Director's Message

May 5, 2006

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, DHS Director

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." - Cicero

This past Wednesday at our Winema office, we had a very nice ceremony at which the Governor signed the bill passed during the recent special session that rebalanced our budget.  The Governor wanted to sign this bill at one of our field offices and use the occasion as an opportunity to thank all of us at DHS for the work we do. Although the Governor's remarks were delivered to those employees at the ceremony, they were meant for us all.  As such, I am reprinting them here today for everyone to read.

REMARKS BY GOVERNOR TED KULONGOSKI

Department of Human Services Bill Signing -- May 3, 2006

Thank you, Bruce, for the introduction and for your leadership at DHS.  Any time I think my job is hard -- I think of you and all of the employees at the Oregon Department of Human Services -- because your jobs are among the toughest and the most important to Oregon. 

I'm honored to be here to sign the legislation passed during the special session rebalancing the DHS budget.  I wanted to sign the bill at a local office because this is where the real work is done.  This is where citizens come for help to keep their lives on track -- and this is where you help them see the many opportunities available to them so that they can do just that.

There are a couple of things in particular about this legislation that I think are significant.

First:  This bill goes a long way to ensuring that the services you provide clients right here in this office will continue to be provided throughout the remainder of the biennium.

That is most significant to the thousands of Oregonians whose lives are touched every day by DHS employees, county employees and our local partners.

The work you do every day -- to make sure children are safe, families' basic needs are met, and health care is accessible to people who need it -- is critically important to me and to every citizen in this state.

I don't have to tell you that state resources have been tight these last few years.  And you who serve on the front line have done a remarkable job continuing to provide as much hope and opportunity to our citizens as you could during these tough times.

You know from experience that just because revenues may be down, needs do not diminish.  If anything, needs increase, which is the primary driver for the DHS budget short shortfall -- higher than expected need for health care and foster care.  This heightened demand reminds me -- and the legislature -- what you already know:  that needs don't go away when revenues go away.

The good news is that our economy is rebounding.  And because of that, the state has the resources to meet those needs without compromising the critical services that you provide through DHS.

The other significant point I want to make about this bill is that in a time where the citizens of Oregon were depending on their elected officials to put aside partisan differences and do the people's business -- we did…they did.  Actually, the legislature did it in record time.  Six hours, to be exact, passing this bill and four others to strengthen education, keep our children safe and protect working families from predatory lenders.

And today we have news that gives reason for more celebration in addition to the signing of this bill. 

This week we received federal approvals that will improve access to health care for more than 30,000 children enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the more than 22,000 Oregon adults enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan Standard benefit package.

With this approval:

• Children and teens who enroll or re-enroll in the SCHIP program now will be eligible for 12 months of coverage, rather than six.

• OHP-Standard enrollees with incomes less than 10 percent of the federal poverty level will no longer pay $6 monthly premiums, and
   
• OHP Standard enrollees reporting higher incomes (between 10 and 100 percent of the federal poverty level) will now be able to remain enrolled in the program and pay their monthly premiums at the conclusion of their six-month eligibility period rather than lose coverage if they fail to pay every month.

This is great news for our entire state as we continue to build a healthy economy and healthy communities.

With that good news -- which helps advance your mission -- I want to thank you all again for your service to the state of Oregon, and to its most vulnerable citizens.

To provide feedback email: DHS.Directorsoffice@state.or.us

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.