
Visit the LMC Intranet website at http://balsam.intranet/lmc/team.asp for nomination forms, details about previous winners, and additional information about what makes an excellent team.
A primer on Sanction Screening
The Health Care Agency does not hire, contract or use volunteers/interns currently under sanction or exclusion. We screen all employees, volunteers, interns, contractors and vendors against Federal exclusion lists. Anyone on these lists would be an “ineligible person.”
If we employ, contract with or use anyone on a Federal exclusion list to provide services, HCA could face fines of $2,500 a day. If a person becomes ineligible after hire, any service provided by that employee would not be reimbursable by federal or state health care programs. If claims for services are submitted and paid, they are considered false claims, and HCA could be subject to civil monetary penalties if the claims are not identified and backed out. This is why HCA screens all employees prior to hire and twice a year for the existing workforce. How do people get on theses lists?
While a number of different reasons may lead to exclusion, the primary reason for being on the exclusion list is due to a conviction related to health care or other fraud. Some other examples include license revocation or suspension, defaulting on student loans or convictions related to patient abuse or controlled substances.
When do these checks happen?
The sanction screening checks must be completed before:
A job offer
Signing any contract or agreement
Ordering any goods or services
A volunteer/intern/mentor starts working in your program
Sanction screening is completed by searching the Health and Human Services/Office of Inspector General List of Excluded individuals/Entities (http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/search.aspx ) and the General Services Administration’s list of Parties Excluded from Federal Programs (http://epls.gov) by the following HCA units:
Purchasing
Contract Development and Management (CDM)
Human Resources
Volunteer Services
Medical Services Initiative
Bioterrorism
Medical Reserve Corps
HCA Accounting
Plan ahead when ordering goods or contracting for services to give Purchasing and CDM enough time to process your request and complete the sanction screening before goods or services are needed. Even if you have used this vendor in the past, Purchasing and CDM are required to re-screen before issuing a new contract or price agreement.
If you have volunteers or interns in your program, the supervisor or manager is responsible to ensure that the applicants complete and return all of the forms to Volunteer Services before the start date to allow Volunteer Services to complete the screening process before any work is initiated.
As an individual, you will want to:
Keep your professional license current
Spell your legal name clearly and consistently on documents
Pay your student loans
Conform to the codes of ethics and standards of your profession and exercise sound judgment in the performance of your duties.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the Office of Compliance at (714) 834-3154. :
BH staff receive Goodwill Award
Congratulations to Behavioral Health (BH) Cultural Competency Program staff members Ronnie Kelley, Rafael Canul, Hanh Truong and Sergio Ventura, as well as Adult Mental Health Services Chief Barbara Greenfield on receiving the “Working for Independence” Award from Goodwill Industries for their positive contributions and commitment to Goodwill’s Employment WORKS program.
The Employment Works Program provides a positive, supportive environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds can access resources and gain the knowledge and skills to conduct independent job searches, build self-esteem and achieve a successful, productive, self-sufficient lifestyle.
Barbara Greenfield was instrumental to the implementation and development of the Employment WORKS program. Through her leadership and guidance, Employment WORKS has been able to excel as a premier employment program serving more than 100 individuals with serious and chronic mental illness. Her diligence and commitment to her clients and Goodwill’s mission has made it possible for mutual clients to obtain and maintain successful community employment and integration.
HCA’s Cultural Competency program supported a series of Goodwill’s Employment WORKS events and played an instrumental role in guiding and assisting the program by delivering a new level of access of services within the local Orange County Vietnamese and Latino communities.
The Working for Independence Award annually recognizes employers, sub-contractors, vendors and professionals who share and reflect the vision, values, commitments and mission of the Goodwill Industries organization.
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| Adult Mental Health Services Chief Barbara Greenfield is pictured with the award she received from Goodwill. | Cultural Competency staff pictured (left to right) are Ronnie Kelley, Hanh Truong and Rafael Canul. Not pictured is Sergio Ventura. |
OC Volunteer Mutual Aid Drill a success
On Feb. 26, 2008 the Orange County Board of Supervisors recognized local leaders for the success of a Volunteer Mutual Aid Drill held during Sept. 2007 and presented each with a Board resolution. Among those recognized included HCA’s Health Disaster Management Division Medical Reserve Corps (MRC).
The Drill was a full scale exercise designed at the direction of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County California Citizen Corps Council. Representatives from Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Medical Reserve Corps, Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS), Fire Corps and Operational Area planning partners including the Radio Amateur Civil Engineering Services (RACES), American Red Cross and the Volunteer Center of Orange County comprise the council.
The planning team included 18 people who represented 13 jurisdictions/organizations. The coordination required to plan, develop, organize and implement a volunteer drill of this caliber was a large undertaking and a first of its kind in Orange County.
The planning team designated seven objectives to be evaluated: the Incident Command System, Communications, Team Organization, Personal Safety, Victim Safety and Recovery, Fire Safety and Search and Rescue/Damage Assessment.
The drill was designed to train volunteers in the Incident Command System, combine all volunteer programs into a mutual aid environment and simulate a realistic catastrophic earthquake with hands on training. In order to accomplish a lifelike and challenging exercise environment, multiple scenarios were developed that tested various volunteer programs which have different roles and missions.
Volunteers from 26 different local jurisdictions and several volunteer programs were combined into one drill. This required support and dedication on both days to coordinate 480 volunteers, 55 staff members and 40 observers.
The success of the 2007 Volunteer Mutual Aid Drill was dependent upon multiple agencies working together as a seamless unit and proved to be an accomplished model for how volunteer organizations will respond in support of emergency first responders in Orange County. Congratulations to the following individuals who received recognition during the Feb. 26 Board meeting:
Ken Bourne, OC RACES
Stephen Bowles, Seal Beach PD
Vicki Bowman, HCA
Christian Caswell, Santa Ana FD
Paul Catsimanes, City of Mission Viejo
Tammy Descoteaux, OCSD Todd DeVoe, City of Dana Point
Elizabeth Eddlemon, City of Costa Mesa
Brenda Emrick, Costa Mesa FD
Katrina Faulkner, OCSD
Peggy McCormick, HCA
Victoria Osborn, OCSD
Nilda Patino de Berndt, City of Placentia
Thomas Slayton, OCSD
Steve Stempniak, Anaheim PD
Bette Weinberg, Volunteer Center of Orange County
MRC Coordinator Peggy McCormick is pictured with
Agency Director Julie Poulson and a resolution
which was presented to the Health Disaster
Management Division Medical Reserve Corps
during the Feb. 26 Board meeting.
Quote
Character is the architecture of the being.
—Louise Nevelson
CMH Nurses make a difference every day
CMH Nurses make a difference every day After many years of planning, Correctional Mental Health opened a new Lanterman-Petris Short Act (LPS) designated 10-bed unit called the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) on Oct. 10, 2006 which is located within the Intake and Release Center of the Orange County Central Jail Complex. This 10-bed unit is the fourth of its kind in a county jail system in California.
The nurses who work in the CSU area are highly skilled and diversified. This unit is similar to a psychiatric hospital, but with jail setting constraints. The CSU nurse is designated to initiate legal holds and is required to follow all legal aspects of detention.
“The gratifications of working in the CSU are actually witnessing how much our patients improve in response to treatment therapies,” said Jill Savage, RNC. “Teamwork here is really very effective.”
Inmates are referred to the unit based on several factors that are determined by recommendations from case management nurses and the treatment team.
When asked about her nursing responsibilities, Suzann Pearsall, RN, states “I discuss treatment plans with the psychiatrist and treatment team and assess the patient’s response to medication.”
The inmate may be placed on a 5150 hold, which consists of being a danger to themselves or others, or gravely disabled as a result of a mental disorder before they can be detained in the unit. The inmate may also sign-in as a voluntary patient if they agree to participate in treatment.
“It’s interesting to see the knowledge that the patients have for music appreciation,” said Jim Trimmer, RN.
The nurses serve as the backbone of the CSU unit and monitor patients from the time they are admitted until they are discharged.
“This unit has been very helpful for the same inmates we have taken care of for years and now are hopefully more manageable and predictable with the extra level of care we are now allowed to provide,” said Cindy Soruco, RNC and CSU Nursing Supervisor.
All CSU nurses agree that working for the unit is a difficult, but rewarding experience and that it recognizes the notion that nurses are “making a difference every day.”
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| Pearsall, RN; Katie Blair, LVN; Jim Trimmer, RN; Cindy Soruco, RNC, Nursing Supervisor; and Jim Macklin, RN. | Pictured (left to right) are Erica Garcia, MA and Jill Savage, RNC. | Pictured (left to right) are Florinda Carbajal, MA/LVN Candidate and Robin Clawson, LVN. |
American Stroke Month
Hepatitis Awareness Month
Lupus Awareness Month
Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month
Mental Health Month
National Physical Fitness and Sport Week,
National Nurses Week, 6-12
National Women’s Health Week, 11-17
National Emergency Medical Services Week, 18-24
National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, 18
World No Tobacco Day, 31
Nurse Recognition Event next month
An event to recognize HCA nurses will be held on May 8, 2008 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Santa Ana Police Department Community Room located at 60 Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana.
The event will recognize HCA nurses during National Nurses Week from May 6-12, 2008 and highlight the diversity of roles in the nursing profession, as well as the dedication and commitment of nurses to patient safety and well-being.
Featuring guest speaker Agency Director Julie Poulson, the event will also include notes of nurse recognition from clients, as well as a presentation depicting how HCA nurses from various programs within the Agency work together to make a difference every day.
CMS quick response saves inmate
The observations of an alert Sheriff’s Deputy and a quick response by staff from HCA Correctional Medical Services helped to save the life of an inmate at the Men’s Central Jail on March 2.
The man, who is in his 20’s, had been incarcerated for several months without major medical problems when Sheriff’s Deputies found him in distress while making routine rounds. The man was reportedly having difficulty breathing, so Sheriff’s personnel started CPR while notifying paramedics and staff from Correctional Medical Services (CMS). According to Institutional Health Services Division Manager Maureen Robles, two Registered Nurses and a Licensed Vocation Nurse responded to the medical emergency and deployed an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to check the man’s heart. The AED determined that a shock should be delivered to return the man’s heart to a normal rhythm and, in fact, delivered two shocks during the course of the emergency medical response. By the time paramedics arrived, the man was breathing and had an improved pulse. The inmate was transported to an area hospital for additional medical treatment.
“Working as a team, CMS nurses and Sheriff’s Deputies quickly took the actions needed to save this individual’s life,” said Mrs. Robles. “This inmate had no previous major medical problems, so the emergency was totally unexpected. This is a great example of how the partnership between the Health Care Agency and the Sheriff’s Deputy works to provide life-saving care to those who are in county custody.”
National Nutrition Month activities
wrap-up
National Nutrition Month activities wrap-up Throughout March 2008, HCA’s Nutrition Services Program and other County Public Health Nutritionists celebrated the American Dietetic Association (ADA) sponsored annual National Nutrition Month® (NNM), which featured this years theme of “Nutrition: It’s a Matter of Fact!”
A special Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program full staff meeting on March 3 to launch the NNM® celebration.
A Healthy Recipe contest for WIC staff. WIC clinic teams each created, prepared and served a healthy recipe at the March 3 staff meeting to a panel of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) managers who tasted and judged the entries. The Westminster/Beach WIC Clinic was selected as the winning team.
Month-long displays at the County Hall of Administration (HOA) and the HCA 17th St. Clinic lobbies. These displays were created entirely by Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Long Beach dietetic interns during their assigned community service rotations at HCA Nutrition Services.
Countywide, the WIC Class of the Month for March/April featured displays and activities that helped WIC participants learn how to tell the difference between nutrition facts and myths.
On March 10, 2008 County Public Health Nutritionists/Registered Dieticians (RD) and WIC Clinic Supervisors proudly celebrated the first-ever ADA sponsored Registered Dietitian Day.
The HOA NNM® lobby display prominently featured County RDs and their numerous roles in County agencies.
County RDs and WIC Clinic Supervisors attended a special staff meeting/luncheon to celebrate RD Day and to learn more about the various job activities of Orange County RDs working outside of the WIC program.
On RD Day, WIC RDs staffed the two NNM® month lobby displays at the HOA and 17th Street Clinic, to answer questions and inform County staff and the public about the messages of this year’s NNM® campaign.
Also on RD Day, County Public Health Nutritionists/RDs acknowledged one another with special ADA created e-mail messages.
For more information about HCA Nutrition Services and National Nutrition Month®, please call (714) 834-7986.
Cal Poly Pomona Dietetic Interns Judith Dunaway (pictured)
and Stephanie Hemmings co-created this year’s National
Nutrition Month display, which was showcased at the Hall Of
Administration in March.
Quote
A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues.
—Cicero
HCA physicians receive recognition
To honor HCA’s physicians for their contributions and dedication to the health and well-being of the clients served by the Agency, an event was held on March 27 at the 405 W. 5th Street building in Santa Ana.
Agency Director Julie Poulson welcomed attendees and highlighted the commitment by physicians to the health of the community. Deputy Agency Directors and Medical Directors from each service area provided brief overviews of how their programs and services assist the community and also acknowledged physicians that were present.
Refreshments were served and those present at the event had the opportunity to meet and greet other physicians from each Agency division.
A total of 124 regular/full-time and contract/extra-help HCA Physicians from the following service areas received commemorative certificates: 63 Behavioral Health, 35 Medical & Institutional Health and 26 from Public Health.
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| Those in attendance at the March 27 event included (pictured standing in back, left to right) Lisa Bauer, John Van Sky, Dr. Samuel Stratton, Maureen Robles and Dr. Ernest Williams. |
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| During the Physician Recognition event, Dr. Alan Edwards, Behavioral Health Services Medical Director, acknowledged Behavioral Health physicians for their dedication and commitment to the clients served by HCA. | Agency Director Julie Poulson welcomes attendees to the 2008 Physicians Recognition event held on March 27. | County Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler recognized Public Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nancy Bowen during the annual Physicians Recognition ceremony held at the 405 W. 5th Street building. |
County recognizes Social Worker Month
March is Professional Social Workers Month and a special event to recognize the contributions of social workers to the County of Orange was held March 12th at the Social Services Agency’s Grand Avenue facility in Santa Ana.
The Health Care Agency has well over 200 social workers providing services to clients in Behavioral Health and Public Health Services. From each of the programs employing social workers, one person was selected to represent their colleagues at the annual recognition event. The reception followed the theme “Champions 2008” recognizing the accomplishments of social workers as well as their efforts to ensure that clients receive needed services from the County and other organizations.
Representing HCA at this year’s event were Cynthia Cassil of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services; Ronnie Kelly of Behavioral Health Central Programs; Rodrigo Sigala of Adult Mental Health Services; Karen Marks of Children and Youth Services; Alicia Armstrong of Family Health Services; Genoveva Monreal of California Children’s Services; Linh Bui of Disease Control and Epidemiology; and Vanessa Nunez of Public Health Nursing.
A resolution from the Board of Supervisors declaring the month of March to be Social Worker Recognition Month was presented by Sergio Prince, Executive Director of Public Affairs for Fifth District Supervisor Pat Bates. Donna Fleming, Chief of Public Health Operations, introduced HCA’s representatives and shared her thoughts about the professional of social work.
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| Public Health Services Chief Donna Fleming and Family Health Division Manager Tony Edmonds are pictured alongside HCA social workers who received recognition during the March 12 event held at the Social Services Agency. |
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
hsuttert@ochca.com
FAX (714) 834-7644
Pony Bldg. 38-S, 4th Floor
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