Oregon Department of Human Services Employee Newsletter

Staff NStaff Newsews April 2007Vol. III, No. 4

Fairview sculpture finds new home in HSBThree Oregon State Hospital employees played a crucial role in the odyssey of a piece of sculpture from obscurity to its current honored place in the lobby of the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building in Salem.

John Hamilton, physical plant director, designed the sculpture's pedestal, and carpenters Wayne Stanley and Ron Wood built it with materials on hand.

The refurbished sculpture was unveiled by DHS Director Bruce Goldberg in a ceremony in the lobby on March 12. It was attended by the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities as part of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

The artwork was created by Oregon artist Tom Hardy as a memorial to longtime Fairview superintendent Dr. Irvin B. Hill. It depicts a group of children holding hands with Dr. Hill in a circle. It was originally unveiled in May 1963, and stood on the grounds at Fairview for many years. Fairview was closed in 2000.

DHS Facilities Administrator Linda Riddell encountered it on a tour of the J Building, one of the unusable portions of the State Hospital, in about 2005. She was with Maynard Hammer, OSH deputy superintendent.

"It was all dusty, and under some boards, off in a corner," Riddell said. When Hammer told her

what it was, she said "It's gorgeous, we need to put it on display somewhere.

"I see it as a kind of celebration of where we've come from and where we are today in our treatment of people with disabilities," Riddell said.

In coordination with the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, Bill Lynch, Naomi Steenson, Patricia Feeny, Judy Cunio, DAS and other DHS administrators, Riddell worked to get the artwork placed in the HSB lobby. She commissioned a brass plaque to be mounted on the pedestal, bearing the words of former Gov. John Kitzhaber when he apologized for treatment of institutionalized

patients in proclaiming Human Rights Day on Dec. 2, 2002:

"To those who suffered, I say, The people of Oregon are sorry. Our hearts are heavy for the pain you endured."Gary Whitehouse: 503-945-6934; gary.whitehouse@state.or.us

From left, John Hamilton, Wayne Stanley and Ronald Wood, with the sculpture on the pedestal they built.

Staff News �

'Lean' -- Understanding, fixing processes

How many rolls of brown paper does it take to make DHS fiscal processes more efficient? So far it has taken several hundred feet of paper and we’re just getting started.

If you haven’t seen it, you’ve probably heard about it – all those long strips of brown paper attached to cubicle and hallway walls on the fourth floor of the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building. No, it’s not modern art; it's all about makingprocesses more streamlined and efficient.

Since early this year the Administrative Services Division has been engaged in a pilot project with Kaufman Global, an internationally known consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations be more efficient using a method called “Lean” to ensure that every step in a process adds value.

"Lean" doesn't imply staffing or budgetary reductions. It is a management philosophy that focuses on reducing waste, and being flexible and open to change. It grew out of management practices pioneered by the Toyota Corp., which used them to become the world's leading automaker.

Before we can improve our processes we have to fully understand them, and that’s where all the brown paper comes in. Staff who work with those processes every day have been closely examining every aspect

of several key – and complex – payment and distribution processes to learn where there are redundancies and inefficiencies. Employees draw flowcharts on long sheets of brown paper and display the sheets on walls where reviewers can add notes about problem areas and get a complete picture of just how complex, and sometimes redundant, our fiscal processes are.

Once a process is fully understood, the managers and staff who work with it can determine ways to streamline it. That’s already happened to several key processes and is set to happen to more as the pilot project expands beyond ASD to the department’s Financial Management functions. Eventually the Lean process will roll out throughout DHS, along with the sheets of brown paper

for which it rapidly is becoming famous.

The end result will be faster, more accurate processes – both fiscal and other types of processes – throughout the department that require less rework, provide better customer service, and are more transparent and accountable. In the long run, everyone will benefit by these improvements – customers and employees alike.

As processes are reviewed and streamlined in the months ahead, we’ll keep you informed of successes and changes. And we’ll let you know when it’s going to be your turn to unroll some strips of that long, brown paper.

Ann Snyder, Office of Communications, 503-945-5922, ann.snyder@state.or.us

Linda Lamb, left, and Beverlee Linn, both of Financial Services general accounting office, review one small section of the DHS financial management "brown paper."

April 2007

Staff News �

As Oregonians age, the number of Oregonians who are hard of hearing increases apace. The DHS Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is doing its best to anticipate and meet the growing need.

In late March the office took delivery of a cache of assistive listening devices valued at $45,000 from a statewide partner, the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation. The equipment will be available to community programs and organizations and state agencies to make their meetings accessible.

The ODHHS, formerly part of the Oregon Disabilities Commission, became part of the Seniors and People with Disabilities Division Advocacy Unit when the legislature abolished the commission in July 2005. Its job is to advocate for the needs of Oregonians who are deaf or hard of hearing and to assist all state agencies in accommodating the needs of deaf or hard of hearing customers, clients and employees. Its two employees are supervised by Lee Girard.

Jeff Brownson, communications coordinator, responds to requests for accommodation from all state agencies, assigning sign language interpreters and distributing real-time captioning and assistive listening systems, for example.

"I'm constantly recruiting and setting up contracts with interpreters," Brownson said. "There is always a need for more."

Bentley Fink is the trainer and development specialist. "My mission is to assist state agencies to make their programs and

services more accessible," for both employees and clients, he said. This year he is focusing on increasing outreach to areas where this population is underserved, including southern Oregon.

Only about 1 percent of the population is deaf, but about one in 10, from infants to seniors, is hard of hearing, Fink said. "Historically, government services have focused on the deaf," he said. "One of our jobs right now is to make bridges to the hard of hearing."

The ODHHS is a resource for people who need information on:

their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act;obtaining services and benefits from state programs;hearing aids; andhelp in acquiring assistive technology.

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"There is so much potential to step-up the services for the deaf and hard of hearing people in Oregon," Fink said. "We want to make ourselves a household word, so that the people of the state of Oregon know to come to us for services."

Among services to DHS and other state employee are regular noontime American Sign Language classes in their Salem office, and an annual Deaf Awareness Day program at the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building in September.

There currently are four vacancies on the ODHHS 12-member consumer advisory committee. Anyone interested, particularly in rural areas, is urged to contact Bentley Fink, 503-373-7609, bentley.fink@state.or.us

Gary Whitehouse: 503-945-6934; gary.whitehouse@state.or.us

Office serves deaf, hard of hearing statewide

ODHHS's Bentley Fink, surrounded by assistive equipment available for use around Oregon.

April 2007

Staff News �

Core Values: Responding to gift-giversLast month we examined a common ethical dilemma. It involved being offered a small, culturally appropriate gift in appreciation for work done for a client with whom you had a great working relationship.

It is so nice to be recognized for a job well done and for making a difference in someone’s life. But the question we asked was, should you accept this token of gratitude? The answer it, it depends…and you have options.

OptiOn 1: bluntly (but politely) say “no.” This keeps you well within the lines of ethical behavior, but it may not seem respectful to the giver and in some cases be seen as being culturally insensitive.

OptiOn 2: You could keep it as your own; after all, you deserved the recognition. This is the least ethical solution.

OptiOn 3: Explain the DHS policy on receiving gifts and why we have such a policy. Let them know that giving and receiving gifts are not in keeping with our Core Values of integrity and professionalism.

Should the giver insist that you accept, you again have a couple of options, depending on the gift's value.

For a token gift, you can graciously accept it on behalf of the entire unit pointing out that it was because of many that you were able to do your job. Display the gift in a location for all to share. If it is a gift of food, flowers or candy, put it a central location and ask others to share with you.

Should the gift be a more valuable object, such as a gift card or tickets, Option 3 is more strictly called

for, and should be explained with care. A respectful way to deal with this is to politely say that you cannot personally accept, and suggest that they donate the gift to a worthy cause, such as the Governor’s State Employees Food Drive. Or perhaps they know of someone else that could benefit from this gift. Please check with your manager prior to accepting the gift on behalf of another organization.

What is inappropriate is to send a message by word, deed or implication to any client that a gift of any sort is expected for the work that you do.

This answer may not seem clear, because every situation has subtle differences that will govern how you respond. What is clear is that as state employees, we are not allowed to benefit as a result of our positions (other than our paycheck and benefits.) ORS 244.040 [www.leg.state.or.us/ors/244.html] covers financial gain and gifts. The DHS Conflict of Interest Policy [www.dhs.state.or.us/policy/admin/hr/060_002.htm] goes further to say that “DHS staff members may not accept gifts related to the performance of their DHS job duties.” Any gift

April 2007

Staff News �

needs to be disclosed to your supervisor, following the Conflict of Interest procedure outlined in the policy.

Every employee and manager should be familiar with these policies.

Here is our next scenario: You have been working very hard lately and can’t seem to get to the store to purchase the supplies your son needs to complete his junior high science project. You are a single parent, live five miles out of town and have no one else who can do this. You have promised repeatedly to stop and get the supplies. Knowing your son is meeting a deadline, you bring home one package of paper, three file folders, and some colored pens from the office.

is it OK to do this? What Core Values are at play in this scenario?

Let us know how you would approach this situation. Send your responses to core.values@state.or.us. Next month we will consider some of your responses (anonymously) and look at another situation.

Note: this is not a scientific collection of responses. Responses will remain anonymous. If you would like to submit an ethical dilemma you have faced, please feel free to e-mail that to core.values@state.or.us.

Lisa Harnisch: 503-945-6304; lisa.s.harnisch@state.or.us.

April 2007

Staff News �

Training opportunities, April - May

During the rollout of the Learning Center, the following training is available, although on a reduced schedule. Space is available at the time of this publication. Employees should work with their managers to determine if participation in training is approved. Each division has its own criteria for these decisions. Some managers may have unique needs for team development or change management resources; to see if services may be brought to your work unit, contact Judy Gerrard, judy.l.gerrard@state.or.us 503-945-6436.

Editor: Gary Whitehouse, DHS Office of Communications, (503) 945-6934; gary.whitehouse@state.or.usDesigner: Debbie Aljets, DHS Web and Publication Design Team (503) 947-5302; debra.aljets@state.or.us

RequiRed neW manageR tRaining

VCOn: Creating a Legal Work environment (Managers only) April 26

essentials of Human Resource management (Managers only) May 15-16

managing Resources: Budgets, Contracts, Risks May 24

geneRaL empLOyee tRaining

new employee OrientationOnce a month

dealing With Hostile SituationsMay 2

diversity: disability Culture and awarenessMay 22

introduction to project managementMay 23

netLink: neO Responsibilities and Resources For managersApril 11

tO RegiSteR: neW inFORmatiOn! Visit the Dhs learning center at https://dhslearn.hr.state.or.us/ and go to Courses&Registration/Find A Course and type in the course title in the keyword search. If you need help with registration, please contact DHS Training and Development at 503-947-5457 or DHS.Training@state.or.us.

April 2007