Director's Message

July 8, 2005

To: DHS employees

From: Bryan Johnston, Interim DHS Director

Later today at our Cabinet meeting, I'm going to share with our DHS leaders that I believe my interim tenure has moved into a second phase. I'm still working on the six goals I shared with you in my first director's message, but it's time to add some overall goals for the organization.

DHS is a collection of great people doing important work and that work requires us to keep moving forward. I have some suggestions that I'm confident will expedite that effort.  You’ll hear more on that later…

In today’s message, I share some thoughts on:

* the Legislature

* prescription drugs

* working with the news media

* and a few quick updates.

But before I get there, I have an addition to my last message. In praising the efforts of the newest recipient of the Director's Excellence Award, I used the phrase "single-handedly.”

Several folks responded to me with questions about that concept. No one questioned the talents or efforts of the recipient, but they raised the question whether any of us do anything alone -- without clerical, administrative or peer support, and the question of whether our DHS partners got the respect and honors they deserve. The points raised were good ones. Our work is a group project. We all have a part to play.

Legislative update

The Legislature is in that phase of its business that is the most difficult to understand. At the end of session, bills move quickly and deals and deal-making abound. Our budget is not yet agreed upon, but we project that it appears smaller than the current DHS practices would require. Our efforts to encourage the adoption of our full budget continues.

Prescriptions for seniors

November 15, 2005. Put it on your calendar. Burn it into your brain.

On that day, more than a half-million Oregon seniors can begin enrolling in the new Medicare prescription drug program. The enrollment period will last until May. The coverage that begins January 1, 2006, represents the first time in the 40-year history of Medicare that seniors will be eligible for a prescription drug benefit.

As significant as November 15 is, there is one other date we need to keep in mind. On October 1, 2005, the federal government, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will begin automatically enrolling an estimated 53,000 of our clients in the new program. These clients are those who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

While the federal government will automatically enroll these clients and assign them to prescription drug programs, DHS still has an important role. It will be our job to ensure that each one of our clients has the program that best fits their needs, including easy access to pharmacies and availability of the drugs they need.

That's a lot of work in a very short period of time. DHS staff, providers, county contractors, partners, and others involved deserve a great deal of credit for the commitment to personally intervene on behalf of our clients once the automatic enrollment is complete. 

News media

On the average every month, DHS handles more than a couple hundred media contacts. Reporters contact us following up on information put out through our Public Affairs Office or working on stories they are generating on various human service issues.

Positive stories about our efforts are published or broadcast all the time – but we also get our share of negative press.  The point is we should be accessible, helpful, and available to the media in all circumstances. I believe that is part of our job as public servants and by continuing to be responsive, we help maintain our credibility with the Legislature, the public, stakeholders, and others. This is one of my goals during my tenure here.

Updates

Diversity Conference: Hold September 22 on your calendars for the annual Diversity Conference being held at the Salem Conference Center. An estimated 850 people are expected to attend from around the state, sharing information on cultural diversity and how it impacts our work.

Director’s Survey:  As of today, we have received about 500 responses to our survey, asking for your feedback on the next DHS Director. If you haven’t taken the time yet to participate in the questionnaire, please do so. You can take it anonymously and it will only take about 10 minutes of your time. The survey link is:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=263751163419

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.