Director's Message

August 26, 2005

To: DHS employees

From: Bryan Johnston, Interim DHS Director

This will be a short message. Four topics:

-- Visit to The Dalles

-- MMIS Replacement Project

-- Diversity Conference

-- Citizen and State Employee

I had a great visit to The Dalles last Friday. Rene DuBoise set up an opportunity for me to meet with staff there, and via live monitor in Hood River. We  had a frank, wide-ranging discussion of the rewards and challenges of our work. Later, a small group of us discussed food stamps and the drive for excellence in that program.

We also celebrated the anniversary of clinics in The Dalles and Hood River that serve low-income Columbia Gorge residents. La Clinica del Carino -- its Spanish name translates roughly as "the caring clinic" -- opened its Hood River facility in 1986, and celebrated its first year in The Dalles with an open house for the community.  I was asked to represent the governor at the event and we shared a news release about the success of the clinics that was picked up by the local media. We also toured the "Visit House," where staff and volunteers have been putting in many hours making the location a success for families and a place to visit with their children in our care.

At lunch, I saw one of the classiest displays I've witnessed in recent years. One staff member, whose name I'll withhold but who is no doubt mortified that I'm telling this story, lost a fight with a mussel in her bouillabaisse soup. When the shellfish hit the soup, the soup went all over her lovely light gray business suit. Acting as if nothing unusual occurred, our heroine left the table and returned with a very wet, but clean, outfit. Luckily, The Dalles weather dried the outfit almost in time for our next stops. Great day, great people.

MMIS Replacement Project: The department is in the process of undergoing the largest information technology project in the history of DHS -- replacement of the outdated Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS). Its success is of vital importance to the agency and directly supports the mission.

Over the next five months, the DHS MMIS project team and its contractor will be conducting many requirements sessions. Oregon is getting an MMIS system transferred from another state that already contains much of the functionality required to administer the Oregon Health Plan and other required programs.

I'm well aware of how busy you all are, but attending and offering input during an MMIS requirements session will help us build a high-quality data system that provides better service to our clients and healthcare providers. This is an investment in the future of the department.

Diversity Conference: All 700 spots have now been filled for the 2005 Diversity Conference, to be held Sept. 22 in Salem. Names are being taken for the waiting list by going to this link. We are fortunate to have Governor Ted Kulongoski slated to attend the opening session, kicking off the conference with a speech relating to the "changing face of Oregon."  While we recognize not all staff will be able to attend the actual conference, there are other ways to help support these efforts.   Diversity Awareness Week is September 12-16 and during that time we will celebrate and further promote diversity throughout the department statewide. We are encouraging local offices and units to schedule events during this week that highlight diversity.

Citizen and State Employee: I recently saw a poster in an Oregon National Guard building that quoted George Washington as saying "When we became soldiers, we didn't lay down our citizenship." It sums up nicely the great asset Oregon's citizen soldiers are to our state and nation.

We could have a related poster in every state building. When we become state employees, we don't give up our citizenship. On work time, though, we exercise it differently. One state employee has recently spent part of her workday calling in to a national talk show to express her private views on the issues of our day. That type of exercise of citizen's rights is inappropriate on state time. While on the job, we are stewards of the state's resources. Our time and talent are two of those state resources.

Until next Friday…

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.