Director's Message

A place to turn for answers

Every day, hundreds of calls, emails and related correspondence pour into the Governor's Advocacy Office, which was established by DHS and the Governor's Office in 1993 as an ombudsman for the people.

Consider the following typical "day in the life" of GAO staff members:

• 150 - 200 phone calls come in daily
• 120-150 emails received each day
• 10 - 15 letters delivered every day

These contacts come from citizens all over the state who have specific issues and concerns relating to human services. The office works on behalf of the Governor and the department director -- evaluating every question or concern that comes in. The contacts run the gamut -- from those desperately trying to find services, to others with issues about benefits and programs.

Help when it's needed most
Here is a sampling of some of the people who've been helped recently by the GAO:

• A Southeastern Oregon father was desperately trying to find mental health services for his troubled child. The GAO helped the family get connected to a local children's mental health provider and the services they needed.

• A Russian-speaking pregnant mother's dental plan changed through a miscommunication during her Oregon Health Plan recertification. As a result, she couldn't continue services with her Russian-speaking dentist, who had been treating her and her children. The GAO helped find a solution for the distraught mother, who was able to get back in to see her dentist the following week.

• Concern over the whereabouts of an orphaned child brought another citizen to the GAO. The woman's sister had died, leaving her child without parents and with the prospect of being cared for by family members with a history of drug-abusing lifestyles. The GAO was able to determine that the child was indeed safe and had been placed in a secure foster home, relieving the woman's worries.

Solving problems every day

These are just a sampling of some of the daily interactions of the GAO and the work that they do serving Oregonians statewide. Staff in the office speak four languages and evaluate every concern or complaint presented. They investigate complaints, assess needs and help people find access to resources and appropriate services.

While the majority of calls and emails come in directly from citizens, the GAO receives additional inquiries directed to them by the Governor's Office and by state and federal legislators.

The office also houses the Oregon's Children's Ombudsman and the alternate format/Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) program - ensuring that individuals with disabilities are provided the required accessibility so they may equally participate and benefit from all DHS programs and services.

The office also sees a ripple effect every time there is a state budget downturn and reductions in programs need to be made. When cuts are made in services, the number of GAO contacts consistently increase.

Between 300 to 500 of these contacts become new cases each month - cases that see resolution 95 percent of the time. Those five percent unresolved are often due to court-ordered action or factors outside the jurisdiction of the GAO.

We are fortunate to have an office like this available in our state, and located right here at DHS. The staff regularly tackle difficult and complex situations and manage to get resolution in most cases.

But most gratifying are the comments from citizens who the GAO has served - like a visually impaired DHS client who recently received needed documents in Braille. She now can reconcile her doctor bills, and she expressed thanks to the GAO for that independence.

If you or someone you know needs the kind of help the GAO provides, contact them at 1-800-442-5238.

When the pain never ends

Having visited 22 doctors and beginning to feel a sense of hopelessness, a young single mother admitted she had turned to "drug seeking" to try to deal with her constant pain. The young woman had been in a previous car accident and because her fractured shoulder had not been set properly, she was now experiencing severe nerve damage.

With help from the department's Pain Management Program, the young mother found a doctor who began a series of intense treatments and referrals to deal with the endless pain. Several months have now passed with tremendous improvement in her pain management. This Oregonian -- who admits she nearly lost all hope -- now reports she is back in school and engaged to be married.

The Oregon Legislature created the Pain Management Program in 1999 and housed it in the department, as a part of the Governor's Advocacy Office. The purpose was to coordinate and present information to all Oregonians on the management of chronic and intractable pain. The Legislature also set up a Pain Management Commission that includes health care providers, advocates, legislators and consumers to develop broad-based educational standards for licensed and certified health care providers and to promote awareness.

Are people accessing the information and advice the pain management program provides? One telling sign is by looking at the department's pain management web site -- one of the agency's most popular with thousands of regular hits from family members and those directly living with pain every day.

Food for thought

" By seeing the seed of failure in every success, we remain humble. By seeing the seed of success in every failure, we remain hopeful."
-- Author unknown

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 this message to be provided to you in another format, please send an email to dhs.forms@state.or.us, or call (503) 947-5107. You can also fax your request to (503) 373-7690, or call (503) 947-5080 for TTY service. If you know of others who need this accommodation, please let them know it is available.