Director's Message

Sept. 7, 2007

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, M.D., director

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"It is better to look ahead and prepare, than to look back and regret."
~Jackie Joyner-Kersee

At this time of year I am reminded of the terrible events that took place on Sept. 11, 2001, and the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the Gulf Coast. These two tragedies highlight in the most graphic manner the need to prepare for disasters, whether caused by humans or acts of nature.

This is a responsibility that Oregon takes seriously. For the past two years state agencies, including DHS, have been developing business continuity plans to keep operations going in the event of a disaster. In the case of DHS, many of our clients rely on us to provide necessities such as food, shelter, health care and cash assistance. Those needs don't go away in an emergency; in most cases they become more acute.

That's why it's imperative DHS has computer systems, databases and business processes that enable us to serve our customers no matter what kinds of emergency conditions may exist. Knowing how we are going to serve our customers in the face of power and communication outages, pandemic illnesses, mass evacuations or other crisis situations literally may mean the difference between life and death for many vulnerable individuals.

In addition to this long-term planning, Governor Kulongoski has designated September as Preparedness Month in Oregon, and DHS is participating with several other state agencies to educate people about the importance of preparing for disasters. Examples of the information being provided can be found at www.ready.gov/ and www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/preparedness/.

But beyond teaching people how to plan for emergencies, it is our responsibility at DHS to be prepared to help vulnerable populations, many of whom are our clients, who cannot prepare on their own behalf. These include residents of nursing homes, group homes, hospitals and other facilities who will need assistance in a crisis.

We learned during Hurricane Katrina how important it is to ensure evacuation, shelter and support for individuals with disabilities, the frail elderly, and individuals living in state-operated facilities and group homes. It's also imperative that we be able to communicate with people who may not speak English as their first language and may have difficulty understanding what they need to do.

To address these issues, DHS has hired a preparedness specialist who is working with stakeholders throughout Oregon to coordinate disaster planning. This project, which focuses on the needs of vulnerable populations, involves all divisions and a range of community partners.

This initiative will kick off soon with a series of one-day workshops taking place in communities throughout the state. The workshops are designed to connect human services organizations to local emergency services and begin getting local stakeholders to think about the steps they will need to take in an emergency to ensure the safety of vulnerable populations in their communities.

We need to be ready and able to deliver services, keep people healthy and safe, and take care of those who cannot take care of themselves in an emergency. Business continuity and disaster planning efforts are complex and time-consuming work, but they are an essential part of caring for our clients, and are activities I encourage all of you to take seriously.

I sincerely hope any disaster impacting Oregon is a long way off. But we need to be ready in case it arrives tomorrow.

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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.