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Director's Message
June 18, 2004
To: DHS Employees
From: Gary Weeks, Director
1. Campaign to support healthy lifestyles for DHS employees
Be healthy.
People say that to each other all the time. As you know, helping the people of Oregon to be healthy is one of this agency's primary goals. But what about those of us who work at DHS?
Newspapers and TV have been filled with stories about the obesity epidemic in the U.S. We hear every day that being overweight, out of shape, and living a sedentary lifestyle can lead to heart disease, diabetes and other serious health problems.
I want all DHS employees to be as healthy as we can be. It will not only benefit the work we do for the department, it will benefit each of us personally — as well as our families. And as the state agency directly concerned with the health of all Oregonians, it seems even more fitting that we focus internally on this issue.
For those reasons, we are launching a long-term campaign, initially in our central office, to help our employees achieve and sustain a healthy lifestyle at work.
We know that other DHS locations already have similar programs in place. The Portland State Office Building (PSOB) Wellness Program, for example, has been in existence for about 12 years. It offers a wide variety of nutritional and fitness information, along with a well-equipped exercise room and shower facility.
Although not all our offices will be able to offer a program as extensive as theirs, I hope each location will work toward putting some plan in place to support their employees in becoming healthy and fit. We will do all we can to help you.
Here in the Human Services Building, our Health and Wellness Committee has come up with a number of programs that focus on good nutrition and exercise habits we can practice while at work.
As we detail these programs, many of you in DHS locations throughout the state may want to consider replicating them. Even better, use them to stimulate your own ideas for what would work best with your colleagues in your particular work environment.
Our campaign is called: DHSuccess — Eat right, burn more.
Some of its components are:
1. Upgrading our exercise room
We're holding a raffle, with the proceeds going to purchase new fitness equipment for our exercise room. We'll also ask for donations of equipment, exercise videotapes and CD's or tapes with music to work out by — and volunteers to help give the room a needed "makeover."
2. Offering more healthful choices of food and drink in our building
We are working with our food service vendor to add more healthy choices to the menu in our cafeteria and in the vending machines. We will publish a Web-based survey next week asking for feedback on our current cafeteria food.
3. Encouraging folks to use the stairs instead of the elevators
Having a floor-by-floor contest to paint the walls of our stairwells, so walking up the stairs will be a bit more interesting and fun.
4. Working to bring Weight Watchers or similar groups to the building
5. And more to come, including:
Lunch-hour walking programs and exercise classes; buses to get to the Salem Market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables; a constant flow of nutrition and exercise information; and an internal poster campaign promoting healthy eating and an active lifestyle.
As I mentioned, this will be an ongoing program that I hope will gain additional momentum with time — both in our building and in similar programs at all of our offices.
Our Wellness committee welcomes your questions and most important — your suggestions. I know they will be happy to share our poster campaign or any other part of our program. Please contact Ed Kramer on GroupWise or at 503-945-5751.
Be healthy!
2. Employee Assistance Program
These are times of change and challenge for all of us who work at DHS.
It can be very stressful dealing with people who face reductions in the services they count on to help manage their lives — and just as stressful handling the administrative challenges we face daily.
Then, when we leave work, we go home to the other concerns of everyday life. There may be family issues, health concerns, emotional problems, stress, relationship issues, substance abuse, or a great many others. You may simply feel unhappy and not know why.
That is the time to take advantage of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a valuable benefit offered to all DHS employees. Our EAP is run by Cascade Centers, a private company based near Portland.
EAP staff members are available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at no cost to you. They will assess your situation and arrange for up to three meetings to help identify and define your concerns, prioritize them, develop an action plan and, if necessary, refer you to local professionals for counseling.
The EAP is not just for serious emotional or addiction problems. It is there to help you with the everyday challenges we all encounter. And no one at DHS will know about any assistance you are seeking unless you choose to tell them.
As I mentioned in a recent message, one of our five objectives at DHS is investing in our workforce. We want our employees to be as healthy and happy as possible. Our Employee Assistance Program can help.
For more information, please refer to the EAP Web site. The 24/7 toll-free number for Cascade Centers is 1-800-433-2320.
3. Warm weather attire — casual but professional
Summer will be here officially this Monday. And as the weather gets warmer, we will all probably dress a bit more casually at work.
That's fine; DHS has no dress code. However, even during the summer months, we should always strive to maintain a professional atmosphere in the office.
The expectation is that all of us dress in what might be described as "business casual" or better. Sweats, shorts, or anything that exposes a bare midriff are examples of clothes that do not fit into that category. Women may wear business-appropriate tank tops if they choose, but we ask that men not wear anything sleeveless, such as muscle shirts.
We want our clients to view us as professionals and to put stock in what we say. And we want our co-workers to have confidence in us and to be comfortable working with us.
Please use common sense and good judgment in choosing what you wear to work. Don't hesitate to talk with your supervisor if you have questions.
4. Food for thought
"We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are."
— Adelle Davis
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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.
If you have a disability and need a document on this Web site to be provided to you in another format, please send an email to dhs.forms@state.or.us or call (503) 945-7021, fax (503) 373-7690 or TTY (503) 947-5080. If you know of others who need this accommodation, please let them know it is available.
Oregon Department of Human Services
Director's Office
500 Summer St. NE E15, Salem, OR 97301-1097
Phone: (503) 945-5944
Fax: (503) 378-2897
TTY: (503) 947-6214
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