INSIDE OKDHS, SEPTEMBER 2013 - IN THE NEWS

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Mark Beutler: Hello everybody. I'm Mark Beutler from the Office of Communications and once again, it's time to find out what's happening In The News. As we've been discussing over the past few months, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services is going through a lot of changes. 

We've introduced you to Director Ed Lake and heard about his vision for the future and we've discussed the changes in oversight of DHS, moving from Commission-based leadership to Citizen Advisory Panels. These transformations are historical and are designed to address the changing population of Oklahoma and the economic trends in the U.S. Continuing with this theme, there have also been some key changes within the structure at DHS. Here is our brand new organizational chart. With this chart you see the new structure of the Agency and we are introduced to some new employees and some who have received promotions. 

The first change we notice is Samantha Galloway filling the Coordinator position in the Office of Intergovernmental Relations and Policy. She's already been on board for a few months and is doing a great job. Moving along, we welcome Ronald Baze as the new General Counsel for DHS. Before this new assignment, Ronald held the position of Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma. Through a unique arrangement, he will remain an employee of the A.G.'s office and work, on contract, with the DHS legal team. 

We also welcome David Ligon as Director of Finance and Administration. Moving to DHS from the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitative Services, David has more than 30 years’ experience in handling state finances. In addition to managing all DHS finance functions, David will oversee Support Services and the Office of Business Quality. Communications Director Sheree Powell is seeing an expansion of her responsibilities as well with her new position, Director of Communications and Community Relations. The Office of Community and Faith Engagement and the Office of Information and Referral join the team under Sheree's leadership. 

No Audio: Office of Community and Faith Engagement Coordinator û Karen Jacobs. Office of Information and Referral Coordinator û Cynthia Kinkade.

These offices all directly reach the public so the consolidation streamlines these activities. More organizational changes occur as Child Care Services now reside within Adult and Family Services. Jim Struby serves as Director of AFS. The final change we want to look at is the change in status for Adult Protective Services. A.P.S. joins Aging Services, Child Support Services, DDSD and the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council as a free-standing program under the leadership of Mark Jones. 

These personnel changes reflect the new climate of DHS and facilitate the vision and strategy put together by Director Lake and the Executive Team. A printed version of the DHS Strategic Plan is available for you in your office. It will also be posted online for you to read. The plan outlines how the new structure works. All these changes in the organization come after months of study and planning. 

Efficiency and effective public service are the goals. As the Agency moves in a new direction, it becomes necessary to convey that shift to the general public. One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to do this is to re-brand DHS. Over time as publications require printing we will be using the new logo. Let's take a look at the logo right now. Here it is. 

The new DHS logo is designed to convey the caring and compassion shared every day by our employees in all 77 counties. The warmer feel overall and the outstretched, supportive hand at the bottom are indicative of DHS's commitment to caring for Oklahomans. So as the new logo moves to its new place here, you'll begin to notice it in other places as well. 

A change like this is gradual as we budget the change over time. Before we move on though, let's take a quick look at a graphic put together by our Design Services Team that shows all of the logos that have been used over the 75-plus years by our agency. As you can see, the logo has evolved and changed over the years to reflect the changes we've all undergone in Oklahoma. Our logo is our stamp - our public calling card and reflecting changes in society and within DHS is an important part of designing logos. Again, watch for the new logo as it filters out to the public over time. 

Now let's move on to upcoming events. The fall lineup for the Practice and Policy Lecture Series has been announced and, as usual, it's filled with speakers and topics you will find extremely enlightening in your daily work. You can pre-register for these lectures now to be sure you have a place in the lecture hall. Let's take a quick look at the lineup. 

No Audio: August 29th. Trauma Informed Services in Indian Country. Dr. Dolores Subia Bigfoot û Director, Indian Country Child Trauma Center. Noon to 1pm, Oklahoma History Center.

On August 29th, Dr. Dolores Subia Bigfoot presented an informative speech entitled, "Trauma Informed Services in Indian Country." This presentation touched on individual and cultural trauma in our Native American population. This lecture will be online very soon so we can benefit from Dr. Bigfoot's expertise. 

No Audio: September 24th. Oklahoma's Triumph for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities: Influencing the Whole World. Dr. James Conroy, Ph.D. Center for Outcome Analysis. Noon to 1pm, Oklahoma History Center.

Then, on September 24th, Dr. James Conroy will present a lecture entitled, "Oklahoma's Triumph for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities: Influencing the Whole World." More than 20 years ago the Hissom Memorial Center made headlines as Oklahoma began to change its support system for citizens with developmental disabilities. The folks who lived there moved into regular neighborhoods and a project was put into place to track their well-being. 

The results from the "Quality Assurance Project" were dramatic ù more positive than any other state. Dr. Conroy will look at the results of this Quality Assurance Project. Conroy is an expert in the field of disabilities, aging, child welfare and other human service fields. His work has been included on shows like 60 Minutes, the ABC Evening News and Nightline. He considers his work on the outcomes of deinstitutionalization to be his definitive contribution toward better lives for people with disabilities. 

No Audio: October 29th. Domestic Violence: The Hidden Epidemic. Jackie Steyn û Chief Programs and Compliance Officer, YWCA, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Noon to 1pm, Oklahoma History Center.

Looking ahead, the October lecture will be held on the 29th and is entitled, "Domestic Violence: The Hidden Epidemic." Jackie Steyn, Chief Programs and Compliance Officer with the YWCA in Oklahoma City will speak. 

No Audio: November 12th. Improving Child Protection with Safety Science. Dr. Michael J. Cull, Ph. D. Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing, Vanderbilt University. Noon to 1pm, Oklahoma History Center.

Then on November 12th, Dr. Michael Cull from Vanderbilt University will present a lecture called, "Improving Child Protection with Safety Science." 

No Audio: December 10th. Child Welfare Services: Pinnacle Plan Implementation. Deborah G. Smith, M.S.W. Director, DHS Child Welfare Services. Noon to 1pm, Oklahoma History Center.

We'll end 2013 with our very own Deborah Smith speaking on implementing the Pinnacle Plan in Child Welfare Services. 

All of the Practice and Policy Lectures are held at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City and begin at noon. We know many of you can't make the trip to attend these events so they are available online in video, audio and/or printed form. To find these taped lectures, go to OKDHS.org and click the Practice and Policy Lecture link on the left side of your screen. 

The Oklahoma Women's Leadership Conference for Women in Public Service is coming up on September 27th. This year's conference will be held in Midwest City at the Reed Conference Center. This day-long event will motivate and inspire women in public service that have a strong interest in achievement and a drive to advance their careers. There are customized tracks for participation, each aimed at people in different stages of their careers. 

Just a few of the outstanding speakers include Paula Marshall, the CEO of the Bama Companies Incorporated, a gigantic provider of baked goods; Rita Aragon, the Oklahoma Secretary for Military and Veterans Affairs; Terri White, the Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and 
Substance Abuse Services and Dr. R. Murali Krishna, the co-founder and President of the James Hall Center for Mind, Body and Spirit. Registration is open now and you can sign up by going to okdhs.org/wlc for information. 

No matter how long you've been in the workforce, there's something for you at the Women's Leadership Conference. Being a one-day event it's easy to attend and this year's conference looks to be one of the best. 

We've discussed the accomplishments of Oklahoma Child Support Services many times on this webcast. The OCSS system is one of the most successful in the nation. Before the work was done to enhance our child support system, any Oklahoman who had a question about a child support case would call the local county office for help and information. That would tie up resources and often result in slow responses from the state. 

In 2001 OCSS set up CARE, a call center to handle all phone inquiries in a central location. The staff at CARE is specially trained to handle calls about child support issues. Well it was a huge success and 12 years later it's still going strong. Just how successful is this call center? On July 26th the staff in the CARE center answered the 7 millionth customer inquiry. That's 7 million people who have called in to find out about child support issues and been helped by this small but dedicated staff of hard-workers. We'd like to offer our heart-felt gratitude and our congratulations to the staff at the OCSS CARE Call Center. 

Well, we've covered a lot of big news this month. We're glad you joined us. We want to leave you with some pictures of a Permanent Connections gathering held back in August. This event was a chance for children in DHS custody to get together with other children in similar circumstances and just have some fun. Lasting friendships were made and everyone enjoyed themselves at this party. We'll see you next time. Thanks for watching. 

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