IN THE NEWS - JULY 2015 [MUSIC PLAYS] [NO AUDIO] Mark Beutler Office of Communications Hello, everyone. I'm Mark Beutler from the Office of Communications. Thank you for joining us. Let's see what's happening in the news. We're starting off with a happy announcement. The all-new InfoNet has launched and is back online. What began as a short process migrated to a new operating system. This became a complicated, multi-month project for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services. OMES is still fine-tuning a few technical issues, but you can now view the news segments and stories we produced here at the Office of Communications during the content freeze. Though, the In the News segments may be slightly dated, you'll see great coverage of events that you or your colleagues attended, and the feature stories are timeless. Recent videos you're sure to appreciate include our interview with former Lt. Governor Jari Askins, recently appointed as Special Adviser to the Governor focusing on the implementation of the Pinnacle Plan. And, we also have a feature story about the new Quality Service Initiative with Dr. Shannon Rios and Director Ed Lake. You'll see a clip from that interview later in the show. We encourage you to watch and enjoy the new InfoNet. If you need speakers for your computer, please contact the OMES helpdesk at 405-325-8400 or 1-800-522-0223. Summer is a time for parents and kids to have fun in the sun, but it's also a time to be aware of safety concerns that the heat brings. "Think. Prevent. Live", a collaboration between OKDHS and the Oklahoma Child Death Review Board, is a child safety campaign designed to inform adults about common dangers for children. The "Think. Prevent. Live" television and radio PSAs teach prevention on topics like Fire Safety, Vehicle Safety, Water Safety, Safe Sleeping and Abuse and Neglect. And, very relevant to this time of year Hot Car Safety. Let's take a look at the PSA. Narrator: Think, Prevent, Live, Keep our children safe. Every year dozen of children die from hyperthermia. Their bodies overheated left alone in a parked car on a warm day. Never leave a child in a parked car, even for a few minutes. and always check your vehicle every time you get out. Don't put your children at risk. Keep our children safe. A message from the Child Death Review Board, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, and partner agencies. Mark: Even if it's only 85 degrees outside, a car can heat to 120 degrees in just 30 minutes. And, a child's body temperature rises at least three times faster than an adult's. In 2014, 30 children died of heatstroke in the United States from being left unattended in a hot car. In a 17-year national study, the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at San Jose State University found that 53% of the 636 child deaths due to heatstroke were reported as cases where the child was "forgotten" by the caregiver, meaning the adult was unaware that they left the child in the car. With busy schedules and multiple distractions, it's a growing occurrence. Here are some tips from "Think. Prevent. Live" to avoid harm for kids. If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, call 911. Get them out quickly. Children should never be left unattended in a car--not for any length of time, not even with windows down and a windshield shade in place. When transporting a child, place everything that belongs to the child in the front seat and place everything that belongs to you in the back on the floor. This way, to move forward with your tasks, you will have to interact with the child. Check your vehicle every time you get out. Ensure all children have left the car. Never leave your car keys where children can get them. And finally, Keep car doors and trunks locked at all times. For more information visit ThinkPreventLive.org for resources to help keep your family, friends and clients safe. Heat can be very dangerous, very quickly for adults, too. The Centers for Disease Control report that climate change and extreme heat cause more deaths each year than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods combined. Overheating can sneak up on you. It can start with muscle cramping as a prelude to heat exhaustion which is signified by heavy sweating, paleness, weakness, dizziness, headache and nausea or vomiting. The next level is heat stroke when body temperature exceeds 103 degrees, sweating stops while the other symptoms continue, and one can lose consciousness. It can happen suddenly, during activities we're used to. This happened to me just a couple of summer's ago while mowing my yard--something I do frequently with no problem. Air conditioning is the number one protective factor. So, take frequent breaks when it's necessary to be in the heat. Wear lightweight, light-colored loose-fitting clothing and choose a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. Drink 16-32 ounces of cool fluids every hour. Sugar and alcohol block hydration, so avoid those. By the time you feel thirst dehydration has already begun. Of course, children need extra attention, but so do seniors. As we age, we can lose the ability to regulate our temperature and not "feel" the extremeness of heat before it's dangerous. Seniors are also more susceptible to dehydration as thirst levels decrease with age. Caring for a senior parent or any family member is a consuming and often exhausting task for caregivers. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, more than 65 million people provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or senior family member or friend and spend an average of 20 hours per week providing care for their loved one. That's 29 percent of the U.S. population. Human Resources Management here at DHS organizes Caregiver Support Groups for DHS employees and their family members who serve as caregivers. The Oklahoma City group met July 7th from noon to 1pm at the Sequoyah Building. No registration or prior notification is necessary to attend a group meeting. If you would like to have a group in your area contact Laree Reidenbaugh or Mark Balthrop in Human Resources Management. The Quality Service Standards provide a checklist of the best behavioral choices we can choose to do our work well. There are four components: Safety, Integrity, Professionalism and Compassion. Here's what Director Lake shared on the concept of Professionalism. Director Lake: This is the one that overarches all the rest that there are components of integrity and compassion built into being a true professional. True professional is always seeking to improve him or her self. Want to be highly skilled, wants to be the best at what they do. Goes about it in a businesslike way, efficiently but with a strong sense of integrity underlining the practice. In other words, it is important to not only do things right but to do the right things. That's being a professional to me. Mark: You can view the full feature story about the Quality Standards archived on the InfoNet, as well as this month's self-care video about how professionalism can improve your personal life. Some of the behaviors on the professionalism checklist are positive attitude, respecting others, and doing one's best. These are all things we can do for others and for ourselves. The Child Welfare Services Independent Living Program assists young people who are transitioning from foster care to adult life. Caring for themselves through education, life skills and permanent connections is the foundation of the Independent Living Program. They held their yearly teen conference June 3-5 on the OU campus in Norman as an opportunity for young people aged 16-21 in DHS or Tribal Custody to learn, network, be inspired by speakers, and just plain have fun. Child Welfare Specialist Kris Goble is a Foster Care Alumni who now helps lead the event. Kris sat down with us for a feature about the Independent Living Program last November. Here he tells us what makes the Teen Conference so special. [NO AUDIO] Kris Goble Child Welfare Specialist III Independent Living Foster Care Alumni Kris Goble: When you're in care, that's the one thing you look forward to all year. It's better than summer camp because it's three days on a college campus where you're getting to meet people who are in the same situations as you are. You're bonding. You're learning new life skills, and at the end of it you get to have a dance. I mean, what beats that? We're establishing those connections. Well, luckily for me, I get to go back every year. I get to be a small group leader. This coming year we're going to have a go at MC-ing. My job has a big variety of things. Mark: This year's theme was "To Independence and Beyond", and the DHS and Tribal sponsors along with volunteers provided an out of this world experience as you can see by these great images taken by our own Caroline Miller. Developmental Disabilities Services and NRCYS just held their 4th annual Independent Living event June 12th. Twenty-eight young people attended with their own sponsor or staff member to explore new skills and build self-reliance. More than 30 volunteers including DDS and Child Welfare Services employees and service providers helped make the event fun and educational.  Another group is using the summer months to encourage growth and leadership for teens. The Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council recently hosted their Youth Leadership Forum for high school juniors and seniors with disabilities from across the state. The motivated students submitted essays and letters of recommendation to be selected for the camp. The YLF delegates spent 5 days on the USAO campus in Chickasha, becoming stronger leaders by learning about advocacy, self-advocacy and legislative systems.  These images are from their "Capitol Day" where they got first-hand experience with lawmakers, held a mock legislative debate in the House Chamber and met Gov. Mary Fallin and Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb. Karen Poteet from Aging Services and Director of Developmental Disabilities Services JoAnne Goin are DHS representatives working with the ODDC. Feel free to visit okddc.ok.gov to find out more about the resources they offer, like the Partners In Policymaking class. We're seeing images from a graduation held in the Governor's Blue Room at the Capitol in May. Self-advocates, parents of children with disabilities and professionals go through this intensive training to prepare to engage directly to influence policies on all levels of government. This graduation also marked the creation of an Oklahoma Partners in Policymaking Distinguished Advocacy Award called "The Diana" in honor of Diana McCalment, who retires this year after 20-plus years as an educator for the class. Diana is a Hissom parent and chair of the DHS Citizen's Advisory Panel on Disabilities. We thank Diana for her dedication that will continue to help shape the future for individuals with disabilities. We also thank you for joining us for our return to regular availability. We'll see you next time.