Director's Message

June 3, 2005

To: DHS employees
From: Bryan Johnston, Interim DHS Director

Welcome to the end of my week two. From Medicare Modernization and "Clawbacks" to OHP Standard and Plus, the topics keep coming. Not to mention the acronyms....What was FFY 2004 ADP for Foster Care Programs? Can people use TANF or FS for rent? Not to mention OHT, TURA, SBHC, TPEP, etc. At any rate, there were a few moments this week when I felt I was making great progress.

For those of you who like to skip to your area of interest, I have three subjects this week:

• The Director's Excellence Award
• Reality of our Work
• Our Commitment to Education

All three of these subjects serve my goals I discussed with you in the last DM (Director's Message).

Thank you for all that you do.

The Director's Excellence Award

On Thursday, Barry Kast and I had the pleasure of joining Dr. Susan Allan at PSOB (Portland State Office Building) to award a Director's Excellence Award to the Incident Command Flu Vaccine Team. Led by Dr. Grant Higginson, the team -- some 56 strong -- managed a flu vaccine hotline 40 hours a week for over three months.

They answered more than 24,000 calls and worked across disciplines to buy, sell, distribute, bill and collect for approximately 200,000 doses of vaccine. It was an impressive team effort and they were and are an impressive group of people. While Gary Weeks helped select them for this honor, I was pleased to meet them and to congratulate them.

Reality of our Work

This past week, a couple of our Medford-area caseworkers - working out in the field - almost witnessed a shooting.

While this is an unusual occurrence, it does underscore the fact that our field staff face different challenges than those in central office. I was kept informed of developments and communicated with the local office. I was impressed by the dedication of these front-line staff.

I am still learning about all the work done in this department. I recognize that those on the front lines are out there every day dealing with difficult issues. Providing direct care for patients at the Oregon State Hospital, protecting a child in danger, helping a senior stay in his home, or dealing directly with a drug or alcohol addicted person are all examples that come to mind.

That's not to say the work done in central office or administration is somehow less important. The efforts throughout this agency all help people in some way, directly or indirectly.

Part of the moral of these observations is, simply, be nice to each other.

Our Commitment to Education

Let me, in the strongest terms, affirm the DHS commitment to education! Knowledge is one of the surest paths to success. I don't just say that as the former dean of a management school, I say it as a true believer in learning. Our changing world and changing workplace demands that we constantly look anew at our work and make use of available resources.

The DHS Management Training Program: Managing for Results, has been under way since January. This program offers seven mandatory courses, and has begun development of a number of elective courses.

Right now, the department is focusing this training on making sure managers learn the basic practices they should know. Budgeting, communication, cultural competence, personnel issues, motivating a team -- all are part of this first round of classes being offered. The courses have been well received by those attending.

I am very supportive of this management development initiative and appreciate the effort managers are putting into re-arranging their schedules to attend these classes. There are still slots available for the mandatory courses during the summer months and beyond.

Please go to the attached Web site and sign up if you have not done so already: http://www.dhs.state.or.us/training/Managers.htm

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 this message to be provided to you in another format, please send an email to dhs.forms@state.or.us, or call (503) 947-5107. You can also fax your request to (503) 373-7690, or call (503) 947-5080 for TTY service. If you know of others who need this accommodation, please let them know it is available.