INSIDE OKDHS, APRIL 2013 - IN THE NEWS

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No Audio: Mark Beutler - Office of Communications 

Mark Beutler: Hello everybody. I'm Mark Beutler from the Office of Communications and it's time to find out what's happening In The News. Spring is here again and that always means busy times for us here at OKDHS. 

Let's begin with a pat on the back to the Tulsa County Drug Court.  "Children and Family Futures," a national organization that works with child welfare and family judicial systems, has named the court one of the most successful in the country. Tulsa County's Drug Court began in 1998 and has been able to point offenders toward treatment and counseling as opposed to prison.  Avoiding excessive family disruption is the goal of this and other Drug Courts. When parents are successful at completing treatment plans, children are reunited and families can continue to move forward. 

We want to congratulate Tulsa County OKDHS for being involved in this forward-thinking program. The entire Tulsa County Drug Court team, which includes OKDHS employees, has been nominated for a Governor's Award for Team Excellence and we'll let you know on a future webcast if they win. 

Last month, OKDHS received the final approval on improvements to our Foster Care system. These improvements are a part of the agreements reached in a lawsuit that resulted in the Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan. Neutral overseers have been working to be sure the changes are implemented in ways that agree with the provisions of that lawsuit. There are quarterly reports concerning progress of the changes on the OKDHS website. These provisions have come about through the hard work and diligence of everyone involved. 

While we're on the topic of safer children, we want to remind you that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month in the United States. This month is set aside to remind us how important it is that we all help keep children safe and free of abuse. Needless to say if any group knows about child abuse prevention, it's us as employees of OKDHS. But there's a lot we can do to educate our self and others. 

The United States Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families has a website that offers a wealth of information. Go to childwelfare.gov and take a look. Here you'll find information on things individuals can do and resources for professionals. We all know the signs to look for and we should all know that we have a legal responsibility to report child abuse. Let's use this month of April to reinvigorate our commitment to keeping children safe. 

April is also the month we celebrate the many volunteers that help OKDHS accomplish the mission of helping citizens achieve a higher quality of life. The OKDHS Volunteer Awards Celebration is the Agency's way of saying thanks to the people who come in and give of their own time to make things better for other Oklahomans. Karen Jacobs is the OKDHS Volunteer Coordinator. 

No Audio: Karen Jacobs û Volunteer Coordinator, Oklahoma Office of Faith Based Initiatives and Volunteerism

Karen Jacobs: April is the National Volunteer Month and at DHS, this is our 30th year that we've been recognizing volunteers across the state. Thousands of volunteers have provided so much services for the ones we serve. April 30th we'll be finalizing our recognition by hosting the 30th Annual State Volunteer Awards at the Oklahoma History Center at 1:00 pm. Dignitaries and Legislators will be participating as well as Executive Staff will be recognizing the volunteers that help all of our clients at DHS. 

Mark Beutler: We'll send our cameras to the Volunteer Awards and bring the celebration to you, right here, next month. Volunteers come up with a host of different ways to help families in need in Oklahoma. Here's an event we simply must share with you. The organization, "Lawyers Against Hunger" have organized an event to pass out Turkeys to families for Thanksgiving over the past few years. 

Recently they gathered at the law office of Noble McIntyre in Oklahoma City to hand out Easter hams. There were about 1,000 hams given away to families who receive assistance from OKDHS. In addition to the hams, law office employees cooked burgers for the people waiting in line. It's this kind of volunteer project that makes it a joy to be involved in helping Oklahomans. While OKDHS assists families throughout the year, it's a special bonus to be able to see citizens helping citizens to have the extras that make holidays special. 

Don't forget to look for this month's Feature Story. This month we talk to Jim Struby and his crew in Adult and Family Services. This will give you insight into the direction of the new structure of that division. 

No Audio: Jim Struby û Adult and Family Services Director

Jim Struby: Because of the Pinnacle Plan and some of the requirements that Child Welfare had as the result of legislation that was passed last year, I guess, we reorganized the field elements of Child Welfare and what use to be called Family Support. It was a division called Field Operations. So we took Field Operations and Family Support and merged them together and created Adult and Family Services out of that. 

Mark Beutler: Let's take a quick look ahead at some upcoming events. May 2nd is Foster Care Awareness Day at the State Capitol. The Foster Care and Adoptive Association of Oklahoma is putting together a whole day of celebration and education. We'll be at this event and will bring coverage to you. 

No Audio: 38th Oklahoma Conference on Aging û ôThe Road to Aging: Enjoy Your Trip.ö May 21-23 at the Norman Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center. okagingconference@okdhs.org

The Oklahoma Conference on Aging is coming up in May as well as the Governor's Quality Awards and the Best of the Best Awards. 

No Audio: Upcoming Events, April 2013. April 24th û Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day. Wednesday, 10:30 am State Capital.  April 25th û Practice and Policy Lecture Series. Kate Richey ôClosing the Opportunity Gap: Building Equity in Oklahoma.ö Thursday, Noon to 1 pm, Oklahoma History Center. April 30th û 30th Annual State Volunteer Awards. Tuesday, 1 pm, Oklahoma City, OK.

No Audio: Upcoming Events, May 2013. May 16th û Practice and Policy Lecture Series. Daniel Ostas, Ph.D. ôEthics in a Regulatory Environmentö Thursday, May 16, 2013. Noon to 1 pm, Oklahoma History Center.

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Mark Beutler: That's about all we have for you this month but we have saved the best for last. Today we leave you with pictures from this year's Conference on Developmental Disabilities. This was a fantastic time for all as you'll see from these joyous pictures. We'll see you next time. 

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