Director's Message

Aug. 10, 2007

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, M.D., director

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."
~Henry Miller

I returned last Friday from a very enjoyable vacation visiting relatives and friends. Thanks to Ramona Foley, Jim Edge and Susan Allan for their great messages during the past three weeks and for all that they do each and every day.

I'm surrounded by piles of e-mail and paper to get caught up on, so I'll be brief and share one update and one thought with you.

During the next several weeks I am planning a number of trips to talk with staff throughout the state. Although during the past year I have had an opportunity to meet and talk with many of you, there are still a number of you I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting.

And for me it's always a pleasure to meet our staff. I come back from visits to local offices re-energized by the dedication you display toward helping our customers and all the good work you do. I greatly value your contributions to our mission, and I hope to be able to meet with many more of you during the next few months.

Finally a quick thought, reflection, observation on returning from vacation.

My vacation took me to three different countries, all of which provide health care coverage for all their citizens. In fact, the United States is among the minority, standing almost alone among developed nations, in not ensuring that everyone has a basic level of health care. I returned to Oregon with a renewed sense of urgency about the need to bring our state and this country up to that very basic, humane standard.

Most importantly, we must focus on improving health and preventing health care problems, and not solely on ensuring access to services that may not achieve those goals. We must direct the type of resources and efforts toward prevention that we currently do in treating problems after they emerge.

As I have indicated before, today's generation of children is the first in history to have a shorter expected lifespan than their parents. Our children are developing serious health problems, such as diabetes, at a far earlier age than any previous generation.

We cannot simply treat our way out of this. We need to focus our efforts upstream. I urge you to join me in that effort.

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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.