Issue 09-09
September 2009
Inside this issue …
HCA celebrates World Breastfeeding Awareness Month with great activities
It’s that time of year again! 2009 annual online safety training is coming soon
Anaheim AMHS wins 2009 Ambriz Award
Congratulations to the Behavioral Health Services Anaheim Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) Clinic team, the winners of the 2009 Steve Ambriz Team Excellence Award. This award was created to identify the qualities and characteristics of effective work teams, and to encourage teams to exemplify the principles of Enlightened Leadership and Team Excellence in creative collaborative action.
The staff at the Anaheim AMHS clinic is a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and paraprofessionals who provide outpatient mental health services to the communities of Anaheim, Anaheim Hills and Garden Grove. Their client population is comprised of approximately 620 adults who suffer from severe and persistent mental disorders such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder; as well as personality, substance abuse and developmental disorders.
The team’s major accomplishment over the past year has been the improvement of services in the face of dwindling fiscal and staffing resources. Combining ingenuity, adaptivity and flexibility with positive attitudes, team cohesion and an overarching commitment to service, the Anaheim AMHS team has worked hard to guarantee that their clients receive top mental health services aimed at maximizing their functioning in the central Orange County community.
The Anaheim AMHS clinic team is noted for their talents, strengths, going above and beyond and their problem solving/self evaluation skills. The following are examples of a few of the qualities the team is recognized for:
Multi-cultural and multi-lingual, enabling them to provide culturally competent services to the Vietnamese and Spanish speaking clients in their primary languages.
Staff are cross-trained, which enables them to fill in for each other when staffing is low.
They have a structured consumer internship program that provides consumers with fresh skills and a chance to give back to the mental health system.
Staff are able to identify and access a broad array of ancillary services in the community for their clients, ranging from church sponsored food pantries to fee-for-service counseling.
They developed a Dual Diagnosis program to provide specialized services to clients with drug and alcohol problems, as well as mobile crisis evaluation services to clients in need during business hours.
In the last year, the team has added several new group classes to their schedule including anger management, crisis support, self-esteem, wellness and nutrition and walking groups.
The team’s care coordinators transport clients to community appointments and care providers using their own vehicles.
In response to client concerns, the clinic has taken active steps to limit client waiting time to no more than 15 minutes.
They recently developed criteria by which they intend to measure their progress toward identified goals in four areas: Encounter Document pass rate; Number of clients transitioned to lower levels of care; Number of compliant charts; and Direct Service Hours.
The staff at Anaheim AMHS clearly represents an inspiring group of individuals who believe that coordination, collaboration, cooperation and communication are needed to function cohesively as a team. With this philosophy, they are able to adapt to any challenge that may come their way and are committed and focused on assisting the clients and the community they serve.
The HCA/OCEA Labor Management Committee (LMC) would also like to congratulate this year’s Team Excellence Honorable Mentions which include Behavioral Health’s Older Adult Services (OAS) Team and Public Health Children’s Health Clinics Team from the Family Health Division.
Each year the LMC, seeks nominations for the Steve Ambriz Team Excellence Award. For more information, visit the LMC Intranet website at http://balsam/intranet/lmc.
The Anaheim Adult Mental Health (AMH)Services Clinic Team is pictured (top row, left to right) Ken Alma, Marco Ibarra, Robert Cormier, Bruce Scott, Tracy Rick, Kelly Higdon, Kim Passaro, Linda Tran, Lauren Mestro and Kevin Flynn. Pictured (bottom row, left to right) are Mauricio Mairena, Sherie King, Tony Medina, Liz Lopez, Sandy Rosen, Diane Martin, Maria Torres, Patricia Hikida and Gerald Rogers. Team members not pictured include Lori Horwitz, Rodrigo Sigala, Dr. Denise Joseph, Dr. Rebecca Gonzales, Dr. Jairo Gomez, Dr. Maria Salanga and Dr. Vuong Nguyen.
Congratulations to the Fish Contamination Education Collaborative (FCEC) on receiving the Citizens Excellence in Community Involvement Award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The award recognizes community groups and individuals who have made a significant contribution to a Superfund clean-up.
The FCEC is a group consisting of local and community based organizations including the Orange County Health Care Agency, Heal the Bay, Boat People SOS and State Agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Game which is headed by USEPA.
Since 2003, the FCEC has been working to protect the public from the health risks of consuming DDT and PCB contaminated fish off the Palos Verdes Shelf Superfund site, one of the largest contaminated sediment sites in the nation.
FCEC has educated consumers about the dangers of consuming contaminated fish, specifically white croaker. The group has also provided outreach to anglers fishing off of local piers to discourage them from feeding the contaminated fish they catch to their families.
The FCEC is also working with local regulators to make sure that contaminated fish aren’t caught in the catch basin area, and then sold in local restaurants and markets.
The award further recognizes the group’s leadership, skills, creativity and results oriented approach in educating the public about the contamination off the Palos Verdes Shelf and its effect on human and environmental health. For more information about the FCEC and contaminated fish, visit www.pvsfish.org/index.html.
HCA receives BioWatch Award of Excellence
During the BioWatch National Convention held in Denver, Colorado on August 20, the Health Care Agency received an Award of Excellence for leading the Country in BioWatch Planning. BioWatch is a nationwide bio-surveillance system designed to detect the intentional release of select aerosolized biological agents.
After conducting a BioWatch exercise in the Spring of 2008, HCA began to quickly implement recommendations from the event’s After Action Report. In the last year, HCA and the regional coordinator from the Department of Homeland Security have developed a collaborative planning model which involves conducting individual BioWatch briefings for the County’s CEO office, Sheriff’s Department, Operational Area Emergency Management Bureau, the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center and affected cities.
HCA also created a site specific hazard analysis template for each BioWatch site which will guide the joint city/county planning effort. At the County-wide level, HCA and the Operational Area have drafted a plan specific to Orange County – supplementing the regional BioWatch Plan and ensuring an effective and coordinated response.
These efforts serve to improve both public health and all-hazards planning while strengthening relationships among local partners. Erik Lowman, Preparedness and Grants Unit Program Manager for HCA’s Health Disaster Management (HDM) Division was on hand during the BioWatch convention to accept the award on behalf of HCA.
Pictured (left to right) are Lee Ann B. Veal, Department of
Homeland Security Early Detection Division Director; Erik Lowman, HDM
Preparedness and Grants Unit Program Manager; and Robert Hooks, Department of
Homeland Security Weapons of Destruction and BioDefense Deputy Assistant
Secretary.
Infection Prevention Fair moved to October 20
Mark your calendars for this year’s Infection Prevention Fair set to take place on Tuesday, October 20 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the HCA Public Health Education Center located at 1725 W. 17th Street in Santa Ana. The fair will feature the latest infection prevention materials including sharps safety equipment disposal; hand sanitizers; disinfection and cleaners; personal protective equipment (respirators, gloves, etc.); and infection prevention training videos. Free seasonal influenza vaccine will also be available for HCA employees.
The HCA Public Health Training Building (#1729E) is located in the back parking lot at the 17th Street Clinic. For more information about the 2009 Infection Prevention Fair, please call Employee Health Services at (714) 565-3780.
Vietnamese Family Day event draws crowd
On July 25, 2009, HCA’s Health Promotion Division collaborated with seven community partners to plan and host the “2nd Annual Vietnamese Family Fun Day: Health & Resource Fair” held at Sigler Park in Westminster.
The event drew a crowd of more than 1,800 people and the first 500 children who attended the gathering received free bags filled with school supplies to help them begin the new school year. Families came together to receive information about public safety, children’s services, and various health topics from more than 60 participating organizations. Attendees additionally received free health screenings including bone density, blood pressure, asthma, cholesterol, glucose and dental health.
Both youth and adults participated in contests such as hula hooping, jump roping and eating oranges to promote physical activity and healthy eating. Performers entertained the audience with traditional Vietnamese dances and Tai Chi and martial arts demonstrations.
First District Supervisor Janet Nguyen was also on hand to welcome attendees and congratulate event planning committee members.
For more information about the event or if your program is interested in participating in next year’s event, contact Annie Tran-Luong from Health Promotion at (714) 834-6606 or by e-mail at atran-luong@ochca.com.
First District Supervisor Janet Nguyen welcomed attendees to the 2nd Annual
Vietnamese Family Day: Health & Resource Fair held at Sigler Park on July 25.
She also acknowledged event planning committee members for a job well-done in
planning and hosting this year’s event.
Youth event attendees participated in a hula hooping contest to promote physical
activity.
The event drew more than 1,800 who attended to receive information about public
safety, children’s services and various health topics. Free health screenings
were also provided, as well as free bags filled with school supplies for the
first 500 children in attendance.
MHSA events planned for September & October
MHSA events planned for September & October During September and October, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Office will be hosting two events, one featuring a Health Expo and another to recognize the finalists of a calendar contest implemented by the program. Please see below for more information.
Health Expo
On September 24, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a Health Expo is planned to take place at the Delhi Community Center located at 505 E. Central Ave. in Santa Ana. This free event will offer health screenings, resource materials, an opportunity to meet local health providers and a chance to win a gift basket. The MHSA Recovery Arts Program will also display a 20-piece consumer art exhibit at this event. Consumer artists of all ages are encouraged to participate. Please visit the MHSA webpage at www.ochealthinfo.com/mhsa for more information.
Consumer Artists Award Ceremony
In observance of World Mental Health Day in October, the MHSA Office will host an awards ceremony and art exhibit to recognize finalists of the May 2009 calendar contest. The ceremony will take place on October 5, 2009 during the MHSA Steering Committee meeting at the Delhi Community Center located at 505 E. Central Ave. in Santa Ana. Stakeholders, community partners and artists are all invited to attend this event.
The MHSA Office held its annual recovery arts exhibit and calendar contest in May. Original art and writing was displayed and the winners of the contest will be featured in the 2010 MHSA Art Calendar. The annual art exhibit highlights mental health awareness and supports the use of art in the recovery process. For more information about the MHSA Recovery Arts Program, visit the MHSA webpage at www.ochealthinfo.com/mhsa.
The MHSA Office congratulates the exhibiting artists and thanks them for sharing their extraordinary gifts with the public.
September is National Food Safety Month
In celebration of National Food Safety Month in September, it’s important to keep kids healthy as they head back to school. HCA’s Environmental Health Food Protection Program offers the following school lunch safety information and tips to help your kids stay healthy and safe during the coming school year.
Remind children to wash their hands often – before, during and after lunch preparation and prior to eating. Washing hands with warm water and soap for at least 20-seconds is recommended.
Ensure that lunch preparation surfaces at home are clean and have been sanitized. Use separate cutting boards for fresh produce or bread and a separate one for meat, poultry or seafood.
Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water.
When sending perishable food items for lunch such as cut melon, cheese, cold cuts, tuna, chicken, or egg salad, be sure to include a frozen icepack or gel pack. Individual frozen juice boxes or small bottled water can also serve as a cold pack.
Refrigerate foods the night before and maintain at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below before your child leaves for school.
Have children discard all perishable leftovers after lunch (“when in doubt, throw it out”).
If possible, purchase insulated lunch bags to assist in keeping foods cold. Wash insulated containers with hot soapy water after each use.
What about that peanut butter and jelly sandwich that has been around before refrigeration was available? The bread, peanut butter and jelly are non-perishable and are great for brown bag lunches!
More information in addition to the tips provided can be found on the American Dietetic Association website at www.homefoodsafety.org and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Partnership for Food Safety Education Fight Bac website at http://pfsehost.p2technology.com/content/view/224/.
What do you do when you receive a Records Release Approval (RRA) form from the Custodian of Records office asking for copies of a client’s protected health information from your clinic?
Look at the “Date Records Required” section. Copies are due to the Custodian of Records office by this date.
Ensure that a correct authorization form or subpoena has been reviewed by the Custodian of Records staff and is included with the RRA form.
Make copies of the record being requested.
Complete the form.
Include the number of pages you copied and the time it took to complete the copying.
Have your service chief or designee sign the form.
Don’t forget to circle your clinic name listed at the top.
Pony the copies to the Custodian of Records office located at Bldg. #51-D.
If the chart is older and has been sent to microfiche, include the job# on the RRA form and fax to the Custodian of Records office at (714) 835-9312. (More detailed information regarding this process will be included in a forthcoming issue of the newsletter.)
File a copy of the RRA and authorization/subpoena in the client’s chart.
Keep a log of the records you copy for easy reference.
When you follow these steps, you and your clinic will be in compliance to provide copies of client records in a timely manner. If your program has a special question about your records, e-mail Custodian of Records staff Sue Warnke at swarnke@ochca.com or Mary Maicki at mmaicki@ochca.com.
HCA celebrates World Breastfeeding Awareness Month with great activities
“Breastfeeding: It Does a Baby Good” was the theme for this year’s Breastfeeding Awareness month activities. HCA staff from Public Health Community Nursing (PHCN), the Family Health Division, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Programs worked together to celebrate World Breastfeeding Month held annually in August.
This year’s Breastfeeding Awareness Month kick-off event was held on August 3 at the Costa Mesa Community Center and included a presentation from Dr. Lawrence M. Gartner, MD, FAAP on “Jaundice and the Breastfed Baby,” as well as a panel presentation which focused on clients’ viewpoints on breastfeeding. The event was well attended by more than 115 HCA staff, partners, breastfeeding moms and local community collaborative members.
To promote breastfeeding awareness during August, staff from PHCN, Family Health Division and WIC Programs sponsored various activities throughout the month to educate and raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, as well as to provide up-to-date breastfeeding resources and information. Highlights of staff efforts included outreach to more than 125 medical providers; lunch and learn session taught to various hospital staff by PHCNs; office visits to medical providers; and a Public Health Nursing presentation on cultural traditions.
Data supports that breastfeeding is a major factor of developing healthy children; therefore we encourage moms to breast feed. For more information, please call PHCN at (714) 834-7747 or WIC at (714) 834-7986.
The August 3, 2009 Breastfeeding kick-off event held at the
Costa Mesa Community Center was well-attended with more than 115 HCA staff,
partners, breastfeeding moms and local community collaborative members in
attendance.
CA Family Health Medical Director Dr. Eric Walsh is pictured
with guest speaker Dr. Lawrence Gartner.
Attendees at the Breastfeeding event in Costa Mesa included
(pictured left to right) Karen Munoz, Kiran Saluja, Arlene Hoffman and Carol
Suchy.
Breastfeeding Program raises rates
HCA’s Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program has helped to improve exclusively breastfeeding rates in Orange County. Prior to the program’s implementation three years ago, the exclusively breastfeeding rate was 6.8%. Today, this rate has now climbed to 10% due to the efforts of the WIC Peer Counselors.
Peer Counselors (PCs) are Community Health Assistants who motivate and support WIC breastfeeding moms with frequent phone calls, individualized counseling and facilitated group discussions at three WIC sites. With prior breastfeeding experience and as Certified Lactation Educators with intensive training in counseling and breastfeeding management, PCs often serve as role models for their clients.
A PC is the “go-to” person when a breastfeeding mom needs support when feeding their babies can be most challenging. “Our moms are often empowered to not only initiate breastfeeding but to even continue longer, resulting in better health outcomes” is a statement often repeated by PCs.
Breastfeeding exclusively is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics as the best way to feed infants because of its numerous health benefits to both mother and child. Infants who are exclusively breastfed have lower risk of infections, illnesses and obesity and there is also evidence that their cognitive development is better.
Future plans including expanding the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program to all 14 WIC sites, visiting moms in the hospitals after delivery and possibly participating in home visits. Thanks to the efforts of HCA’s Peer Counselors, more babies are receiving their mother’s milk and will experience lifelong benefits of being breastfed. For more information on the PC program, please contact Laurence Obaid form HCA Nutrition Services at (714) 834-7986 or by e-mail at lobaid@ochca.com.
HCA
WIC Peer Counselors pictured (left to right) are Emma Chavez-Valle; Nanny
Gortzak, IBCLC; and Nancy Wong. Not pictured is Carmina Estrada.
It’s that time of year again!
2009 annual online safety training is coming soon
September is that great time of year when the leaves start changing color and nights become cooler. As summer starts to wind down, it is time to get back to our normal routine. For many of us it’s getting our children or ourselves back to school. It also can be a busy time getting ready for the upcoming holiday season. Fall also means something to the HCA Safety Program … the launching of our annual online safety training.
Why do we have safety training every year?
The 2009 annual on-line safety training is a very important part of HCA’s effort to ensure that all employees are safe and productive. Cal/OSHA requires that all employees be trained annually on the four core subjects: Injury and Illness Prevention (IIPP); Fire Prevention; Hazard Communication; and Emergency Evacuation. This year the Safety Program has added two additional training modules to provide information regarding Accident Reporting and Vehicle Safety.
How do I access the training?
Like last year, you will be able to access the on-line safety training through Training Partner. All staff will be able to log into the program with their user identification and password. A memo will be sent in the next few weeks which will announce the commencement of the annual training period. This memo will provide log in instructions for Training Partner.
It is our expectation that this training will be utilized as an opportunity to acquire new knowledge, as well as refreshing basic safety information.
Newly Certified Safety Representatives received certificates
during the HCA Safety Program quarterly meeting. Pictured (left to right) are
Kathy Jenkins; Vitina Vu (on behalf of Beatrice Payne); Maria Avalos and
Clementine Gonzales (on behalf of Jackie Bernard).
Department Safety
Representative (DSR) Update:
On August 12, the HCA Safety Program hosted the 3rd quarterly DSR meeting for
2009. This was a very successful meeting that provided discussions and training
on how to complete a hazardous chemical inventory list, as well as covering fire
alarm function in HCA buildings. This training included informative discussion
on evacuations for high rise buildings.
At the quarterly meeting, the HCA Safety Program also distributed awards to DSRs who recently became Certified Safety Representatives (CSRs). The following is a list of HCA employees that have recently become certified and have demonstrated outstanding effort and commitment to the HCA Safety Program:
Maria Avalos, Pulmonary Disease Services
Jackie Bernard, Custodian of Records
Macaria Gonzalez ,Pulmonary Disease Services
Kathy Jenkins, CYS/QIPC/MRT
Beatrice Payne, Pulmonary Disease Services
Eye Injury Prevention Month
Healthy Lung Month
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Celiac Disease Awareness Month
National Dental Hygiene Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Physical Therapy Month
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
International Walk to School Week—5-9
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week—18-24
National Hospital and Health System Pharmacy Week—18-24
Quote
You aren't just the age you are. You are all the ages you ever have been.
—Kenneth Koch
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
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