Issue 09-04
April 2009
Inside this issue …
HCA staff recognized as “Women Making a Difference” at awards ceremony
Call for 2009 Team Excellence Award nominations due by May 22nd
HCA bids farewell to Julie Poulson
A retirement event was held on March 26th at the Old Orange County Courthouse followed by a reception at the 405 W. 5th Street building in Santa Ana to bid farewell to Agency Director Julie Poulson after 37 years of dedicated service.
Members of the Board of Supervisors, County CEO Tom Mauk, community leaders, county staff and members of the HCA family all were present at the front steps of the Old Orange County Courthouse to take part in a program for Julie which included resolution and memento presentations, reminiscent remarks from her daughter Alleah Gogley, the induction of Julie into the HCA Hall of Fame and retirement of her #1 UCLA jersey, as well as a performance by Bambi and the Pom Poms to highlight Julie’s 37 years with HCA. Members of Julie’s family including husband Randy, daughter Alleah Gogley, granddaughter Shayne Gogley and sister Jacque Koehler were present during the day’s festivities.
A reception for “fans and alumni” was held at HCA headquarters following the courthouse program where attendees could congratulate Julie one-on-one, enjoy refreshments and view a video of HCA Executive Team staff wishing Julie well.
HCA congratulates Julie and wishes her well as she embarks on a new journey into retirement. Dave Riley is acting as Interim Agency Director pending selection of a permanent Agency Director.
Compliance update on Exclusion Lists
A March 21, 2009 article from the Sacramento Bee reported, “The city of Sacramento likely is barred from getting federal money—including tens of millions the city is expecting from the new stimulus package—because Mayor Kevin Johnson is on a list of individuals forbidden from receiving federal funds, according to a leading attorney the city commissioned to look into the issue.
Federal authorities placed Johnson and the nonprofit Hood Corps organization he founded on the federal list last year—before he was elected mayor—following a preliminary investigation into allegations that the urban Peace Corps-style program had misused federal funds. Federal officials said the allegations were so serious the funding suspension was warranted.”
The Health Care Agency does not hire, contract, or use volunteers/interns currently under sanction or exclusion. HCA screens all employees, volunteers, interns, contractors and vendors against Federal exclusion lists. Anyone on these lists would be an “ineligible person.”
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:
Purchasing Contract Development and Management (CDM)
Human Resources
Volunteer Services
Project Together
Medical Services for Indigents
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 applicant completes all of the forms and returns them to Volunteer Services before the start date to allow Volunteer Services to complete the screening process before any work is initiated.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the Office of Compliance at (714) 834-3154.
Staff recognized by City of Anaheim
Congratulations to Public Health staff members Anita DuPlessis and Della Lisi-Kerr on being recognized as “Volunteers for the City of Anaheim” for their work with the Anaheim collaborative for Motel and Homeless Families.
The collaborative provides information and networking opportunities for human and social service providers who assist motel residents in Anaheim. The group meets to share information, resources, and coordinate solutions to the needs of homeless motel residents of Anaheim. The mission of the Collaborative is to help meet the needs of families in Anaheim-area motels by providing services and tools necessary for the families to achieve self-sufficiency.
Nearly 150 individuals and organizations have participated in the Collaborative since its inception in 1998. For more information, visit the City of Anaheim website at www.anaheim.net/article.asp?id=1344.
Anita DuPlessis (pictured far left) and Della Lisi-Kerr
(pictured far right) received recognition from the City of
Anaheim for their work with the city’s Collaborative for
Motel and Homeless Families.
Nutrition Services showcases displays
HCA’s Nutrition Services Program was proud to display four nutrition education projects at the Network for a Healthy California Annual Conference Poster Session in March. More than 1,000 health and nutrition professionals attended the 2-day conference held in Sacramento.
“The event allowed us to share the excellent work done by our staff and subcontractors with a statewide audience,” said Maridet Ibañez, Program Manager for HCA Nutrition Services.
The projects highlighted local efforts to improve the health of Orange County residents by encouraging fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity. The displays were titled:
Bringing Nutrition Education to a Food Pantry Site
Creating “Champions for Change” Through Parent Workshops
Neighborhood Walk Creates “Champions for Change”
Effective Implementation of Worksite Wellness at Thrift Stores
For more information or copies of the abstracts, contact Maridet Ibañez at mibanez@ochca.com.
Anna Luciano from HCA Nutrition Services is pictured next
to her display on “Creating Champions for Change through
Parent Workshops,” during a Network for Healthy California
Conference held in Sacramento last month.
“Stairway to a Healthy Lifestyle”
The average employed American spends the majority of his or her waking hours in the workplace. Many of us consume at LEAST one meal at work plus several snacks and beverages while getting little to no exercise. Taking the stairs is an effective and convenient way to increase your daily physical activity. Climbing a few flights of stairs daily will strengthen your heart, muscles and bones. An important motivator in encouraging people to take the stairs is making stairwells more inviting. The Health Promotion Division staff gave our stairs a makeover to promote stairwell usage.
Thanks to the California Endowment’s Healthy Eating Active Communities (HEAC) initiative, stairwells were transformed to encourage employee wellness. Two are located in Building 12 and one is in Building 38. Modeled after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “StairWELL to Better Health” project, the stairs were painted with vibrant colors. Baseboards were replaced and directional signs were also posted. Motivational prints were hung in the stairwells in Building 12 and motivational quotations were painted in the stairwell areas in Building 38.
The transformation of the stairwells has already inspired many to use the stairs. Laurent Repass, Emergency Medical Services, stated “These stairs are energizing and encouraging. It makes you want to be here. I’ll use this stairwell rather than the other one even though it is closer to my office. My boss likes them too. He says taking the stairs is the only opportunity he has to exercise.” Cynthia Schafer from Health Promotion takes the stairs all the time: She says “I’ve noticed that people stopped littering in this stairwell.” Gerry Heard-Rodriguez, Human Resources, usually didn’t take the stairs. Since the remodel, she is taking them more often. Gerry said “The messages are encouraging. The walls are bright and energizing.”
Now that the stairwell project is complete, you may want to team up with colleagues to start a “Stairwell Club or Challenge.” Encourage the club to take the stairs during breaks or lunch as a way of fitting in physical activity at work. Use your imagination to “climb a virtual mountain” or a favorite landmark (Mt. Whitney, Mt. Everest, or the Empire State Building). For more ideas, visit www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/cpns/Pages/WorksiteFitBusinessKit.aspx.
After the transformation, the stairwell walls
in Building 38 have color. Laurent Repass
from Emergency Medical Services is picture
d taking the stairs.
Preventing workplace
injuries is everyone’s job
Many California employers have already realized that the costs of workplace injuries can be substantial. Most recently, the impact is greater with loss of income throughout public and private industries. The County of Orange and HCA is no exception. During these tough economic times, it is important to look at all aspects of cost savings. Preventing workplace injury and illnesses can be an important tool in fighting unnecessary spending. In an ongoing effort to work together to expand the Agency’s resources, it is reasonable to look at one of the most significant ways that we as individual employees can lower costs for the County.
Workplace injuries and illnesses impact financial budgets with direct and indirect costs. Some examples of direct costs are medical expenses, compensation for all or part of the injured employee’s wages, and legal obligations. Although each injury has specific costs and there is no typical amount that is related to each particular injury, there are always both direct and indirect costs to consider. According to a cost study done by Liberty Mutual, the figures below represent the top three injuries and amounts US employers paid out for one year of workplace injuries and illnesses.
Overexertion (pushing, pulling, carrying or throwing of objects) $9.8 billion
Falls at same level $4.4 billion
Bodily reaction (resulting from bending, loss of balance and slipping) $3.6 billion
Of course, these are direct costs and are easily recordable. However, the indirect and hidden costs associated with an injury increase the amount of the claim considerably and can have a direct effect on a company’s operation as a whole.
Production: Operations stop when there is an injured worker. This could be directly related to the accident, or the suspension of a major function due to the loss of the experienced worker who is no longer there to provide expertise. Time: Investigating the accident, documenting the occurrence, recruiting personnel, and providing training for new or alternate staff are all factors that contribute to the costs related to a workplace injury.
Employee Morale: Many employees are indirectly affected by a workplace injury in terms of the company morale. They often suffer from negative impacts on morale resulting in lower efficiency. This can be associated with the additional assignments or workloads now deferred to the remaining employees. Additionally, staff is also impacted by the sadness of losing a valued co-worker or friend for the duration of their absence.
So how can each HCA employee ensure that these costs are reduced or eliminated for the Agency? First, get to know the HCA Safety Program and the resources it has to offer. Information about the Safety Program and plans are available on the HCA intranet at http://intranet.ochca.com/safety. Secondly, recognize and contact your program’s Department Safety Representative (DSR). Your program DSR works hard to identify potential hazards, inspect your work areas, and train staff on safety related topics. Lastly, be a safe and responsible employee. Take the time to note your surroundings, (this includes off-site work areas), notify safety staff of potential hazards, and attend all required trainings. By working together to avoid workplace injuries, we can reduce costs and contribute to the well being of our fellow employees.
Amber Alford recognized by BOS
Amber Alford from HCA Volunteer Services received recognition
from Supervisor Pat Bates during the March 10 Board Meeting
for her contributions to the 2007/08 County of Orange Employee’s
“Food from the Heart” Food Drive. The Agency was also congratulated
for being the #3 food collecting agency who participated in the food
drive. Not pictured is Sylvia Valles from HCA Volunteer Services
who also received recognition during the Board meeting.
HCA staff recognized as “Women Making a Difference” at awards ceremony
TOn March 13, Senator Lou Correa hosted an awards ceremony, “Women Making a Difference,” to recognize 100 women who have contributed to the well-being of the community by helping to improve the overall quality of life of Orange County residents by making significant impacts in the areas of business, education, health, government and community service.
Among those recognized were included HCA staff members Rhonda Folsom, Cancer Detection Program; Zahra Heydari, Behavioral Health; Veronica Kelly, Cultural Competency and Multi-Ethnic Services; Belinda McCleese, Cultural Competency and Multi-Ethnic Services; and Annie Tran-Luong, Cancer Detection Program.
Held at the Rancho Santiago Community District Building in Santa Ana, the event also recognized Kieu Chinh as the 2009 Woman of the Year. She is best known for her role in the movie The Joy Luck Club and for being active in philanthropic work, as well as a sought after speaker throughout the Country.
Congratulations to all HCA staff who received recognition as a 2009 Women Making a Difference by Senator Lou Correa.
Cultural Competency and Multi-Ethnic Services staff members (left to right)
Belinda McCleese and Veronica Kelly are pictured with Lucy Brimbuela and
Janice DeLoof who were all recognized as 2009 “Women of the Year” during
a recognition
event hosted by Senator Lou Correa on March 13.
Annie Tran-Luong (pictured left) from Health Promotion’s
Cancer Detection
Program received recognition by Senator
Lou Correa during an awards ceremony
held on March 13
to highlight “Women Making a Difference.”
Senator Lou Correa is pictured with the following individuals who received
recognition as “Women Making a Difference.” Pictured (left to right) are Adela
Montanez, Claudia Ellano, Lucy Brimbuela, Rhonda Folsom, Charlotte DeVaul,
Eleanor Forrest, Carol Hamelberg, Janice Deloof, Trang Huynh, Veronica Kelley
and Belinda McCleese
Awards ceremony recognizes employees
HCA employees received recognition for their years of dedicated service at an Employee Recognition Awards ceremony held on March 5 at the Hall of Administration. The following is a list of service awards presented:
5 Years of Service—20
10 Years of Service—42
15 Years of Service—24
20 Years of Service—14
25 Years of Service—4
30 Years of Service—7
35 Years of Service—2
30 Years
Celebrating 30 years of service to the County, Phung Pham received a certificate and pin from County Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler and Chief of Public Health Operations Donna Fleming during the March 5 Awards ceremony.
Corwin Brown from Environmental Health received recognition for 30 years of
dedicated County service from County Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler and Chief
of Public Health Operations Donna Fleming.
For 30 years of service to the County, Hoa Ho received a certificate and pin
from Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz during the
March 5 Employee Recognition Awards ceremony.
25 Years
Joe Churchin from Behavioral Health Services received recognition from Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz for 25 years of dedicated County service.
20 Years
Public Health Services staff member Asuncion Garcia celebrated 20 years of County service and received a certificate and pin from County Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler and Chief of Public Health Operations Donna Fleming.
For 20 years of service to the County, Ruth Strickland was congratulated by
County Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler and Chief of Public Health Operations
Donna Fleming and received a certificate and pin.
Aurora Chavez received recognition during the March 5 Awards ceremony
from County Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler and Chief of Public Health
Operations Donna Fleming for her 20 years of County service.
Lance Malis from Environmental Health celebrated 20 years of service to
the county and received a certificate and pin from County Health Officer Dr.
Eric Handler and Chief of Public Health Operations Donna Fleming to commemorate
the occasion.
Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz congratulated
Refugio Rivera for her 20 years of service to the County and presented her with
a certificate and pin.
Celebrating 20 years of service to the County, Diane Gipson received a
certificate and pin to commemorate the occasion from Behavioral Health Services
Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz.
Kim Phan celebrated 20 years of service to the County and received recognition
from Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz during the
March 5 Employee Recognition Awards ceremony.
Celebrating 20 years of County service, (Right) Pamela Vellen received
recognition from Administrative Services Deputy Agency Director Bob Wilson
during the Employee Recognition Awards ceremony held on March 5.
15 Years
Behavioral Health Services staff member Dave Horner celebrated 15 years of service to the County and received a certificate and pin from Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz.
Valerie Terry received recognition from Medical and Institutional Health
Services Deputy Agency Director Bob Gates for 15 years of dedicated service to
the County.
Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz congratulated
Sandra Sagarnaga for her 15 years of dedicated County service and presented her
with a certificate and pin.
Gus Llevanos from Behavioral Health Services received a 15-year certificate and
pin from Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director during the March 5
Employee Recognition Awards.
Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz presented
Barbara Rocha with a certificate and pin to commemorate 15 years of service to
the County.
Kristen Clevenger from Medical and Institutional Health Services celebrated 15
years of service to the County and received a certificate and pin from MIHS
Deputy Agency Director Bob Gates.
For 15 years of dedicated county service, Mario Gutierrez from Behavioral Health
Services received recognition from Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency
Director Mark Refowitz at the awards ceremony.
Celebrating 15 years of service with the County, IT’s Mike Franco received
recognition from Chief Information Officer Terri Schultz at the March 5 Employee
Recognition ceremony.
Alma Gomez celebrated 15 years of service to the County and received recognition
from Public Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler and Chief of Public Health
Operations Donna Fleming.
My-Thuc Crisanto celebrated 15 years of service to the County and received a
certificate and pin to commemorate the occasion from County Health Officer Dr.
Eric Handler and Chief of Public Health Operations Donna Fleming.
Eugene Corral received recognition from County Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler
and Chief of Public Health Operations Donna Fleming for his 15 years of
continued County service.
Celebrating 15 Years of dedicated County service, Sandra Chapman received a
certificate and pin from County Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler and Chief of
Public Health Operations Donna Fleming during the March 5 Awards ceremony.
10 Years
Behavioral Health Services staff (left to right) Jeff Hernandez, Veronica Kelley, James Dempsey, Anthony Perera, Leslie Robison, Dixie Terrones-Granado and Suzy Yasol celebrated 10 years of service to the County and received recognition from Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark Refowitz.
Public Health Services Officer Dr. Eric Handler and Chief of Public Health
Operations Donna Fleming presented Public Health staff who celebrated 10 years
of service to the County with certificates and pins. Pictured (left to right)
are Lorraine Marquez, Kristen Jones, Deborah Torres and Susan Hall.
Chief Information Officer Terri Schultz presented Information Technology staff
who celebrated 10 years of service to the County with certificates and pins.
Pictured (left to right) are John Crane and Rena Murillo.
(Left) Administrative Services Deputy Agency Director Bob Wilson congratulated
Paul Wright for his 10 years of service to the County and presented him with a
certificate and pin.(Left) Administrative Services Deputy Agency Director Bob
Wilson congratulated Paul Wright for his 10 years of service to the County and
presented him with a certificate and pin.
10 & 5 Years
Medical and Institutional Health Services staff celebrating 5 and 10 years of service who are pictured (left to right) Irene Fink, Gustavo Plasencia and Hien Nguyen, received recognition from Medical and Institutional Health Services Deputy Agency Director Bob Gates during the March 5 Employee Recognition Awards.
5 Years
Public Health Services staff pictured (left to right) Minh Tam T Luong, Elizabeth Martinez and Linda Scott celebrated 5 years of service to the County and received recognition from County Health Officer Dr. Eric Handler and Chief of Public Health Operations Donna Fleming.
Celebrating 5 years of service to the County, Tatiana Tretiakova received a
certificate and pin from Behavioral Health Services Deputy Agency Director Mark
Refowitz.
Assistant Director Dave Riley congratulated Behavioral Health Services Deputy
Agency Director Mark Refowitz during the March 5 Employee Recognition Awards
ceremony for 5 years of service to the County.
IT’s Ricardo Rivera received a certificate and pin for 5 years of service to the
County from Chief Information Officer Terri Schultz.
Call for 2009 Team Excellence Award nominations due by May 22nd
The Health Care Agency/OCEA Labor Management Committee (LMC) is seeking nominations for the annual Steve Ambriz Team Excellence Award. The award is designed to identify the qualities and characteristics of effective work teams and emphasizes key elements of the Leadership Development Program.
Please take this opportunity to nominate a team, program, or department within the Health Care Agency that excels as a unit. Visit the LMC Intranet website at http://balsam/intranet/lmc/team.asp for application criteria, nomination forms, details about previous winners, and additional information about what makes an excellent team.
The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, May 22, 2009. The members of the LMC look forward to receiving your team’s nomination!
Previous winners of this award include the Correctional Mental Health Team from Institutional Health, Public Health’s San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Offsite Dose Assessment Center (ODAC) team, the Tobacco Use Prevention Program (TUPP) from Public Health Services, Children and Youth Services West Region program from Behavioral Health Services, and Public Health’s Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) Used Oil Program.
If an employee changes pay locations or is assigned to a new org., notify HCA Human Resources immediately of the change. This will help avoid errors or delays when paychecks or W-2 forms are distributed.
Adding a note to an employee’s timecard explaining why it was filled out in a peculiar way is not only good documentation, it may help you avoid getting a call from Payroll!
How do you add a note? While viewing a timecard, simply click on note (found at the far right side of the timecard), enter a message, and click Save.
Here are a few good reasons to add a note:
When a full-time employee records less than 80 hours on his/her VTI timecard, add a brief note stating the reason and the date(s) when the employee worked less than his/her scheduled time. For example, if the employee was sick and did not have enough balances available to cover the time, a note can simply state, “Employee unable to post ALUP on 4/28/09 due to insufficient balances.” Otherwise, Payroll must call you to get that same information.
If an Extra Help (EH) employee is not reporting any hours worked, please leave the entire timecard blank, but add a note stating, “No hours worked.” Otherwise, Payroll must call you to find out why no time was reported.
For a separated employee, add a note stating, “Employee separated. Last day worked was xx/xx/xx.” It may take up to four pay periods before the separated employee’s timecards stop appearing in VTI, so you will need to insert the same note in each pay period’s timecard until they do stop.
Congratulations to Behavioral Health Services staff Casey Dorman, Ken Grebel, Gail Laporte and John Martino on graduating from the California Institute for Mental Health’s (CiMH) Leadership Institute (LI). The group now joins the ranks of several other HCA Behavioral Health Services managers that have also graduated from the program.
The LI Program aims to reflect county mental health departments’ recognition of the critical importance of leadership effectiveness in managing and transforming our local mental health systems. It draws on highly sought after private/public sector teachers affiliated with the USC School of Business, as well as respected policy administrators and leaders and is a partnership between CiMH and the USC Capital Center.
For more information about the California Institute for Mental Health, visit www.cimh.org or for more details about the Leadership Institute (LI) Program, e-mail Gale Bataille, CiMH LI Principal Consultant at gale.bataille@mac.com.
HCA staff attend Town Hall Meeting
Cultural Competency and Multi-Ethnic Services staff members pictured (left to right) Veronica (Ronnie ) Kelley, My-Dung Tran, Hanh Truong, Rehanna Eaton, and Christy Castiglione attended “A Town Hall meeting with President Barack Obama” at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa on March 18.
Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
Clean Air Month
Hepatitis Awareness Month
Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection Month
Mental Health Month
National Cancer Research Month
National High Blood Pressure Education Month
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
North American Occupational Safety and Health—Week 3-9
National Nurses Week—6-12
National Women’s Health Week—10-16
National Emergency Medical Services Week—17-23
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day—18
World No Tobacco Day—31
Quote
An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.
—Friedrch Engels
Quote
It gives me a deep, comforting sense that things seen are temporal and things unseen are eternal.
—Helen Keller
Quote
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
—Marilyn vos Savan
Quote
Too many people miss the silver lining because they are expecting gold.
—Maurice Setter
What’s UP is a newsletter for employees of the County of
Orange, CA, Health Care Agency.
Editors
Tricia Landquist
Deanne Thompson
Anne Fialcowitz
Phone (714) 834-6644
E-mail tlandquist@ochca.com
FAX (714) 834-7644
Pony Bldg. 38-S, 4th Floor
