September 2007PUBLISHED FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO

GMS By the Numbers17 Managed Competitions

12 Re-engineerings

$338 Million redirected to front line services,equipment, infrastructure (since 1997)

0 Number of employees laid off as a result ofthese actions

12,000 Computers refreshed every four years

98+ Number of County services that public canaccess via the Web

3 Maximum numberof years any IT toolcan stay on aCounty computerbefore beingrefreshed

18,046 Number of Countyemployees in 1997

17,027 Number of County employees in 2007

1,019 Positions—that’s how much smaller the Countyworkforce has become in 10 years

500,000 That’s how much county population has grownduring the same decade

...In the Community

41% How much we’ve increased hours of operationat County libraries since 1997 (from 55,094 to77,725)

67% Amount circulationhas increased atCounty librariesdue to more books,videos & tapes forresidents to checkout (2,941,685 to4,924,639)

57% Increase in numberof people visitingCounty parks

63% Increase in acres of parkland for current andfuture residents to enjoy

90% Reduction in cost of paperwork done by PublicHealth Nurses

25% Increase in number of patients that PublicHealth Nurses can now see

County Celebrates Success ofGeneral Management System

(Continued on page 7)

Rewind to 1997.Heaven’s Gate was in the news, dot com stocks were going

strong. San Diego County was on the verge of bankruptcy andfinances were so tight that employees were encouraged to takeleave without pay. Departments routinely dealt with hiringfreezes and budget cuts. Roofs were left to leak. Computer sys-tems were patch-worked together and the archaic infrastruc-ture resulted in frequent outages.

In the years since 1997, the tech boom went bust, and disas-ters of unimaginable proportions have touched San Diegans’lives (9/11, the Cedar and Paradise wildfires, school shootingsand Hurricane Katrina). The nation now lives with terrorismthreats, awareness of the avian flu pandemic, and the ongoingeffects of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

An outsider would have to wonder how a government entityin shambles could hang on. But instead of crumbling, theCounty has flourished.

The County of San Diego currently has one of the highestcredit ratings of any California county, which means taxpay-ers’ dollars stretch further when funding large projects. Pru-dent reserves (and policies in place to protect them) translateto stability during an economic downturn or crisis. A County-wide computer system that is refreshed regularly empowersemployees to improve efficiency, service and convenience inhelping the public. A revitalized emergency preparedness sys-tem is in place and public services have been expanded.

What was the key to transforming the County? It was a lead-ership team open to change and the dedication of Countyelected officials and staff who made it all work. And it was allwrapped up in a process called the General Management Sys-tem (GMS).

The GMS is a comprehensive way to do business. It requiresthat the County identify long-term priorities, while simulta-neously monitoring current activities and measuring progresstoward long-term goals. This annual cycle of planning, imple-mentation, monitoring, and evaluation ensures that the pri-orities set by the Board of Supervisors are clear, that goals areachieved and that County government is accountable to thepublic it serves.

“In a word, the GMS is about excellence,” says Don Steuer,Chief Financial Officer. “We have this solid foundation fromwhich we can do our jobs better, serve our customers betterand create a better County for those who live here.”

Rich Robinson, who retired from the County in 2002 as theDeputy Chief Administrative Officer for the Public SafetyGroup, helped craft the County’s first GMS model.

In ’s WordsIn ’s Words

2Chief Administrative OfficerWalt Ekard

News Briefs

A Decade of Accomplishment:

A Future of Excellence

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job as ChiefAdministrative Officer for our County is that I get to workwith a great team of people and I get to hear about theamazing things you all accomplish as you go about yourwork.

This month, we’re marking an important milestone inSan Diego County government history: It’s been ten yearsthat we’ve been operating under the General Manage-ment System (GMS).

Other articles in this issue of County News will high-light specific accomplishments and will put into per-spective how much we’ve changed and improved as anorganization. I want to use this space to note that none ofthis would have been possible without you.

County employees have been through a lot in the pastten years and we’ve worked hard to take this organizationfrom one that was facing bankruptcy, living year to year,working with outdated tools in leaky buildings to onethat is now among the most well-respected and widely-recognized local governments in the nation.

During the past ten years, you and your colleaguesworked on managed competitions (most of which youwon), streamlined numerous business processes andvastly improved the services we provide to customers andthe way we provide them. We’ve moved services and in-formation onto the Internet and we’ve improved our abil-ity to plan for and manage new programs.

As a result, San Diego County is a healthy organizationthat invests in its employees and its infrastructure andthat looks forward with anticipation rather than anxiety.Our budgets are structurally-balanced. We budget fortraining and IT equipment to stay current. We have pru-dent reserves, a strong credit rating and comprehensiveemergency recovery plans—all of which will hold us ingood stead in a world where circumstances and needscan change rapidly.

I hope you are as proud to work here as I am and thatyou will continue to help us become even better. Evenwith all we’ve accomplished, we can never rest on ourlaurels. Just as we’ve experienced a decade of accom-plishment, I am certain that we are headed for a future ofexcellence. To get there, I will need your creativity, com-mitment and hard work. Fortunately, I’m confident thatyou and we are up to the challenge!

Bash for CashThe music of yesteryear will profit today’s causes at the 11th

Annual Big Band Bash at the Beach is coming up on Saturday,September 29 from 12 to 7 p.m. at the Oceanside Pier inOceanside.

The benefit concert raises money for non-profit organiza-tions that serve North County residents, including theCounty’s own Children In Need, Inc. (CIN). Run by Healthand Human Services Agency staff members on a volunteerbasis, CIN helps provide financial support for enrichmentactivities to kids who might not otherwise be able to purchaseathletic equipment, rent an instrument for music lessons orwear a special prom dress. Since CIN is run by volunteers,there are no administrative costs; every penny raised helpsthe children.

This year’s event features seven hours of music from threebands on two stages, as well as lunch and raffle drawings.Tickets are $5 and information on how to purchase is avail-able on the CIN Web site; click on “Fundraising Events.” Thispage also lists opportunities for County employees to showtheir support of CIN, including a program to register a Ralph’sor Albertson’s rewards card so that with each purchase thestores issue a rebate to CIN. For more information, contactMindy Ripley.

Online Offerings ImprovedUntil recently, Board of Supervisors meetings could only

be viewed live. Now, new software called Granicus enablesviewers to watch any meeting on-demand, starting with theJuly 24 meeting. Meetings are also indexed by agenda item,allowing users to efficiently skip right to their relevant seg-ment rather than having to fast-forward or watch an entirerepeat.

Viewers can also subscribe to the Board meeting archivesvia RSS Feed, which provides an automatic update whenevernew minutes or an agenda are posted. Features include a sub-scription to the Board of Supervisors “Minutes Feed” and theBoard “Agenda Feed.” To learn more about what an RSS Feedis, visit the Granicus Streaming Media Help page.

Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., isscheduled to receive the Urban Trailblazer Award at the EqualOpportunity Awards Dinner presented by the Urban Leagueof San Diego County on September 6. This fundraising eventis a special salute to local legends in the healthcare and tech-nology fields. Among her many contributions to the commu-nity, Dr. Wooten is being recognized for her volunteer effortsas a speaker for the HIV/AIDS Awareness seminars for theUrban League Young Professionals and for continuing to carrythe torch of leadership for African Americans and women in

the health industry.

Newsmakers

3

“I’m a tax payer, so you can bet that Icare!” exclaimed John Clements, sittingin his office on Overland Avenue.Clements, the County’s Fleet Opera-tions Manager, takes his job responsi-bilities to heart: his father retired fromthe same job, then called Chief of FleetOperations, in 1978.

Clemonts is as efficient as they come:there’s no clutter on his desk, no pilesof loose paper, no tilting mounds of filefolders, and no family photo collages.He is all about business; specifically, allabout running the County fleet like abusiness.

Ten years ago, a private consultantconcluded that the County fleet’s dailyoperation was costing taxpayers$500,000 more each year than similarfleets across the country.

At the same time, says Fleet Coordi-nator Bob Simmons, “Our salaries werelow compared to other governmentfleets of similar size and vehicles.”

With neither taxpayers nor employ-ees receiving their money’s worth, theCounty realized that it was time to iden-tify a more efficient way to provide Fleetservices. Overall costs needed to be re-duced while improving service and cus-tomer satisfaction.

The most costly Fleet unit, Mainte-nance Support, was a good place to start.This unit is responsible for smog checks,fueling, preventive maintenance, re-pairs and DMV registration for each ofthe County’s 3,850 vehicles.

Clements, who was the manager ofMaintenance Support at the time, ad-mits that while they were not the mostefficient, “We were still doing a lot ofthings right, a lot of good things. Weknew that we could run our shop as effi-ciently as any private company could.”

As one of many managed competi-tions undertaken by the County tostreamline the way it did business, a Re-quest for Proposals was released. Fleetwas under the gun to prove that it couldmaintain County vehicles better, fasterand cheaper or Maintenance Supportwould be privately run by the firm withthe winning bid. This division of Gen-eral Services took a hard look at its op-

GMS Focus: Managed CompetitionBid Against Private Sector Sets Fleet on Course for Excellence

erations and proposed several changes, in-cluding a reduction in the number of ser-vice centers and employees.

Clements says that “At the time, propos-ing these cuts was very difficult; but ithelped us immensely in the end.”

Fleet’s bid won, and staff immediatelygot to work implementing its proposals.

Over the past decade, Fleet’s revitaliza-tion has saved County taxpayers nine mil-lion dollars. This accomplishment is im-mense, especially considering that today,Fleet services nearly 1,000 more vehiclesthan it did in 1997 with two fewer repairfacilities, four fewer refueling stations andnearly 40 percent fewer technicians.

“We’re all about doing more with less,”

says Simmons proudly. “We have be-come a model organization for otherfleets.”

There are several reasons why Fleet issuch a winner. Staff was reduced 25 per-cent without any layoffs through em-ployee retirements, voluntary reassign-ment and eliminating unfilled vacan-cies. This, coupled with closing non-essential service centers, enabled Fleetto reduce duplicate chains of commandand supervision.

Then, Fleet asked its maintenancetechnicians to work towards earningAutomotive Service Excellence (ASE)certification, to help ensure the qualityof their work on County vehicles.

Fleet shifted the unit’s priority fromvehicle repairs to preventive mainte-nance and increased accountability bybilling for its services by the hour. Fleetworked towards a goal of turningaround 70 percent of vehicles withinone day and 90 percent of vehicleswithin three days. The new performancestandards were tied to special bonusesfor employees, similar to Quality First,which was initiated across the Countythe following year.

“We did everything we said we woulddo in the proposal, and all within oneyear,” says a proud Clements.

But Fleet didn’t stop there. In theyears since, the Fleet standardized themakes and models of new vehicles pur-chased. This new approach translatedto fewer parts stocked, less repair anddiagnostic equipment purchased, andless time in training as employees nolonger had to be familiar with a vast ar-ray of vehicle models. New vehicles arepurchased through reverse auctions,“EBay-style,” with specifications listedonline. Bidding is opened up todealerships, and capitalism takes careof the rest.

Because Fleet isn’t run by the privatesector, it can focus on providing effi-cient services without the temptationof cutting corners in the name of profit.But after facing the rigors of managedcompetition, Fleet has proven that run-ning government like a private businesscan be a win for everyone involved.

Fleet Technician Augie Espinoza replaces abattery from a County Sheriff ’s inmatetransport bus.

Fleet Welder Mike Hoag repairs a County plowthat has come off its hinges.

Over the past decade, Fleet’s

revitalization has saved County

taxpayers nine million dollars.

4Volume 29, No. 9 - September 2007

Chief Administrative OfficerWalter F. Ekard

To contact County News:Phone: (619) 595-4633Fax: (619) 557-4027Mail: 1600 Pacific Highway, Rm 208San Diego, CA 92101 (MS A-359)E-mail: CountyNews@sdcounty.ca.gov

Board of SupervisorsGreg Cox, District 1Dianne Jacob, District 2Pam Slater-Price, District 3Ron Roberts, District 4Bill Horn, District 5

County News is published for the 17,000 employees of theCounty of San Diego. The newsletter is available online at

www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dmpr(click on “Employee Newsletter”) or via the County’sIntranet at CWW. This information is available upon

request in alternative formats for persons with disabilities.

GMS Focus: Improving ServicePublic Health Nurses Eliminate Errors, Soar in Service

The principles of General Manage-ment System have been espoused byCounty management for 10 years now,but how many employees have seen themclose up enough to know what they looklike in action?

Public Health Nurses with theHealth and Human ServicesAgency have a better picturenow. They’ve transformed theway they do their work andended up helping more familiesfaster and better with just the fewtaps of a special tablet.

Getting there wasn’t easy. TheNorth Inland Region served asthe test case, starting theirproject in February 2005. PublicHealth Nurses had to look at howand what they do in the fieldthrough fresh eyes, mapping outeach step of the referral process.For example, what happens whena school district refers a pregnantteenager to the County? The an-swer uncovered a lot of wastedtime and mistakes.

“It showed our layers of redun-dancy,” said Gerri Matthiesen, a Super-vising Public Health Nurse at the NorthInland Public Health Center. “When weasked, ‘Why are we doing it this way?’the answer was, ‘Because we alwayshave.’ That was no longer acceptable.”

The group was amazed to find that ittook more than 18 steps—and an aver-age of 54 days—for a referral to get to afield nurse, and 98 percent of the refer-rals were incomplete or inaccurate, frus-trating staff and slowing care to those inneed. The main problem was paperwork

—everything was entered by hand onforms, leaving room for errors and incom-plete answers.

The team evaluated the options for over-hauling the system, eventually leadingthem to provide 13 field nurses in the North

Health and Human Services Agencygot involved at many levels, with assis-tance from the Public Health Services,Human Resources, Information Tech-nology and Budget offices. The County’sHuman Resources and the County Tech-

nology Office also played criti-cal roles.

“IT was very supportive,” saidCindy Rouston, Public HealthNurse at the North Inland Pub-lic Health Center. “They werephysically on-site and workedwith us through the entire pro-cess.”

The result of that support andhard work far exceeded expec-tations. An independent evalu-ation by the UCSD School ofMedicine showed a completeturnaround—100 percent of thereferrals to the public healthcenter are now accurate whenthey reach a nurse in the field.And nurses are able to see cli-ents less than two weeks afteran initial referral, sometimeswithin the same day.

The pilot project team is proud ofthose results and the numerous local andnational rewards the Mobile RemoteWorkforce has received. But what maybe most important is the motivation thatthey will help Public Health Nurses inother regions as the programs rolls outcountywide.

“The way the rest of the public healthnurses are so respectful of what we didhas really had a positive impact on ournurses,” said Matthiesen.

Inland Region with electronic tablets theycould use to receive and transmit data.Referrals were also filed online, and thesystem wouldn’t allow the form to be sub-mitted until it is filled out correctly.

Rolling out the new program, calledMobile Remote Workforce, required thesupport of many other departments. Itwasn’t just a matter of buying equipmentand training staff on how to use it. Switch-ing to a computer-based system required aculture change within a group that was notused to the hi-tech help.

Gerri Matthiesen, Supervising Public Health Nurse at theNorth Inland Public Health Center, uses her electronictablet during a visit to a pregnant client.

Last year, the County Library set a goalto increase youth participation in itssummer reading programs. At about thesame time, Animal Services was map-ping plans to further educate the publicabout its shelter pet adoptions.

By working independently, each de-partment would have had a measure ofsuccess, but a chance meetingbetween Librarian Pat Downsand Animal Services RegionalDirector Laurie Joniaux led toa unique partnership in whichthe two departments haveachieved more than just theirindividual goals.

Downs and Joniaux metwhile serving on an advisorycommittee for the WorkforceAcademy for Youth (WAY)Program, which places HHSAfoster youth in jobs through-out the County. Says Downsof their WAY efforts, “We sawfirst-hand how beneficialfunctional threading is, mak-ing us all even stronger, work-ing smarter, benefitingmore.”

After working well together,Joniaux and Downs recog-nized a new opportunity to thread. Theyteamed up to create an innovative sum-mer reading program called “Read for aReason.”

In the pilot program last year, AnimalServices waived 20 shelter pet adoptionfees for families with children in recog-nition of kids meeting their readinggoals. The Library then provided a qual-ity pet care book to each adopting fam-

GMS Focus: Functional ThreadingAnimal Services, Library Unite to Educate and Inspire

ily, and posted photos of the happy newpets and owners on the program Web site.Summer readers were able to view first-hand who benefited from their efforts, andtook advantage of special site features totrack their book goals and link to fun petownership resources. Bibliographies of petcare books recommended by Animal Ser-

vices professionals were also highlightedon the Web site, with direct links to re-quest them from the Library catalog.

After 159 readers signed up for this al-ternative summer reading program thefirst year, the departments decided to con-tinue their partnership annually. This year,registration doubled to 330 kids and teens.

The program’s success has grown beyondpromoting reading and pet adoptions. As

part of the program, Iams pet food com-pany has committed to donate one bowlof food to dogs and cats at the HelenWoodward Animal Center for every 125pages read. Readers logging on to theLibrary Web site for updates can see howmany food bowls have been filled (over1,000 so far) and also connect to Ani-

mal Services information. Forevery 100 readers, AnimalServices will donate a pet-themed book to health clinicsalready partnering with theLibrary as part of the “Read Outand Read” program. Twelvehealth clinics throughout SanDiego County currently part-ner with the Library, promot-ing family reading and childdevelopment by giving booksto children during check-ups.

By partnering and cross-promoting their goals, Ani-mal Services and the Libraryhave created a program forCounty residents that isclearly a hit in just its secondyear.

“The program has alreadygrown, and we hope for muchmore in the future,” says

Joniaux. “‘Read for a Reason’ is one-of-a-kind, not offered anywhere else thatwe know of,” adds Downs.

While this altruistic program may beone-of-a-kind, its spirit of collaborationis not. For more information on func-tional threading, please see the side baron page 6. To find out more about thesuccess of the “Read for a Reason” part-nership, e-mail Pat Downs.

Animal Services donated pet-themed books that are givento children during their check ups at health clinics as apart of the “Read for a Reason” partnership wtih theCounty Library.

Functional threading is an importantpart of the work we do here at theCounty. It means coordinating acrossorganizational lines—departments andgroups—to pursue common goals, solveproblems, share information, and lever-age resources. Many of these jointprojects are also supported by commu-nity partners and other governmentagencies. These are just a few examplesof successful threading throughout theCounty:

Aging & Independence Servicescollaborates with the DistrictAttorney’s Office to host an annualConsumer Protection Day. Theevent welcomes 1,200 attendees,mostly seniors, who learn how toprotect themselves from becomingvictims of fraud and scams.

Parks and Recreation joined forceswith Health & Human Services(HHSA) to host three “It’s How WeLive!” health and wellness festivalsin Spring Valley, Lakeside andFallbrook. By combining HHSA’shealth education resources withDPR’s recreational opportunitiesand facilities, the festivals educatedmore than 3,000 County residents.

Sheriff’s Department Senior Vol-unteer Patrol Officers read to chil-dren at the Vista branch of theCounty Library on the first Satur-day of every month, providing chil-dren and their families a positiveshared reading experience and in-creasing Sheriff’s Department ac-cessibility within the community.

The County Veterinarian workswith the Department of Environ-mental Health and HHSA’s PublicHealth Services in the “Fight theBite” campaign against West NileVirus. These departments work to-gether to prevent the spread of thevirus by educating the public, pro-viding free mosquito fish at variouslocations (including some Countyparks) and identifying avian carri-ers of the disease.

Faced with complex new state-man-dated stormwater requirements, theDepartment of Public Works broughtin expertise from the Department ofPlanning and Land Use. Together, theyhave devised a strategy to mitigate theimpact of these new state mandateson their customers’ wait time for per-mits.

The San Diego County Childhood LeadPoisoning Prevention Program is aunique partnership between the De-partment of Environmental Healthand HHSA. Together, an Environmen-tal Health certified lead professionaland an HHSA Public Health Nursevisit the home of any child reportedby a medical provider to have an el-evated level of lead in his or her blood.This joint effort enables a health pro-fessional to investigate possible cul-tural and dietary reasons for the in-creased blood lead level, while an en-vironmental professional can assesspaint, dust, soil or water-related causesuntil the hazard is corrected.

Both Animal Services and the CountyVeterinarian lend their expertise tothe Sheriff’s Department and the Dis-trict Attorney’s Office to help pros-

A joint effort between Aging & Indepen-dence Services and the County Library has re-ceived a 2007 Aging Achievement Award fromthe National Association of Area Agencies onAging.

The departments were recognized for Foodfor Thought, an exercise program followed bylunch held at the Vista Branch twice a month.The City of Vista has also been a partner inthis project, which regularly attracts 20 to 30seniors.

Food for Thought is an example of how theLibrary is expanding its role in the commu-nity. This format is a fresh approach at a timewhen many local nutrition programs have ex-perienced a decline in participation. The suc-cess of this program has prompted plans toexpand Food for Thought to other County Li-brary branches.

GMS Focus: Functional ThreadingDepartments Cross Paths in Creating Better Services for County

Food for ThoughtSows Success

ecute animal cruelty cases includ-ing dog fighting, cock fighting andother abuse.

Several departments, including theDepartment of Human Resources,have worked together to place fos-ter youth in County jobs as part ofthe Workforce Academy for Youth(WAY) Program. One youth hashad the unique experience of work-ing in the Medical Examiner’s Of-fice, in addition to several othersworking throughout the County.

Community Services Group, HHSAand the Public Safety Group createdand jointly fund the SAFE HousingProject. This effort is dedicated todeveloping housing units to helpfamilies of recovering substanceabusers reunify, and to expandinghousing for emancipating fosteryouth.

The District Attorney’s Office haspartnered with Aging & Indepen-dence Services to form the HOPETeam, which provides wraparoundservices for victims of elder abusewho don’t have strong support sys-tems and coping skills.

Decade of GMSContinued from Page 1

GMS Focus: Commitment to Valuing Tax Payer DollarsInformation Technology Takes Giant Leap From Past to Present

1997 Mixture of PCs, Macs & terminals of varying ages,refreshed if funds were available

2007 12,000 standardized PCs, all refreshed every 4 years

1997 Every imaginable desktop configuration & operatingsystem in use

2007 1 single operating system, consistent software &shared tools

1997 17 different help desks2007 1 help desk

1997 800 servers spread across 300 sites2007 520 servers in 2 data centers

1997 Multiple unprotected data centers with no integratedsecurity systems

2007 1 hardened & protected data center with integratedsecurity monitoring, protection, disaster recovery &business continuity procedures in place

1997 No viable accounting for software licensing2007 100% software licensing accuracy & accountability

1997 No partnership with the community2007 Through the Futures Foundation, approximately

3,000 County computers are now donated eachyear to schools, outreach centers and othercommunity groups

1997 No comprehensive disaster recovery strategy2007 Improved disaster recovery strategy, with two

remotely-located data centers that house theCounty’s servers—either of which is capable ofsupplying the County’s critical needs

1997 Multi-vendor and out-of-date telephone systemsrunning over a manufactured discontinuedmicrowave communications network thatsupported over 25,000 various types of telephones

2007 1 modern phone system with 21,000 standardizedinstruments

“Like most government institutions, we had plans and man-agement systems stacked up like cord wood in every office,” hesays. “But they would all atrophy over time.”

But this time everyone knew it was different. The concept ofthe GMS was a much-needed solution to help the County man-age risk by coming up with strategic initiatives to deal withidentifiable problems and implement solutions.

Under the leadership of then Chief Administrative OfficerLarry Prior (who was specifically hired by the Board of Super-visors to make the County run more like a business), a lot ofthings were already being done differently—and succeeding.So, Robinson said he was optimistic that this time things wouldbe different; and that the progress made would not be lost whenWalt Ekard was appointed CAO in 1999.

“CAO Ekard has ‘grown up’ with this as we all did,” Robinsonsays. “He understood what the GMS was attempting to do, andhe went right ahead with it.”

The fruit of everyone’s labor, Robinson believes, is the solidstatus that the County now enjoys: “I can assure you that hav-ing tools like this in place are largely responsible for the factthat the County’s reputation has continued to soar.”

Later this month, Ekard will present to the Board of Supervi-sors “GMS: A Decade of Excellence.” To bring the messagehome to employees, County News dedicated much of this issueto exploring how the GMS has made a difference.

Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson has seen herdepartment achieve success by implementing the functionalthreading element of the GMS. One such example is Read fora Reason, a program that promotes summer reading for chil-dren and educates families about County pet adoptions all atthe same time (see page 5). In addition to leveraging resourcesto achieve shared goals, she says “the children, the communityand the animals all win because children learn to care andappreciate animals more.”

Another article features North Inland Region Public HealthNurses and how they overhauled an antiquated process of pa-tient referrals. Health and Human Services Agency DeputyDirector Nick Macchione says the GMS “was our guiding force,a sort of compass to that helped guide us along the way.”

It was the use of functional threading that had the greatestimpact on the project, Macchione says. While staff were theexperts on how the process could be improved, implementinga solution necessitated bringing in experts from other parts ofthe Agency and the County.

“I give line staff a lot of credit for demonstrating some of themost impressive, courageous creativity that I have seen in theworkplace,” he says. “The [Mobile Remote Workforce project]truly paved the way in creating an environment where staff ofall levels and from all departments are encouraged to shareknowledge, learn from one another, and produce an innova-tive and successful service delivery system.”

To learn more, visit the CAO’s Web site and go to the “Gen-eral Management System Manual” link.

September is National Preparedness MonthSeptember is National Preparedness MonthSeptember is National Preparedness MonthSeptember is National Preparedness MonthSeptember is National Preparedness Month

Starting this month, HHSA is partnering with OES to launcha special campaign targeting County employees. “Be Aware,Be Prepared” provides employees with information on howto best prepare themselves and their families for an emer-gency, and also how to respond professionally in the event ofa disaster.

Every County employee is a designated Disaster ServiceWorker and may be subject to perform duties outside of theirregular jobs during an emergency.

The Be Aware, Be Prepared campaign hopes to better edu-cate employees about their important role in protecting andserving the public even during an emergency, while caringfor themselves and their families as well. For more informa-tion, visit www.ReadySanDiego.org and keep an eye out forspecial updates from the Be Aware, Be Prepared campaign.

During September, the Office of Emergency Services is high-lighting the importance of emergency preparedness more nowthan ever. OES staff encourages County employees, and allresidents, to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies intheir homes, workplaces and schools.

“Disaster 101: Have a Kit. Make a Plan. Be Informed.” is afree workshop being offered throughout the County to helpindividuals learn about risks and the simple things they cando to protect life and property. According to Public Informa-tion Specialist Holly Crawford, “You will leave this workshopwith a disaster plan in hand and, perhaps, something evenmore valuable: peace of mind.”

Workshops take place throughout September (see below).More information about National Preparedness Monthevents is available online.

Saturday, September 8: 10:30 a.m. to 12 noonBonita Branch Library4375 Bonita Road, Bonita

Saturday, September 15: 10:30 a.m. to 12 noonVista Branch Library700 Eucalyptus Avenue, Vista

Thursday, September 20: 6 to 7:30 p.m.Santee Branch Library9225 Carlton Hills Boulevard #17, Santee

Monday, September 24: 6 to 7:30 p.m.El Cajon Branch Library201 East Douglas Avenue, El Cajon

Free Workshop Highlights Preparedness

Be Aware Campaign Targets Employees

‘Duck’ Drill Designated

September is National Preparedness Month and as part ofthe activities this year, there will be a County-wide “Duck,Cover, and Hold” drill on Tuesday, September 25 at 9 a.m.At that time, all employees are asked to duck under a table ordesk and hold this position for 5 seconds. The Office ofEmergency Services would like to encourage everyone toparticipate in this exercise, which will help promote a betterunderstanding of what to do during an earthquake.

Please contact the Office of Emergency Services at (858)565-3490 with any questions.

The end of the current benefits plan period is drawing near,and the special three-month plan period is coming up soon.Since Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA) dollars donot roll over to the next plan period, employees must “use itor lose it” by September 30 and December 31, respectively.

Below are just a few ideas to effectively spend surplus fundsin an FSA account:

Stock up on emergency supplies such as gauze, ban-dages and ointments for first aid kits in the homeand in each family member’s car.

With flu season just around the corner, purchasingaspirin and other over-the-counter pain relievers canbe a good idea. Flu immunizations are also reim-bursable.

Gain some peace of mind or early detection of a prob-lem with a body scan. As a diagnostic service, this iseligible for reimbursement.

Review the calendar and add up all the mileage in-curred by driving to various medical appointmentsthroughout the year. These travels can be submittedfor reimbursement at 20 cents per mile.

Get a jump start on that 2008 New Year’s resolutionby starting a smoking cessation program now. Nico-tine gum and patches are qualifying expenses.

Soak up the San Diego sunshine in style with pre-scription sunglasses. Sunscreens with a high level ofprotection (SPF 30 and above) qualify, as do creamsand ointments specifically used to treat sunburn.

Contact the Plan Administrator at (888) 295-5656 or checkthe Eligible Expense List to verify that an expense is eligiblebefore incurring it, and be sure to save receipts or invoices.

For more information, visit the Benefits section on theCounty’s Intranet (at cww) and www.creativebenefits.com.

Timely Tips for Spending Surplus Healthcare Flex Bucks

Comments from satisfied customers served by County employees.

[ Ver•ba•tim ]Jessica Cruz (Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk) was calledan exceptional employee and an asset to her office.

“I have received fairness, courtesy, efficiency and dignity from Jes-sica. Her calm, patient manner was a great help to me when my frus-tration was at an all-time high.”

County Parks and Campgrounds (Parks and Recreation) arereceiving kudos from happy campers and visitors this season.

“We LOVE your parks! They are clean, well-equipped, easy distancefor a weekend trip (from the L.A. area), and reasonable in price.”

“Last year we had the opportunity to stay two nights at SweetwaterSummit. The rangers and park personnel were incredibly helpful, farbeyond what we even expected.”

“San Diego park campgrounds are great, as is the reservation sys-tem. My kids especially like the playgrounds.”

Gerardo Sahagun (HHSA/North Coastal Children’s Services)was thanked by the Public Defender’s office for working sohard to reunify a child with her mother and stepfather.

“I think you are doing a really wonderful job with this case. I feelvery fortunate that these kids have you as a social worker.”

Vector Control (Environmental Health) received an “atta boy”from a customer who said they were doing a great job.

“This summer has been the best with no mosquitoes. We can actu-ally be outside at nighttime without getting eaten to death...I just wantto say thank you very, very much...”

Dr. Nikos Gurfield (AWM/County Veterinarian) impresseda customer with the caring way in which he handled the tragicpoisoning of a beloved pet.

“I want you to know that you have one heck of a doctor workingfor you. It is the personal touch that meant so much. We will beforever grateful to him and his staff.”

Martha Vazquez (Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk) wasthanked by a customer for her assistance.

“I just want to make a comment about [Martha’s] excellent atten-tiveness and disposition. She was a lot of help and always had a smile.”

Steven Wells (HHSA, Child Protective Services) recently spoketo a group of foster youth advocates who wished that he “couldcome back and talk for hours!”

“I felt very discouraged about one of my cases but Steven gave menew insight! Every volunteer should hear him speak; he has such apassion for his kids!”

Alice Riggs (County Library) is so helpful to Vista Library pa-trons that she earned praise as “a researcher’s dream cometrue.”

“Alice responded to my e-mail inquires about a source that wasdifficult to locate so resourcefully that I found what I needed and thensome!”

Norman McGraw (ARCC, Marriage Room) received a thankyou note for making a couple’s wedding day memorable.

“Many thanks for the great wedding...The DVD is a wonderful keep-sake and we appreciate the special moments you created for us.”

David Lamb (Public Defender) was praised by the father of aclient who said that he would be “forever grateful” for his help.

“For what it is worth, my hat is off to you and your entire office. Ibelieve that you, due to your determination and knowledge, havemade a significant positive impact on (my son’s) life.”

Vickie Wittmayer (ARCC) was recognized by a customer forher assistance with a business matter.

“I want to thank you for the excellent service you provided to metoday.”

Environmental Health Provides Rapid Response in Canned Food Recall10 to 20 percent still had the product on the shelves.

“A decision was made that this issue was so serious that weneeded to pull all of our critical staff that are Registered Environ-mental Health Specialists from other positions within the de-partment,” says Venter.

In addition to the 35 available Food and Housing division staff,an additional 26 staff from other areas of the department wereassigned markets to visit. By pooling resources, over 800 inde-pendent markets were checked in a six hour period and Ventersays “thousands” of cans of potentially dangerous food were re-moved from the shelves.

“We felt good that we had used our resources in an effectiveand efficient way,” says Venter.

The feedback from staff was extremely positive—they appreci-ated the opportunity to be a part of something that ultimately wasfor the good of the public.

What started off as an overwhelming task for the Food andHousing division of Environmental Health ended up a team ef-fort to protect the residents of San Diego County. From poolinspectors to the hazardous materials crew, on Thursday, August2 staff from across the department dropped what they were doingto assist in a massive recall effectiveness check to ensure thatmarket shelves were free of the canned meats that were suspectedof being contaminated with botulism toxin.

As the recall unfolded, Environmental Health went throughthe steps it always does, starting with the major distributors andworking through associations who can in turn reach their mem-bers. According to Robert Venter, Food and Housing programcoordinator, the department felt pretty confident that all of thosevendors had received the message and removed the product. Butnext on the list were the independent markets, of which about1500 could have potentially stocked the product. After a day ofsending staff to do spot checks, the results were alarming: about

Retirements

Service Awards35 yearsMarla R. Barlow (Parks & Recreation)Joy K. Kutzke (Civil Service Commission)Josephine Moeller (Library)

30 yearsLaura Boyd (Probation)Barbara A. Chanson (Health & Human Services)Donna M. Collier (Sheriff)Edna T. Ito (Sheriff)Deborah C. Lee (District Attorney)Dianna F. Ranes (Sheriff)Patricia S. Rasco (Public Works)Pamela L. Swanegan (Sheriff)Peter D. Swenson (Public Works)

25 yearsMichael J. Finch (District Attorney)Robert S. Guaderrama (District Attorney)Debra L. Jacobsen (Health & Human Services)Anthony L. Jucenas (Sheriff)Scott R. Miller (Sheriff)Charles O. Mitchell (Sheriff)Teresa M. Villa (Health & Human Services)Elaine M. Villalpando (Probation)Gregory A. Young (Sheriff)

20 yearsBrock A. Arstill (District Attorney)Constance Austin (Health & Human Services)Jean M. Barrs (Health & Human Services)Marian O. Bautista (Treasurer-Tax Collector)Angelina T. Dalmacio (Human Resources)Deborah A. Dyar (Housing & Community Development)Maria L. Galvan (Health & Human Services)Jennifer L. Gianera (District Attorney)Mary E. Hammond (Probation)Bradley F. Hicks (Probation)Perla Y. Hoffman (District Attorney)Florinda L. Johnson (District Attorney)Joseph A. Maggio (District Attorney)Melba P. Mapanao (Health & Human Services)Martin F. Martins (District Attorney)Phyllis S. Morris (Health & Human Services)Theresa Ollivierre (Public Works)David C. Paseman (Sheriff)Judith R. Quinn (Health & Human Services)Steven S. Ravellette (Sheriff)Digna C. Sarmiento (Health & Human Services)Ellen C. Schmeding (Health & Human Services)Barbara J. Ward (Health & Human Services)

Barbara J. Bettencourt (Health & Human Services)Cathy C. Cibit (Planning & Land Use)Charles E. Crabtree (Superior Court)Gail S. Dunford (Sheriff)Jayana D. Emery (Health & Human Services)Carol J. Endter (Superior Court)Evelyn B. Faelnar (Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk)Christine A. Gowan (Health & Human Services)Patrick J. Harn (District Attorney)James T. Kelly (Health & Human Services)Bobbi A. Koala (Health & Human Services)

Anthony R. Leatherman (Sheriff)Sharon L. Logan (County Counsel)Naomi Ortega (Superior Court)Edilma Overell (Health & Human Services)Francis K. Poon (Health & Human Services)Teresa Posadas (Health & Human Services)Virginia M. Potter (Superior Court)Sheryl D. Ringel (Superior Court)Philip L. Rostodha (Planning & Land Use)Barbara J. Schipke (Health & Human Services)

In MemoriamFrances R. Brennan (Welfare, 1965) 6/07Waldo L. Clark (Public Works, 1990) 6/07Ina H. Conyers (District Attorney, 1980) 6/07Elaine R. Dugan (Social Services, 1985) 6/07Mary C. Fisher (Welfare, 1975) 6/07Carl E. Ford (Probation, 1978) 6/07Alice E. Herron (Edgemoor, 1978) 6/07Elizabeth E. Jersak (HHSA, 2006) 6/07Ellen Keane (District Attorney, 1980) 5/07Billy Knight (General Services, 1989) 7/07

Sharon L. Lee (County Clerk, 2003) 6/07Patricia Martin (Probation, 2002) 6/07Pearl C. Peskin (HHSA, 1984) 6/07Kenneth L. Pyle (Public Works, 1981) 6/07Cloyd C. Ross (General Services, 1978) 6/07James E. Sandell (HHSA, 1996) 6/07Mary E. Stump (Probation, 1974) 4/07Huies E. Thompson (General Services, 1994) 6/07Howard A. Vachal (Auditor & Controller, 1982) 6/07

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of active County employee Irene Harvey, Superior Court (7/07).