Issue 09-03
March 2009
Inside this issue …
IHS nurses recognized for Hepatitis Project teamwork
Institutional Health Services (IHS) nurses Susana Rangel, RN; Lillian Mastergeorge, RN; Maria Reinzo, RN; Donna Hanson-Wilkins, RN and James Trimmer, RN teamed together to implement an Adult Hepatitis Vaccine Project (AHVP) in the Orange County jail system to provide free Hepatitis vaccine to individuals in correctional facilities who are considered at high risk.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Immunization Branch, in collaboration with the Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Prevention and Control Branch and the Office of AIDS started the AHVP, whose goal is the delivery of hepatitis vaccines to unvaccinated at risk adults.
Senior Nurse Susana Rangel was tasked with the responsibility of creating the project’s procedures. She designed an educational script to be used when discussing the vaccines to inmates, worked on creating vaccine consent forms and provided the vaccine to inmates in the Central Jail Complex. She additionally spoke at the American Correctional Health Services Association Conference in September 2008 about her experiences in working on this special project.
Lillian Mastergeorge, Senior Nurse, assisted Susana Rangel in the project’s implementation and helped to provide the Hepatitis vaccine to those housed at the Intake and Release Center (IRC). To keep track of when Hepatitis doses were given, Donna Hanson-Wilkins, RN served as the Correctional Health Assessment, Recording, and Tracking (CHART) Computer Administrator and set up a program within the IHS computer system for electronic record keeping.
Registered Nurses Maria Rienzo and James Trimmer helped to immunize inmates at the James Musick jail facility in Irvine and in the IRC Crisis Stabilization Unit, respectively. Medical Assistant Erica Garcia also helped to keep track of an immunization schedule for each inmate and assisted James Trimmer in providing vaccine in one of the jails.
“Orange County’s jail facilities house an average daily population of 6,571 (according to June 2007 data) with an average length of stay for many jail inmates at about six months or less,” said Dr. Erenia Perry, Director of Pharmacy Services. “Providing the Hepatitis vaccine to inmates prior to their release assists in the continuum of health care for our community.”
On February 5, 2009, these five nurses along with Dr. Erenia Perry were presented with Award of Achievement certificates for the successful implementation and completion of the 2008 State of California Adult Hepatitis Vaccine Program by Sandra Rollins, Senior Executive Immunization Account Manager for GlaxoSmithKline who represented the State Program.
The Correctional Medical Services (CMS) program was awarded this grant valued at more than $69,000 in 2008 along with only two other jails, Los Angeles County and San Mateo County. Each participating entity must provide adequate equipment, personnel, needles, syringes and other vaccination supplies to support the project. A total of 1,068 doses of Hepatitis A and B vaccine were given during this project in Orange County.
“After this experience, the CMS program is now training additional nurses for the 2009 grant which was renewed,” said Dr. Erenia Perry. “Many of our inmates expressed their gratitude for being able to obtain their immunizations at no cost.”
Pictured in front row (left to right) are Agency Director Julie
Poulson; Pam Giese, Director of Nursing; Lillian Mastergeorge; Susana Rangel;
Maria Rienzo and Dr. Erenia Perry, Director of Pharmacy Services. Pictured in
back row (left to right) are James Trimmer; Erica Garcia, Medical Assistant;
Donna Hanson-Wilkins; Terre Duensing, IHS Division Manager; and Sandra Rollins
from GlaxoSmithKline.
Julie Poulson announces retirement this month
After more than 36 years of dedicated service to the County, Health Care Agency and Orange County community, Agency Director Julie Poulson has announced her retirement from the Agency this month and plans to enter a new chapter in her life.
“HCA has been an integral part of my life and I have greatly enjoyed serving the people of Orange County in many capacities. I have equally enjoyed getting to know the many talented, dedicated and caring HCA staff through the years,” said Agency Director Julie Poulson. “I truly consider HCA staff to be part of my extended family and I will miss the friendships and professional relationships developed through many years of working with all of you.”
With a new opportunity to travel and spend more time with her family, Julie is also excited about the soon-to-be arrival of her second grandchild. HCA congratulates Julie and wishes her well as she embarks on her new journey into retirement.
A farewell event for Julie is planned to take place on Thursday, March 26 at the 405 W. 5th Street building in Santa Ana, 1st floor lobby, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. All are welcome to attend and offer congratulations to Julie.
Compliance welcomes new staff member
The HCA Office of Compliance is pleased to announce the addition of Thoa Tran to the Office Compliance Team. Thoa has been with the County since 1984, with the last 11 years in the Health Care Agency.
Thoa has extensive experience within the County holding positions such as Deputy Probation Counselor at Juvenile Hall; Group Counselor I at Orangewood Children’s Home; Social Worker II and Senior Social Worker with the Social Services Agency; Clinical Social Worker I and II with HCA Children and Youth Services and Adult Mental Health; Regional Program Coordinator/Clinical Social Worker II with HCA Behavioral Health CalWORKs; and HCA Service Chief I in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (ADAS). Thoa has a BA in Psychology from Chapman University and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California. She is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Certified Medicare Reviewer.
As the Compliance Audit and Training Coordinator, Thoa will be coordinating Compliance Training, preparing reports, auditing and monitoring sanction screening procedures, documenting compliance findings and corrective actions, and providing assistance with any of your compliance questions or concerns. Please join us in welcoming her to her new role.
Thoa can be reached at:
405 W. 5th Street,
Suite 776, Bldg. 38 T
Santa Ana, Ca. 92701
(714) 568-5614
ThTran@ochca.com
Compliance team members including Dr. Jeff Nagel, Chief Compliance Officer; Thea Bullock, Assistant Compliance Officer; and Linda Le, HIPAA Coordinator, are available to answer any of your compliance-related questions. Stop by, call us, or send us an e-mail at officeofcompliance@ochca.com.:
HR develops new Mission, Vision, Values
HCA’s Human Resources (HR) Department recently finalized a new Mission, Vision and Values after input gathered at an HR retreat led by HCA’s Training & Staff Development Department. As part of HCA’s Leadership Development Program, HR/Volunteer Services Program Coordinator Sylvia Goldie’s project was to assemble a cross-functional HCA HR committee to collaborate on the development of the new Mission, Vision and Values. The team from HR included Karen Hodel, Employee Relations; Donnie La Plante, Recruitment; and Jeremy Harris, Records Specialist.
The finished product embraces all that HR strives to be and is reflected in a framed display in HR’s lobby located at the 405 W. 5th Street Building, 3rd Floor in Santa Ana and on the HR Intranet webpage at http://intranet.ochca.com/hr.
Vision Statement
Hire for excellence
Promote integrity
Serve with professionalism
Educate for the future
Mission Statement
Health Care Agency Human Resources partners with Health Care Agency Administration and Programs by providing the expertise to recruit, develop, manage and retain dedicated professionals and volunteers to serve the community with excellence.
Values
Fairness
Innovation
Respect
Service
Teamwork
Test Your Knowledge
’09 Public Health Week quiz
This year’s focus on National Public Health Week from April 6-12, 2009 is “Building the Foundation for a Healthy America.” The American Public Health Association will highlight the week by ensuring that core public health principles such as preventing disease and promoting health are the foundation upon which our nation’s current dialogue about health reform is built.
To start your celebration of Public Health Week, take the following true-false quiz and answer the 12 questions to test your knowledge of public health facts and statistics relating to this year’s theme. Visit the Agency’s Public Health Week webpage at www.ochealthinfo.com/public/phweek.quiz.htm to submit your completed quiz online by Friday, March 27. Those who answer all questions correctly will be entered into a drawing to win fun prizes.
True or False?
Every adult must do a minimum of 6 hours of intense aerobic activity a week.
You should take an antibiotic from a friend for a cough with a runny nose.
The Presidential Fitness Council was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 16, 1956.
The U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than those in most developed countries.
California has enacted a breastfeeding law that states “a mother who is breastfeeding a child may request that jury service be deferred for up to a year.”
Cancer is the leading cause of death in the U.S.
The California Helmet Law states that only those under the age of 16 must wear a helmet while riding a bike, skateboard, scooter or skates.
Being physically active is one of the most important steps that Americans of all ages can take to improve their health.
Getting the family involved in meal time planning and preparation will help kids to eat healthier.
Potassium does not help to lower blood pressure.
Decline in dental decay over the past 60 years is recognized as an important public health achievement and can be largely attributed to an increase in the use of mouth wash.
A baby born to a woman who did not receive prenatal care is five times more likely to die than a baby born to a women who did receive prenatal care.
“Eat Right” for Nat’l Nutrition Month®
“Eat right and stay fit … no matter what your age,” is a 2009 National Nutrition Month® (NNM) key message. This national campaign, created annually by the American Dietetic Association, aims to offer nutrition education and information that promotes healthier choices and physical activities. During the month of March, HCA Nutrition Services’ staff and clients celebrated National Nutrition Month®’s theme of “Eat Right” with the following activities:
“Energize Your Body with Fruits and Vegetables” and “My Kitchen, My Rules” display at the 17th Street building,
“My Kitchen, My Rules” empowerment pledges at Women Infants and Children (WIC) clinics,
Children from Project Access and Second Harvest’s after school programs created NNM cards that were sent to community partners thanking them for promoting good nutrition in Orange County,
“Colors of the Rainbow, Healthy and Meatless” salad bar and most unique or unusual salad item contest at the Nutrition Services Full Staff Meeting
National RD (Registered Dietitian) Day luncheon,
Weekly tips and recipes to Nutrition Services staff in March on “Healthy Monday, Meatless Monday.”
Don’t forget to take advantage of the “Fit Business Tips” newsletter suggestions that come out monthly. For more information on National Nutrition Month®, or a healthier you, visit the American Dietetic Association website at www.eatright.org. Eat right and stay active for a healthier you!
HCA employees can contact the Service Desk at (714) 834-3128 and request technical help. In the end everything turns out fine and you are back at work. Sounds simple right? Do you ever wonder what goes on at the other end? How many folk does IT have at the Service Desk? How does my call get handled? Why do they ask me so many questions up front? Why do I have a service request number? You may have had these questions, thoughts and possibly answers; therefore, in this article we will look behind the scenes to help you realize the full picture of this very busy department and the challenges facing the team each time the phone rings.
Located at 515 N. Sycamore in the Civic Center area of Santa Ana, the HCA Service Desk is a department comprised of six staff members who answered over 30,000 incoming calls last year. Even though that in itself is an incredible feat, the team also solves 60% of all calls which enter our system during an initial contact period. The remainder is sent to different areas within IT for resolution. So, let’s look at the mechanics of an inbound call when a call is made to (714) 834-3128. You hear an initial upfront recorded message. This recording can help you identify if there is an outage affecting your system or your area. This message is intended to “alleviate or reduce” possible long wait times on the phone in the event of an outage. After you listen to the message you may choose to hang up or stay on the line for further assistance. Your call will then proceed to an Automatic Call Distribution system; we refer to this in IT as the “ACD.” If there is an available phone line, you will be routed to the next available technician attending that line. Sounds simple right? And for the most part it is, but there is still more behind the scenes.
Once you speak with a Service Desk Technician, we must capture the interaction in a Service Request Management tool. We use software called “TouchPaper.” This software creates what you know as a “Service Request” and a corresponding sequential number is assigned. At the time of this article, we were at 191,305 Service Requests that have been processed through our system. According to IT policy, all interactions require a Service Request for future tracking and reference purposes of workloads.
So, why so many questions when you call in? When a customer calls in, we must first get all the contact information so our records are up to date and to ensure we can still find you. The next item on filling out a request is to ask a few qualifying questions so we can categorize and hopefully solve the call appropriately. Categorizing a request enables the Service Desk to accomplish a few things, one is this ensures the call is assigned an escalation priority correctly, and the other is to document for tracking, reporting and trend analysis. If you would like to see our reports please point your browser to http://intranet.ochca.com/it/metrics.
A large percentage of our requests are what we call “repeatable” requests like password resets, and many “how do I …?” requests. To address these types of needs we have introduced self help tools to let you reach a resolution faster and free up lines for the more serious stuff. To address password resets, we rolled out the Courion Password Management tool. This tool will enable you to reset your own password without ever calling the Service Desk. If you haven’t been setup on this yet please point your browser to http://intranet.ochca.com/it/reset. In addition, we have also created self help videos. Please take some time to check them out as they are being created on a continual basis and now cover the latest Microsoft Office 2007.
The IT Department thanks you for the continued opportunity to serve you and all the great customers we encounter every day. In the next “What’s Up” issue we will look at the Field Services group as they travel around keeping all HCA desktops and peripherals running smoothly.
He Huliau Cardiometabolic Conference a big success
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009 was a day of change for the Pacific Islander community in Orange County, Hawai’i, and across the nation. More than 200 people gathered at the Hilton in Costa Mesa to network, gain knowledge, and learn new skills about improving their health regarding heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
Rhonda Folsom, Program Supervisor from the Health Promotion Division, participated on the planning committee headed by the Pacific Islander Health Partnership. Rhonda assisted by facilitating breakout sessions, designing the conference brochure and event signage, and coordinating the continuing education for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) with help from Frank Hernandez of the Health Promotion Division, as well as four nurses and social workers through HCA Behavioral Health Services. In attendance were 35 CHES, four nurses, and one social worker. Rhonda also had the honor of joining in the traditional Hawaiian protocol and chanting in the native Hawaiian language to welcome University of Hawaii staff to present at the conference.
Hawaiian protocol is a code of correct conduct with a clear purpose and sequence in how a ceremony proceeds. The University of Hawai’i staff offered an oli kähea, a chant requesting to enter a sacred place, the He Huliau Conference location. The host community, represented by Pacific Islander Health Partnership (above), responded with an appropriate oli (chant) giving permission to enter and welcoming them with aloha, the spirit of affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy.
| Huliau (Hawaiian) | A Time of Change (English) |
| Aloha kukui pō’aha’aha ‘Aha piko i hīki’i a pa’a Pa’a i ka lālā kama hele Hele ke aloha i nā kānaka Nakaka ‘ole nā alanui Nui ka hana kākou ola E ola Kāne a Kanaloa A noa nā kākou e huliau |
Greetings to the circle of kukui
trees The umbilical cord tied fast Holding on to projecting branches Let the love ascend to our people The path shall not divide There is much work for us all May there be life from Kane and Kanaloa May it be made free for us all, a time of change |
It has been noticeable in the last few months that the California financial crisis has affected the County of Orange. It is important for all of us at HCA to work together to find ways to conserve resources for the Agency. Small changes in our work habits such as double-sided printing, or making sure that supplies are ordered sparingly (there goes the cute little colored paper clips) can go a long way in making sure this Agency stays within its tightening budget. With that said, there is another way that we can all work together to ensure we are expanding resources effectively. “What could that possibly be?”… Making sure the Agency follows Cal/OSHA rules and regulations to avoid wasteful fines.
Who is Cal/OSHA?
Cal/OSHA or the California Occupational Safety and Health Program is part of the California Department of Industrial Relations. The OSHA act was created in 1970 by the federal government to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. California has adopted these federal standards and has also enacted their own regulations (some of these are even tougher then the federal guidelines) to ensure all employees working in California are given the opportunity to work in the safest environment possible.
How much could a Cal/OSHA fine really affect the Health Care Agency?
A Cal/OSHA visit to any of our worksites usually means a serious complaint has been filed. Many people may not know this, but Cal/OSHA has been known to catch serious violations by simply driving by a facility and witnessing an offense. If this happens an inspector will stop his car, record video for evidence, and walk in immediately to an unsuspecting work area questioning all those involved (they also like to write fines at the same time). With that said, the fines vary in amounts depending on the violation, and if it has been repeated within a specific timeframe. Here are some examples of original citation amounts that have occurred within the County… I
n 2003, an employee accidently dropped his work issued phone and climbed into a dangerous piece of equipment to retrieve the lost item. Unfortunately, the employee failed to alert other employees of his intentions and another staff member turned on the equipment to perform a duty. When he did, the employee jumped off the equipment falling through a hatch 18 feet deep. He suffered numerous bone fractures.
Cal/OSHA Citation ……$18,000
In 2004, another County agency had a new employee operating a heavy piece of equipment which resulted in a serious injury. When Cal/OSHA went to investigate the serious injury, the Agency was unable to provide proper documentation demonstrating that the employee had been successfully trained on the use of heavy equipment (this is why the HCA Safety Program asks for sign in sheets).
Cal/OSHA Citation………..$18,000
Many of these fines were paid out needlessly and others were reduced or eliminated because of time and research (which also costs money) by Agency staff and County Counsel. In addition to citation fees, agencies incur many other costs related to employee injuries. Besides the obvious medical expenses, many citations result in significant time expended by Safety Program staff investigating the loss. Also included are significant efforts from County Counsel in their involvement throughout the legal process including Cal/OSHA hearings and procedures.
So how can HCA avoid these wasteful fines?
We as staff can work together to ensure that all safety rules and regulations are upheld and observed throughout HCA. This can be done by learning how to recognize potential safety hazards and notifying the appropriate Supervisor, Departmental Safety Representative or Safety Program staff immediately to ensure timely correction. Another way to assist is by attending safety trainings and meetings, as well as ensuring that all training documentation is accurate and retained for a minimum of five years.
For information regarding ways you can help reduce workplace hazards, or for safety related training please contact the HCA Safety program at (714) 834-4359, or your unit’s Departmental Safety Representative.
Remember, Time spent now on prevention will save money spent in the future.
MHSA arts exhibit to be featured in April
The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Recovery Arts Program will be providing a visual arts exhibit and lunchtime interactive art presentation during a MHSA Regional Coordinator’s Meeting scheduled to take place on Thursday, April 16, 2009 in Laguna Beach.
Meeting attendees will include representatives from the California Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Mental Health and HCA MHSA coordinators, staff and consumers from Southern California. Each will have the opportunity to view artwork from consumer artists which include poetry, songs, glassware, photography and airbrush art. A discussion will also take place to explain the inspiration and creative process involved in their work.
One of the artists, Theresa Boyd, will describe how her passion for photography was reignited and how art has played a vital role in her recovery and in developing her identity as an artist. Two of her photography pieces are pictured here.
HR celebrates Leadership graduation
HCA HR staff are pictured with HCA Leadership Development Program Level I and Level II graduates who include (alphabetical) Karla Amezquita, Luis Arevalo, Jeffery Barrett, Pamela Berg, Verona Borba, Irma Chavando, Patrick Clark, Janice Coniglio, Blanca Rosa Craig, Debra Cross, Jane Elder, Laura Esquivel, Hilda Garcia, Jocelyn Garduno, Cadiz Gonzalez, David Guerrero, Jeremy Harris, Nancy Hesketh, Kelly Higdon, Chi Lam, Anna Liu, Nathan Lopez, Patricia Morales, Hilary Peralta, Gustavo Plasencia, Tazia Reyna, Michael Rillera, Tina Sampson, Douglas Schan, Suzanne Stein, Rhonda Suite, Cecelia Vasquez and Dan Yokoyama. Those not pictured are Irene Adams, Irma Calata, Maria DeLosReyes, Nikoo Tabesh and Tamra Townsend.
HCA/SSA Social Workers honored by BOS
The Orange County Board of Supervisors presented social workers from the Health Care Agency and Social Services Agency (SSA) with a resolution declaring March to be Social Workers Recognition Month. Joining Board Chair Pat Bates and SSA representatives at the podium for the presentation were Barbara Rocha of Behavioral Health Services and Carmen Ybarra of Public Health Services (pictured at right).
Behavioral Health’s Cultural Competency Program presented its February 2009 Spotlight on Excellence Award to Linda Hartung, Service Chief for the Westminster Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (ADAS) clinic. Linda joined the County in 1992 after she graduated with a Masters in Social Work from USC. Her first assignment was at the Health Care Agency’s Mission Viejo ADAS clinic, which soon moved to Aliso Viejo. While there, she was involved with the development of Drug Court in the South County region. She soon promoted to Service Chief in 2001 and began working on the Prop. 36 Program. In 1994, she then transitioned into her current position where she oversees the adult ADAS and Adolescent & Perinatal Programs in Westminster. She is noted by her colleagues for her solid commitment to cultural competency and staff resource development. Her willingness to provide cultural competency trainings on pertinent issues for staff defines her commitment to cultural competency and the community she serves.
Pictured (left to right) are Ronnie Kelley, Linda Hartung and Rafael Canul.
Super CPR Day planned for April 18th
Don’t give excuses. Give life. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and first aid at an event planned to take place on April 18, 2009 at Angels Stadium, Exhibition Center located at 2000 Gene Autry Way in Anaheim. The event is open to all County of Orange employees, their families and friends.
Those interested in learning CPR and/or First Aid can pre-register and pay $5 for each training. RSVP today as space is limited by calling (714) 481-5351 or online at www.oc-redcross.org.
For more information about Super CPR Day, contact Patrick Powers in HCA’s Health Disaster Management Division at (714) 834-6233 or by e-mail at Ppowers@ochca.com.
The event’s training schedule is as follows:
Adult/Child CPR Training & Certification*
8 am, 9 am, 10 am, 11 am & 12 noon
8:30 am & 10:30 am—Vietnamese 12:30 pm—Spanish
Each session will last approximately 2 hours
First Aid Training & Certification*
8 am, 10 am & 12 noon—English only
Session will last approximately 1 hour Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Orientation (Non-certification) Infant CPR not included.
Special discount for Infant CPR scheduled on 4/23/09 or 5/3/09
*Certification available upon successful completion of both written and skills testing.
Alcohol Awareness Month
Cancer Control Month
Counseling Awareness Month
National Autism Awareness Month
Occupational Therapy Month
STD Awareness Month
National Public Health Week – 6-12
World Health Day – 7
National Infant Immunization Week – 25 thru May 2
Safe Kids Week – 26 thru May 3
Quote
You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know when it will be too late.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Quote
A friendly look, a kindly smile, one good act, and life’s worthwhile.
—Author Unknown
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
