issue 08-11
November 2008
Inside this issue …
HCA staff participate in 2008 APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition
Supervisors recognize contributions of Mental Health facilities
HCA staff participate in 2008 APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition
This year, several Health Care Agency (HCA) staff participated in the annual 2008 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Exposition which took place during the month of October in San Diego.
Quality Management Research Unit staff members pictured
(left to
right) Ryan Ramos, Juliana Fuqua, Taigy Thomas and
Curt Condon (not pictured is
Janel Alberts), presented a poster
showing results of a four-month collaborative
study of pregnant
women’s use of alcohol, tobacco and/or illicit drugs during
the
2008 APHA conference in October.
Staff presented their research and program findings through various poster presentations, highlighting HCA's efforts to help improve the health and well-being of the Orange County community and its residents. The following poster presentations were showcased at this year’s conference:
“Behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental risk factors associated with substance use during pregnancy: Comparison of substance-using and non-using pregnant women.” By Janel Alberts, Taigy Thomas, Ryan Ramos, Juliana Fuqua and Curtis Condon, Quality Management Research Unit.
Their research found that about 15% of babies born in Orange County each year, or about 6,800 babies, are exposed prenatally to such substances. The four-month study was conducted in collaboration with local hospitals and obstetricians. Alcohol (12.9%) was the most commonly reported substance used during pregnancy followed by tobacco (4.9%). The full report and a fact sheet are available for viewing on HCA’s website at
www.ochealthinfo.com/seb.
“Tobacco-Free Communities: Theory to Practice.” By Marilyn Pritchard, HCA TUPP Program Manager; Barbara Brasher, HCA TUPP Program Supervisor; Dr. Mohammed Forouzesh; Dr. Stafford Cox; and Toni Espinosa-Ferrel.
The focus of the poster presentation was to showcase the accomplishments of the Tobacco Free communities (TFC) Project from July 2005-June 2008. Some of the highlights included tobacco quit rates for adults and teens – 35% of adults and 62% of teens were tobacco free 90 days after receiving the County’s free tobacco cessation services. Another success showed the decrease in illegal tobacco sales to minors at 120 tobacco retailers throughout Orange County, thanks to the educational interventions conducted with merchants and community members. Lastly, 814 health care providers collaborated with HCA’s Tobacco Use Prevention Program (TUPP) in distributing 1-866-NEW-LUNG materials promoting the County’s free quit smoking helpline, making them the primary referral source to the cessation line in the three years of the project.
“Using partnerships to build an effective educational tool for Listerosis: A U.S./Mexico border health issue.” By Joe Vargas, Health Promotion Division.
As a partner in the bi-national effort to address US/Mexico border health issues such as Listerosis, HCA collaborated with several local and state agencies to design and develop an educational brochure to address long held traditional beliefs
abiut soft cheeses.
The brochure was created to educate the community about the dangerous health practices of purchasing fresh cheese from local street vendors or solicitors who make home visits to residents. It also included information on how many of these vendors do not use appropriate measures to ensure safety to the consumer including refrigeration, labeling and unhygienic methods of storing. The brochure has since been requested
by and used in several California counties, as well as in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
The APHA aims to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats and strives to assure community-based health promotion and disease prevention activities and preventive health services are universally accessible in the United States. APHA represents a broad array of health professionals and others who care about their own health and the health of their communities. For more information, visit the APHA website at www.apha.org..
Joe Vargas is pictured alongside
his poster presentation on Using
partnerships to build an effective educational tool for Listerosis:
A U.S./Mexico border health issue.
HCA programs garner CSAC awards
The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) presents its annual CSAC Challenge Awards each year to recognize unique county programs. This year, CSAC received 255 entries for its competition, which spotlights the most innovative programs and services in county government.
Congratulations to the following HCA programs that received honors this year:
Text HCA has been targeting smokers to provide free cessation services to all residents. This has been a challenge due to limited staffing, language and geographical barriers. An innovative Tobacco Cessation Program Utilizing Multiple Modalities was created to reduce adult and youth dependence on tobacco. Cessation services are offered in the three prominent languages in Orange County – English, Spanish and Vietnamese. To address the issue of limited staffing, 25 bilingual and bicultural interns were part of this program and located throughout the county to reduce geographical barriers. With this project, 1,204 adults have received cessation services. Of these adults, 23 percent of them were tobacco free 90 days after they received treatment.
In compliance with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggestion to have a Point of Dispensing (POD) site capable of providing 45,000 people with lifesaving medication or vaccines within a 48-hour time frame, HCA realized that 72 PODs were needed in order to provide care to the Orange County population of 3.2 million people. Over the last two years, Orange County has worked aggressively to get these sites implemented by identifying project leadership, developing strategies, creating deployment procedures, and exercising full scale development. Nine city-based POD plans were created which will provide medication to 405,000 residents.
HCA recognized the need to quickly inform facilities of situations that could compromise food safety. They created the Rapid Assessment Notification System (RANS). The agency expanded Environmental Health’s Food Protection Program database to include facilities, types of food and the e-mail addresses of those responsible for the food. The benefit of this is immediate response time if there is a food recall. The facilities that are most likely to house that type of food can be contacted directly.
For more information about CSAC or the 2008 CSAC Challenge Awards, visit www.csac.counties.org..
In the Compliance Office we realize that sometimes it takes a well-publicized story to really drive home the importance of Compliance and adhering to the Code of Conduct. These stories were recently in the news.
They were warned and they didn’t listen.
Within days of being told of the legal perils of snooping into pop star Britney Spears’ medical records, 13 employees of the UCLA Medical Center did just that, and are being fired. Six doctors also face disciplinary action, Charles Ornstein reports.
UCLA sent a memo warning staffers the morning Spears was hospitalized on Jan. 31 that they were not allowed to peruse records unless directly caring for a patient.
Those disciplined included both medical and non-medical personnel.
Even after UCLA Medical Center warned employees that it was cracking down on unauthorized access to medical records, the privacy of a “well-known individual” was breached by two nurses and an emergency room technician who called up the patient’s computerized records in mid-April, according to a critical state report released Monday.
The latest findings detail how one employee – a former administrative specialist who faces federal criminal charges for violating Farrah Fawcett’s privacy – looked at the records of 939 patients “without any legitimate reason” from April 2003 to May 2007. In previous reports, the state had linked her to viewing the records of about 60 patients. She also looked at other personal information, including Social Security numbers, the state now says.
Tally of improperly accessed UCLA patient records tops 1,000
The number of patients whose hospital records were improperly accessed by employees at the UCLA Hospital System has topped 1,000, state officials said…The total number of UCLA workers who have been disciplined for breaching patient records now stands at 165, up from 127 since August. …
Wednesday’s report was the sixth issued by the California Department of Public Health after articles ran in The Times this year about UCLA employees prying into the records of celebrities and prominent patients, including California First Lady Maria Shriver, actress Farrah Fawcett and singer Britney Spears. …
The hospital said it has taken measures to ensure patient confidentiality, including increasing audits of employees who can access patient files and requiring employees to identify reasons for accessing clinical records.
As a result of this incident, California has tightened the laws on the protection of individually identifiable information. Starting January 1, 2009, strict reporting requirements and monetary fines go into effect for unlawful or unauthorized access to individually identifiable health information. More information will be provided to the work force on the new requirements.
The HCA Code of Conduct requires all of us to comply with all laws governing the confidentiality of information. If you have questions about access, security or privacy, please talk to your supervisor or manager or contact Linda Le, HCA HIPAA Coordinator, at (714) 834-4082 or by e-mail at lile@ochca.com.
Check out MHSA’s Recovery Connections!
Recovery Connections is a quarterly newsletter published by the Health Care Agency Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Office. The latest issue, “Fall 2008,” was released in October.
Recovery Connections is posted on the MHSA website and is distributed throughout the County to staff, community partners, and persons in recovery, as well as their family members. It is a venue to share success stories, personal perspectives, writing, art, and other creative projects.
The newsletter is also a place to obtain information about MHSA planning and activities, community affairs and art events. Anyone who would like to submit items for publication can e-mail the MHSA program at mhsa@ochca.com or call (714) 667-5620.
Current and past issues of Recovery Connections are available for viewing on the web at www.ochealthinfo.com/mhsa.
HDM participates in CESA Conference
Several staff members within HCA’s Health Disaster Management (HDM) Division were invited to present information about their programs at the annual California Emergency Services Association (CESA) Southern Chapter Disaster Preparedness Conference which took place in Palm Springs during the month of October.
The annual conference brings more than 250 emergency planners together from all over California to participate in a four-day conference showcasing best practices in emergency management planning and response. The following HDM programs were presented at the 2008 CESA Conference:
Point of Dispensing (POD) Outreach Program
HDM Pandemic Influenza Program Manager Keith Olenslager and HDM Cities Readiness Initiative and POD Program Coordinator Nicole McCarty demonstrated the POD program by setting up a meeting room to resemble an actual POD site. Participants were checked-in, provided a vest and screened to their designated seat based on their vest color. At the end of the event, participants were provided a first-aid kit in order to demonstrate the dispensing process. Throughout the workshop, participants were provided insight on how the HDM planning team works with community partners to plan and exercise its POD sites.
HDM staff Nicole McCarty and Keith Olenslager presented information about the POD Outreach Program during the October 2008 CESA Conference in Palm Springs. HDM staff set-up a meeting room to mimic an actual POD site in order for conference attendees to experience how the POD program works.
Orange County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)– September 2007 Two-Day Emergency Mutual Aid Drill
OC MRC Coordinator Peggy McCormick and representatives from the Orange County California Citizen Corps and the Costa Mesa Community Emergency Response Team Coordinator educated conference attendees about the two-day September drill that took a year to plan which included 300 volunteers from Volunteers in Police (VIPS), Cities Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES), OC MRC, Neighborhood Watch, Fire Department, Law Enforcement and the Volunteer Center of Orange County.
They described planning committee assignments, check-in of volunteers, Incident Command System (ICS) training and the meaning of volunteer mutual aid in the county. The team additionally described how the exercise which involved many Orange County Citizen Corps Programs was more than just a drill. Based upon the extensive training and experience the volunteers gained from the exercise, they were ready to serve when called upon during the October 2007 fires.
Those who attended the POD Outreach Program presentation were
able to learn first-hand about the POD program by participating in
a mock POD site. They were checked-in, received a vest, screened
and also experienced the dispensing process.
Congratulations to HDM on also receiving an award of recognition by the CESA Southern Chapter for their “Outstanding Service to the Field of Emergency Management” for their POD planning and outreach program.
Holiday pay codes for timecards
As the holiday season approaches, the following tips may help you determine which pay codes to use for holiday hours on your timecard.
Holiday Hours (HH): Use HH if a holiday falls on your regularly scheduled day to work. Post the number of HH hours that you are normally scheduled to work that day.
Holiday Comp (HC): Use HC if a holiday falls on your normal day off. If you are a full time employee, a maximum of 8 hours may be posted. If you are a part time employee, then post HC at the rate of 1 hour per each 5 hours that you are normally scheduled to work during that workweek (not pay period). For example, if you are normally scheduled to work 20 hours during a week in which a holiday falls, you would post 4 hours of HC.
If you work on a holiday that falls on your regularly scheduled day to work, the number of hours recorded on your timecard for the number of hours worked depends upon whether the holiday is designated as a Major or Minor Holiday. This will determine how Straight Time (ST) is recorded.
Major Holidays. Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving Day are major holidays. If you work on any of these holidays, record ST for the number of hours actually worked, but multiplied by time and a half, and HH for the number of normally scheduled work hours. For example, if you worked your normally scheduled 8 hours on a major holiday, you would post on your timecard 12 hours ST (8 hours at time and a half) AND 8 hours HH. If you also worked overtime (that is, any time worked over your normally scheduled hours), record overtime (OT) as you normally would.
Minor Holidays. Minor holidays include all other holidays not listed above. The day after Thanksgiving, therefore, is a minor holiday. If you work on a minor holiday, record ST for the number of hours actually worked and HH for the number of normally scheduled work hours. For example, if you worked your normally scheduled 8 hours on a minor holiday, you would post on your timecard 8 hours ST AND 8 hours HH. If you also worked overtime (that is, any time worked over your normally scheduled hours), record overtime (OT) as you normally would.
For all payroll questions, please contact HCA Payroll at HCAPayroll@ochca.com, or by telephone at (714) 834-5744 (7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday).
Holiday Hope is a Health Care Agency (HCA) holiday assistance program that began in 1985 to provide food for the agency’s neediest clients during the holiday season. HCA staff work with a variety of clients, ranging in age from infants through senior citizens. Many have serious medical and nutritional problems. Each year, staff refer their most impoverished clients to Holiday Hope. The program is designed to provide these families with a holiday meal.
The Holiday Hope program is supported solely by County Employees. Find it in your heart and volunteer to feed-a-family by donating a grocery gift certificate or a cash donation to purchase grocery gift certificates.
Gift card and cash donations (made payable to Holiday Hope) can be mailed to:
Holiday Hope – HCA Volunteer Services
405 W. Fifth Street, Suite 300
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Donations need to be received no later than December 22, 2008. For further information, contact Amber Alford, HCA Volunteer Services at (714) 834-4144 or by e-mail at aalford@ochca.com.
Safety Corner—Seasonal safety tips!
Congratulations to all HCA staff that have completed the 2008 Annual Safety Training! The HCA Safety Program would like to recognize Cadiz Gonzalez and Susie Baker who were both instrumental in the implementation of Training Partner for the delivery of this year’s Safety Training. Their relentless efforts and assistance they provided to many HCA staff with their first experiences in using Training Partner helped to make the 2008 training a success.
November is here and that means the holidays are right around the corner. Many programs at HCA enjoy decorating for the holidays and really getting into the holiday spirit. Although preparing for the holidays can boost our spirits enormously, it is also important to remember the holidays are one of the most accident prone times of the year. To keep us safe (so we can enjoy more fruitcake and pumpkin pie…yummy), here are a few safety tips for decorating around the office:
Please do not stand on any type of chair to hang decorations.
Always use a step stool or ladder and have a buddy hold onto the ladder for extra support. Always check decorations for cracks or breaks; make sure they are UL certified (this means the lights or decorations will not get too hot when plugged into an outlet).
Please do not use extension cords in your areas.
Make sure decorations are not tripping hazards or impeding emergency exits.
Remember, the holidays can be the most wonderful time of the year. Let’s all do our part to ensure it is also the safest!
Institutional Health Services (IHS) held its 3rd annual Nursing Skills Fair from October 28-30 at the HCA Learning Center located next to the 17th Street Clinic in Santa Ana. Registered Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses, Medical Assistants and Psychiatric Technicians from Correctional Medical Services (CMS) and Correctional Mental Health (CMH) were given the opportunity to test important nursing skills. More than 150 IHS nursing staff completed a competence program and attended the Skills Fair.
Oxygen administration, emergency response medication administration, IV administration, narcotic overdose management, cervical collar application, and tuberculosis skin testing were among some of the skills tested at the fair. Attendees were also able to test their emergency response skills at stations that presented emergency scenarios typically seen in the correctional setting.
The newest CMS team member, “Mega Code Kelly,” played a key role in the emergency response testing. “Kelly,” a simulation mannequin, is an advanced patient simulator used for training purposes. “Kelly” provides simulation-based education to challenge and test clinical and decision making skills during realistic patient care scenarios.
Evaluators for the various stations included paramedics from the Santa Ana Fire Department, an HCA Emergency Medical Services team, and CMS Senior and staff nurses. Nurse Practitioners from CMH also provided Suicide Prevention training. This year’s IHS Nursing Skills Fair also hosted management and staff from both San Diego and San Bernardino County correctional health programs to share training ideas and tools.
A variety of nursing skills were tested at the f
air including
oxygen administration, narcotic
overdose management, cervical collar application
and TB skin testing to name a few.
The newest CMS team member "Mega Code Kelly" played a key
role in emergency response testing which was available during
the IHS Skills
Fair.
This year’s IHS Nursing Skills Fair organizers included (left to
right)
Lori Gordon, Erin Winger, Jennifer Broadwater, Scott Gordon and Irasema
Orozco.
Supervisors recognize contributions of Mental Health facilities
The Orange County Board of Supervisors took time during its October 7th meeting to recognize eleven facilities in Orange County that are designated under State law to provide involuntary treatment to people with mental disorders.
Board Chairman John M.W. Moorlach requested the opportunity to recognize the facilities for their commitment to providing inpatient psychiatric treatment to individuals in crisis and for their efforts to treat each client with care and compassion. During 2007, these Designated Facilities served over 13,500 clients, including adults and older adults.
The facilities recognized at the Board meeting are:
College Hospital Costa Mesa
Western Medical Center – Anaheim
St. Joseph Hospital
UC Irvine Medical Center
Royale Therapeutic Residential Center
South Coast Medical Center
Western Medical Center – Santa Ana
Los Alamitos Medical Center
Royale Mission Viejo Psychiatric Health Facility
Chapman Medical Center, and
Newport Bay Hospital
If you are an HCA clerical supervisor, you may have heard about the County of Orange Office Supervisors (COOS) group. Formed in 1961, the organization is made up of clerical
supervisors from throughout Orange County departments and agencies which comprise many of the key individuals who make county government function in its service to the people of Orange County.
If you are currently a clerical supervisor and are interested in joining or would like to learn more, you are invited to attend the organization’s meetings which are held the second Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Country Garden Caterers located at 719 N. Main St. in Santa Ana.
COOS offers opportunities to make valuable contacts and gain insight into other areas of county operations. In addition to the programs that are offered, which usually feature a guest speaker from within the county, private industry, and/or colleges. It is also a chance for members to exchange ideas, information and discuss issues of their own. Subjects covered include: leadership, human relations, employee relations, communication, planning, training, motivating employees, and interviewing applicants. The group emphasizes educational development.
Each year members are also encouraged to bring their bosses or superiors to the special December meeting, where the organization’s officers for the coming year are introduced.
For more information, contact COOS 2008 President Robert Gomez, Assessor’s Office at (714) 834-2186 or COOS 2nd Vice President Pamela Rainey, Assessor’s Office at (714) 834-5031. To obtain a membership application, COOS Secretary Jean Brayer, Health Care Agency may be reached at (714) 834-7699.
The kids are back in school, nights are getting cooler, and autumn offers seasonal fruits and vegetables that taste great and are good for you. Here are some seasonal suggestions to help you find a new fall favorite.
They may look like tiny cabbages but they are huge on nutrients. Brussels sprouts are cruciferous (cross shaped petals) vegetables from the cabbage family. They contain the phytonutrient (the bioactive compounds in plants) indoles and isothiocyanates that may protect against some cancers and heart disease. Generally the whole brussels sprout is steamed and served as a side dish. Try cutting them up and adding them to a salad.
Not just front porch decorations for Halloween, pumpkins are a super source of fiber, beta carotene (another phytonutrient) and potassium. Smaller pumpkins are perfect for cooking and are more flavorful and tender than their Jack-o’-lantern brothers. Be sure to bake the seeds for a tasty snack of healthy fats and minerals. Enjoy pumpkin in warm soups like the recipe below.
Perfect partners in place of potatoes, parsnips add pungent flavor and potassium. Potassium may lessen the result of salt on blood pressure, which may reduce your risk of developing kidney stones and may even decrease bone loss.
Autumn is the time to GO for green beans. Green beans add color and flavor to your fall harvest. Like the veggies above, green beans have vitamins C and K and folate, as well as two important phytonutrients called carotenoids. These carotenoids—lutein and zeaxanthin—may support the health of your eyes.
Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
2 (15oz) cans pumpkin
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 ¼ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup fat free half and half
¼ cup chopped cilantro optional
Preparation:
Bring broth to a boil
Whisk in canned pumpkin, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, coriander and nutmeg
Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes to blend flavors
Add half and half and heat until steaming
Ladle soup into bowls
Sprinkle with cilantro (Prepare this soup a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend)
Prep time 5 minutes; Cook time varies Serves 4 – 1½ cup servings
Nutritional information per serving including optional items
Calories 210, Fat 4 g, Carbohydrate 31g, Fiber 7g, Sodium 360mg, Cholesterol 5 mg
For more terrific recipes, visit www.cachampionsforchange.net.
For many of us, the word “holiday” is a synonym for a get-together usually involving many people and food. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s (and then Super Bowl Sunday), many of us will have more guests in our homes and participate in more cooking than any other time of the year. Make sure food safety is part of your holiday planning from start to finish—all the way from keeping produce, meat and eggs separate in your grocery carts to reheating leftover food.
Many people cook special foods during the holidays that they may not prepare the rest of the year. If you’re planning to make a crown roast, turkey, pot roast, pork loin, whole poultry or use raw ingredients like eggs to make holiday drinks such as egg nog, be sure to cook these items to proper temperature and prepare them accordingly.
T
he Partnership for Food Safety Education offers the following tips to help make your holiday meals safe:
Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water for a full 20 seconds before and after handling raw products.
Cutting boards should be run through the dishwasher, or washed with soap and hot water after each use.
Store raw meat, poultry and seafood on a plate or tray in the refrigerator so raw juices don’t drip onto other foods.
Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood.
Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood unless the plate has been washed with hot soapy water.
Don’t spread bacteria with dirty sponges, dishcloths or towels. Bacteria often thrive in the moist areas of these items where bits of food may also exist. Have a stock of paper towels or freshly cleaned sponges or cloths and soap and hot water to clean food preparation surfaces.
For meat, poultry and other dishes, use a food thermometer to make sure foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature.
When it comes to eggs, such as for brunch or egg nog, cook them until the yolks and whites are firm or reach 160°F on a food thermometer. Don’t use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked.
Cook fish until it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
When microwaving, make sure there are no cold spots in food (where bacteria can survive). For best results, cover, stir and rotate food for even cooking.
When reheating sauces, soups and gravies, bring them to a boil. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to 165°F.
Make sure the refrigerator temperature is 40°F or below and the freezer is 0°F or below.
Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs and other perishables as soon as you get them home from the store. Do not leave prepared foods and leftovers out for more than two hours.
Never defrost food at room temperature. Use the refrigerator or you can also thaw foods in airtight packaging in cold water (but change the water every 30 minutes, so the food continues to thaw).
Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.
Don’t stuff the refrigerator. Cold air must circulate to keep food safe.
Be sure to also not let children (or adults) eat raw cookie dough or batter from mixer beaters if the recipe you’ve made contains raw eggs. Raw eggs could be contaminated with salmonella – a leading cause of foodborne illness. Also, when it comes to buffets, the key is to keep hot foods hot, and cold foods cold, and not let food sit out for more than two hours.
For more tips on meat and poultry preparation, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry website at www.fsis.usda.gov. Additional food preparation tips and information on safe food handling can be found on the Partnership for Food Safety Education’s “Fight BAC” (bacteria) website at www.fightbac.org.
Vegetables greet Halloween visitors
“Is the tomato getting a flu shot too?” asked a young visitor at the Health Care Agency (HCA) clinic on 17th Street in Santa Ana. Staff members in tomato and corn stalk costumes brought smiles and health messages to clients who visited the clinic during Halloween.
“Seeing giant fruits and vegetables is fun for both adults and kids,” said an unidentified tomato. “It’s a great way to reinforce the importance of healthy eating. Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber and low in calories. Studies have shown that an adequate intake of fruit and vegetable aids in weight management and helps reduce the risk for several chronic diseases.”
The HCA Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supervisor donned a costume too when she introduced the State’s new “Healthy Habits for Life” program at a staff meeting.
The fruit and vegetable costumes are part of the Network for a Healthy California - Children’s Power Play! Campaign and can be used to add interest and fun to many events. HCA implements several Network programs and activities that provide nutrition education to low-income, Food Stamp eligible residents in many ways including the following:
Power Play Campaign targets children 9-11 years old at schools and youth centers
Latino Campaign brings nutrition education to adults
Retail Program partners with grocery stores to promote fruits and vegetables
Worksite Program brings wellness activities to businesses with low-wage earners
General nutrition education – HCA Nutrition Services coordinates with Public Health Nursing, Health Promotion, SSA-Food Stamps, WIC, community partners and others to bring healthy eating and physical activity messages to all ages
For more information about nutrition and the Network programs, contact Maridet Ibanez, Nutrition Services Program Manager, at Mibanez@ochca.com.
Pictured (left to right) are Elizabeth Arroyo in the tomato
costume
and Gina Navarro as the corn stalk,
Contributions of EMS staff member remembered
The staff of HCA Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and individuals from throughout Orange County’s emergency medical system have been remembering the contributions of Beverly Nighswonger, the EMS Facilities Coordinator, who died October 29 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Beverly had a long career in the emergency medical services field including experience as a Certified Emergency Medical Technician, a trauma and ER technician and as a Registered Nurse. During her nursing career, she worked in the hospital emergency department, as a Mobile Intensive Care Nurse, as a research nurse and as a nurse educator. For the past three years, she served the Health Care Agency as the liaison between Emergency Medical Services and the hospitals, overseeing standards and quality assurance for the emergency departments, base hospitals, cardiac receiving centers, and trauma centers. She also contributed regularly to the efforts of the state EMS for Children committee. Last year, Beverly brought national recognition to Orange County’s health care system by presenting information about the county’s Cardiac Receiving Centers at the premier international meeting for cardiac facilities. An upcoming Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting is expected to be adjourned in her honor.
Fleming is new chair for Basic Needs Committee
Donna Fleming, Chief of Public Health Operations, has been selected to serve as the Co-Chair of the Orange County United Way’s Community Impact Council Basic Needs Committee. The Community Impact Council is a volunteer group that assists in making funding decisions for local programs supported by United Way.
The Council has three working groups, including basic needs, education and financial stability. The goals of the Community Impact Council are to identify the agencies that will be invited to apply for grant funding, determine which currently funded programs will be invited to continue as a United Way agency and identify programs that fill gaps in services. As Co-Chair, Donna will be working with Dr. Gwyn Parry, Director of Community Medicine for Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, who is the committee’s Chairman.
HCA Human Resources hosted a Halloween Haunted House in October to raise funds for this year’s United Way campaign. HR’s third floor offices at the 405 W. 5th Street Building in Santa Ana were converted into a makeshift spooky maze-like site, complete with ghouls in every corner to frighten visitors. Attendees loved the Haunted House so much they claimed it was a scream!
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HCA again hosted a booth at the annual Employees’ United Way Kick-Off event held at the Old Orange County Courthouse on Oct. 8. This year, HCA served strawberry shortcakes and offered various other items for sale including kettle corn, emergency chocolate bars, OC logo coffee mugs & shirts, emergency kits, fleece blankets and handcrafted beaded lanyards to name a few. Other county agencies also participated in selling a variety of wares, as well as food items to help raise funds for the annual campaign. Pictured in left photo, (left to right) are Sandy Viernes from Quality Management’s Desktop Publishing Unit and Eileen Endo from Emergency Medical Services. Pictured in right photo, (left to right) are Mia Delgado, Donnie LaPlante, Susanna Ganey, Elena Guzman.
Disaster Preparedness Expo draws crowd
On October 18, HCA’s Health Disaster Management (HDM) Division participated in a South County Disaster Preparedness Expo hosted by Supervisor Pat Bates. The event held at the Norman P. Murphy Community and Senior Center in Mission Viejo took place in conjunction with the city’s Annual Walk Against Drugs which draws more than 5,000 participants each year.
The event drew large crowds to the expo which was held at the Walk’s finish line, allowing participants and interested community members the opportunity to interact and visit booths from various organizations responsible for emergency preparedness and response in Orange County including HCA, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority who provided interactive booths, educational games and impressive emergency response vehicle displays.
HDM and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers were on hand to share information and answer questions regarding many of HDM’s programs including pandemic influenza preparedness, MRC volunteer opportunities and general health emergency preparedness information. HCA’s mobile command support vehicle was also on display to demonstrate the Agency’s interoperable communication capabilities.
HDM hosted a booth at a Disaster Preparedness Expo held on
October 18 at the Norman P. Murphy Community and Senior
Center in Mission Viejo.
Volunteers shared information about HDM programs.
Students take to streets for Walk 2 School Day
The benefits of walking to school, and the issues that students face on their daily route, were discussed at schools throughout Orange County during the annual observance of Walk to School Day, an event championed by HCA Public Health-Health Promotion.
Walk to School Day is an international event, but the real focus is neighborhood by neighborhood, as students get involved in taking a look at improvements that would make it easier for them to walk to school. At Garfield Elementary in Santa Ana, several HCA representatives participated in a special ceremony encouraging children to walk to school. Prior to the event, students and parents used a checklist to identify barriers to a daily walk to school, and listed everything from trash and broken sidewalks to mean dogs and a lack of crosswalks. These checklists were presented to the City of Santa Ana with a request to look for ways to improve the routes that children take to school.
Health Promotion Division Manager Amy Buch was joined at the event by Dr. Eric Walsh, the Medical Director for Family Health, and David Souleles, Deputy Agency Director for Public Health Services, as well as other staff from the Health Promotion Division. Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen also participated, joining elected officials from the City of Santa Ana and the Santa Ana Unified School District. In addition to the health benefits of walking, school officials touted the improvements to air quality produced by fewer vehicle trips and safety improvements related to reducing the number of vehicles on the road. Walk to School Day is an important reminder that we should all slow down in school zones and be on the look-out for children as they walk to school.
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
World AIDS Day, 1
National Aplastic Anemia & MDS Awareness Week, 1-7
National Handwashing Awareness Week , 7-13
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Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. .
—Mark Twain
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The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. .
—Walter Bagehot
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The hope, and not the fact, of advancement is the spur to industry.
—Henry Taylor
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The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
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
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