Director's Message

November 23, 2005

To: DHS employees

From: Dr. Bruce Goldberg, DHS Director

"The moral test of government is how it treats those in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, needy and disabled." - Hubert H. Humphrey

Giving thanks

Thank you. A sincere thank you for all that you do to help people become independent, healthy and safe. I have been with DHS a little over three weeks now and I have been so impressed with the great efforts, commitment, caring, and positive attitude of our staff.  You inspire me, the great work that you do. I see it everywhere I go.

Many families in our state struggle every day to make ends meet -- facing poverty and extreme hardships in attempting to feed, clothe and shelter themselves or their children or to care for aging parents. The numbers of those in need continue to grow, challenging all of us working in human services to continue to find creative, cost-efficient means to provide these critical supports.

Many people in our state get through each day because of the commitment and hard work of the staff throughout DHS. I am very thankful for all of you who are doing your best, under trying circumstances, to help so many Oregonians live a better life, doing work that I believe is critically important.

Thanksgiving is a time to pause and reflect on what we have to be thankful for and to contemplate how we live our lives. At the same time, we need to be cognizant and respectful of those co-workers around us who may be facing difficult times, dealing with a work layoff or other challenges during this holiday period. We should take time to honor our staff who do the front line work and are having to make huge family sacrifices during the holidays, especially those whose positions may be abolished and those that face possible layoffs due to the department's budget circumstances.

We should also focus time and attention in taking care of ourselves. In order for us to do our best in serving others, we must first take care of ourselves and our own families and friends.

Finally, thank you to Jay Wurscher, who sent me today's quote and to all of you who have provided me with ideas and feedback. Keep that coming. It's wonderful to hear your ideas and thoughts; I learn a lot, and a healthy exchange of ideas makes for a better DHS.

I wish each of you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Please travel safely as you share this Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends.

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.