 |
|
|
Director's Message November 4, 2005
To: DHS employees From: Dr. Bruce Goldberg, DHS Director
Looking ahead
Traditions are an important part of organizations and cultures. In them we find common identification, comfort, and a unity that binds us all together. They give us a continuity of purpose and commitment. It is in that context that I write my first "weekly director's message" -- a "tradition," I'm told, dating back to former director Gary Weeks during his first term, and one I plan to continue, quotations and all.
I am honored and delighted to be part of the Department of Human Services. It's a rare privilege to lead an organization that helps make people's lives better. I have dedicated my career to caring for people and improving the way we organize, pay for, and deliver health care and human services. My new role in DHS provides a most meaningful way to continue those efforts and to work with you to improve the health and safety of Oregonians.
I'm cognizant of the change the Department has gone through, both in terms of organization/reorganization, as well as in Directors. There have been several during the last five years. Each has brought a dedication to the "Mission" and a passion for human services that I hope to equal. But I very much want to surpass each of their tenures here and I hope I can provide stable and effective leadership for many years to come. I'm particularly grateful to Bryan Johnston for the phenomenal job he did in providing interim leadership and in helping to assure a smooth and effective transition.
I hope in the weeks to come to share some of the challenges we are facing in Oregon and the ways in which we can work together to address them. I also hope to highlight some of the great things we are doing. This is a large organization with many essential and worthy responsibilities.
Many talented and gifted individuals work here. I have met many during my first three days and look forward to meeting many, many more. Indeed, the staff here is the heart and soul of this Department. We need to honor and rejoice in our successes and develop our potential. At the same time we need to recognize what we can do better and continue to look for ways to do so.
Together we can keep working toward making this an organization in which people are proud to work, and one that the people of Oregon are proud to have working for them.
Food for thought
Just as quickly as I honored tradition, let me break from it and insert a quotation here rather than at the start or end of this message. It's from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the U.S., and provides the perfect introduction for highlighting one of our challenges and acknowledging our efforts to address it.
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
Helping the hungry
Hunger provides a stark and very real reminder to us of the disparity between those who have much and those who have too little. In one of the country's most agriculturally rich states, it's a sad fact that many of Oregon's children still go to bed hungry. According to the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force, more than one in 10 Oregonians experienced difficulty purchasing food due to a lack of resources at some time during the past year.
This paradox was tempered this past week by good news, however, showing that Oregon is making strides in its battle against hunger. A U.S. Department of Agriculture report identifies Oregon as the only state with a statistically significant drop in "food insecurity," defined as households experiencing difficulty purchasing food due to lack of funds.
This drop put Oregon near the national average for both hunger and food insecurity. This success speaks to the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force's extensive outreach efforts, improved food stamp outreach by the department and increased Food Stamp Program participation, Child Nutrition Program outreach, increased funding for and use of emergency food, and making the Child Care Tax Credit refundable. The newly refundable Earned Income Tax Credit should help even more, as should increased support for the Summer Food Service Program.
Our own DHS program and field staff have made significant contributions, including simplifying the food stamp application process, applying for waivers to increase access and taking advantage of program simplification policy options allowed in the Farm Bill. In fiscal 2003, Oregon received a federal bonus because of the department's efforts to increase food-stamp participation, which also supports households making the transition from welfare to work.
The Governor's leadership and focus on reducing hunger has made a significant difference in Oregon's effort to address the issue. Oregon's strategic plan, which grew out of the Governor's 2003 Hunger Summit, is moving us forward.
More work needs to be done. Nationally, the number of people living in food-insecure households increased to 38.2 million in 2004, at a time when the U.S. House of Representatives is considering $50 billion in cuts to a number of vital support programs including food stamps and Medicaid. These cuts would reduce access to important resources and likely result in increased hunger.
In spite of the improvements we are making statewide, the numbers of Oregonians who are hungry or facing food insecurity is still a great concern. We need to keep focused on the issue of hunger, working to ensure that all families reach economic stability and are able to meet all of their basic needs.
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. |
|
