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Director's Message
October 1, 2004
To: DHS Employees
From: Gary Weeks, Director
Making a Difference
In our hectic, fast-paced world, we may tend to focus only on the work at hand, losing sight at times of what our collective efforts mean to people.
No matter what part of the Oregon Department of Human Services you are employed in, your work makes a difference in the lives of Oregonians every day.
Just ask some of those people who know first hand, who gave us permission to share their stories:
Alan Levine, of Clackamas County, turned his life around with help from the department. During more than 35 years of drug and alcohol abuse, he says he robbed a bank, stole more than 150 cars, took personal property and served prison time. Levine is now an outspoken champion of "recovery works" and is a member of the Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs.
Francine Hanes, of Eugene, made a career change after facing serious health problems, thanks to the help of our staff. Francine worked as a cook for 15 years, until hip replacement surgery to treat a congenital condition forced her to quit. Staff from the DHS Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services helped her obtain the skills she needed to make the switch to a new career. She now works in OVRS as a management leader.
Helping those who can't help themselves
Seven medically fragile children have become brothers and sisters in a safe, secure, and loving Oregon home through the assistance of the department. "When you adopt a child, every fiber of your being just knows this child belongs to your soul and your heart," said Rick LaPine, adoptive father. LaPine and his wife, Misty, adopted the children from the State of Oregon. Each one of them arrived with a diagnosis, treatment plan and labels: bipolar disorder, drug affected, depressed, defiant, learning delayed, and attention deficit. All the LaPine children are now healthy and thriving - including a budding artist, an aspiring poet, and a gifted athlete.
Twenty-four-year-old Andy Owens has the independence he was seeking because of DHS-funded programs. Andy was brain injured in a near drowning accident when he was 22 months old and as a result developed acquired cerebral palsy. He uses a wheelchair, works at a local bookstore, and now can come and go as he pleases from his residence, thanks to a ramp and power door. His family was able to install these because of a grant they received from the department to help children and adults with developmental disabilities live independently and safely in their own homes.
A 15-year-old Lane County teen with no health insurance may be saved from a serious or potentially fatal health problem, because of a visit to a School Based Health Center, funded through the department. A nurse practitioner there noted a previously undetected heart murmur, which led to a physician's evaluation. An echocardiogram test showed the boy has a significant heart valve problem and will need follow up care and eventually surgery.
Thousands of stories like these can be found all over the state - work done by staff in our offices that makes a difference in people's lives.
Touching the lives of Oregonians statewide
And it isn't just our "clients" who benefit. DHS touches the lives of every Oregonian when they take a drink of clean public drinking water; eat a meal in restaurants with no safety inspection issues; or hold a healthy newborn who has been screened for serious metabolic illness.
The work that we do in communities - helping fund partnerships and work with local mental health, alcohol and drug and other community-based programs - also provides economic stimulus and jobs to all parts of the state.
The department is starting a year-long initiative to identify, document, and share how the work we do makes a difference in the lives of Oregonians. You can help by providing stories, anecdotes, and other ideas highlighting work that is being done every day to help people. You can send those directly to the Office of Public Affairs, by emailing Trish Neiworth at trish.neiworth@state.or.us or calling (503) 945-5922.
By telling our stories, we will raise awareness of the impact that human services has individually, economically and at a personal level. And we may be able to reach out to more Oregonians, helping them turn their lives around and become more productive citizens.
Just ask Candi Holbrook. Once an unemployed mother of two, Candi was placed in a work-experience position through the department's JOBS program at an insurance office. She went from barely making ends meet to now being a full-time office manager, getting ready to take her state insurance exam. And she said she learned an important lesson in the process - the value of not giving up.
Food for thought
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
Aesop
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This message is intended for all Department employees. Please read it electronically, if possible. Managers and supervisors are asked to share the message each week with employees who do not have email access.
If you have a disability and need a document on this Web site to be provided to you in another format, please send an email to dhs.forms@state.or.us or call (503) 945-7021, fax (503) 373-7690 or TTY (503) 947-5080. If you know of others who need this accommodation, please let them know it is available.
Oregon Department of Human Services
Director's Office
500 Summer St. NE E15, Salem, OR 97301-1097
Phone: (503) 945-5944
Fax: (503) 378-2897
TTY: (503) 947-6214
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