Social Worker Steps Into the Spotlight on Stage

HHSA social worker Eric Warner in a production of “Seussical the Musical”

He’s gotten to play several roles of a lifetime – a roll call of some of the most iconic characters in theater. But it’s hard to top his very first role.

Eric Warner’s first role was as Jesus in a production of “Godspell” for his church in Temecula.

“Since playing the Son of God, my career has been all downhill,” joked Warner, a Health and Human Services Agency social worker.

He had only acted in a single play during high school, but remembers enjoying it. So when his pastor asked if he’d be interested in playing the role of Jesus, he jumped at the chance.

“I thought, ‘wow, sure!’” said Warner. “The acting and directing really came together and it was a remarkable experience.”

That was all it took for the acting bug to bite him and never let go.

He’s since appeared in productions of “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Sound of Music,” “The Music Man,” “Little Women” and “Seussical the Musical” among others.

He’s performed in productions at Hope Lutheran Church and Act One Theater, both in Temecula, as well as taking on adult roles in high school productions.

“I’ve gotten to be in some good shows and I’m definitely hooked,” he said.

He appears in two to three shows a year. Any more wouldn’t be feasible because of big time commitments.

“Rehearsal time is the main factor in my decision about what roles to take,” he said.

Each play involves between 60 and 70 hours of rehearsal time.

“It’s a solid two months where you have rehearsals two to three nights a week and then every night in the theater for two weeks before the production,” he said.

 A couple of the projects have been very close to his heart.

“My daughter is a theater major in college, and during her high school years her teacher asked me to perform in a few shows where they needed an older adult for roles,” Warner said.

They acted together in “Fiddler in the Roof” when she was in seventh grade.

“She was the daughter in the play and we got to sing together in the ensemble and interact a little,” he said. “I could see her budding talent.”

The following year they appeared together in the eighth grade production of “Seussical the Musical” and later were onstage together in “Little Women.”

Another role that hit close to home was in “The Boys Next Door.”  The main plot of the play involves a social worker getting burned out and leaving the profession to become a travel agent. Warner played the verbally abusive father of one of four men with mental disabilities who live in a group home.

“I didn’t like my role and nobody liked me,” he said. “They told me they wanted me to be mean and nasty and my son in the play ends up in a psychiatric hospital after encountering me.

“It was very emotional.”

Warner’s job as a social worker gave him the gravitas to play the role.

Warner in "Oliver Twist"

Exercise Your Opinion!

Tell Us What You Think about the County’s Wellness Offerings in New Survey

Did you dash around the County Operations Center in the Amazing Race competition? Log hours running or swimming as part of the Thrive Across America program? Or would you like to see some different wellness offerings at the County?

This is your chance to tell us.

An online survey is now available for employees to give feedback on the County’s Employee Wellness Program and its activities. Participation is voluntary and the results will be anonymous. The survey will be up and running for three weeks, until September 6. Just click this link to start!

The results will go to the Department of Human Resources (DHR) and be used to track and analyze which wellness programs and activities have been a success, said William Erese, DHR’s Wellness Coordinator.

“This gives us the opportunity to understand what employees deem important to them,” Erese said. “I don’t have all the answers. So this gives us another way to know how we are doing, like a report card, with employees telling us they are satisfied or if there are areas where we could improve.”

To participate in the survey, visit this website.

Sowing Seeds of Innovation

HP's Bob Dobson describes a system that would help map fire locations based on reports sent from a smart phone app used by County employees. It was a concept presented at the first HP Innovation Day.

You see a column of thick black smoke start spreading in the sky.

You, a County employee, whip out your smart phone and launch an app that lets you take a picture of the smoke and marks your location. With the click of a button, your report is sent to a database, which is collecting similar reports from your colleagues. County emergency teams review the combined information and get a much better understanding of the location of a fire breaking out in San Diego’s rugged backcountry.

For now, the Mobile Emergency Reporting System is just a proposal. But it was just one of several ideas of new ways the County can use technology presented at the first HP Innovation Day.

“We challenged our friends at HP,” said Chief Information Officer Mikel Haas in kicking off the event. “You know our business lines. Show us what you can do.”

So the County’s IT outsource partner had teams come up with a batch of ideas the County might be able to use.  Those thoughts were recently turned into a series of demonstrations at the County Operations Center. They ranged from pure concepts to actual hardware.

The world's fastest printer, by one measure, will soon be in the County's hardware catalog.The latter included a world record-setting printer. That’s not just marketing hype. HP’s Officejet Pro X551dw holds a Guinness World Records title for fastest time to print 500 color copies: 7 minutes, 18 seconds. It will soon be available in the County catalog.

On the more futuristic side is a system that would allow the County to take advantage of “augmented reality.” What? AR takes your view of the actual world through a smart phone or tablet’s camera and adds supplemental information or even videos.  In one of the examples the HP team gave, you could use its Aurasma app to focus on a sign at the Registrar of Voters office and bring up a video of ballot-counting procedures on election night. In another, you could look at a piece of equipment with your smart phone and get instructions on how to operate it.

If you question how much practical use something like that has, that’s OK.  The day was as much about stirring people’s imaginations as showcasing tools to use now said Patty Carpenter of the County Technology Office and one of the event’s organizers.

“It was to get people thinking: Are these things we could build on?” Carpenter said. “It doesn’t mean all of them will come to fruition.”  

The County has put on a number of Innovation Days in the past, but this was the first devoted solely to HP services. The HP team said it would take feedback and plans to hold a similar event in another six months.  

You Can Help Fight Cancer

Cancer is the leading cause of death in San Diego County. More than 4,500 San Diegans died from cancer every year.

What if you could help prevent someone in the future from hearing the words “you have cancer”?

You can.

The American Cancer Society and Relay for Life of San Diego Downtown are giving you an opportunity to participate in a cancer prevention study. They are looking for men and women between 30 and 65 years of age who have no personal history of cancer.

They aim to enroll at least 300,000 adults from different ethnic and racial backgrounds across the United States. The goal of the study is to better understand how lifestyle, behavioral, environmental and genetic factors help prevent cancer. These findings could help to eliminate cancer.

Enrollment for the study will take place Saturday, August 17, 2013 from Noon to 4 p.m. at the Embarcadero North, 849 W Harbor Drive.

Participation is easy. On-site enrollment will take about 20-30 minutes and will require you to complete a short survey, sign a consent form and give a small blood sample.

Once you register, you will have to complete a more detailed survey at home. After that, you will receive periodic surveys at home for the next 20-30 years to update that information.
“I encourage County employees to participate in the study and help with the fight against cancer. You could help save lives.” said Supervisor Dave Roberts, County Board of Supervisors. “Tell your family and friends about this historic opportunity to save lives.”

More information and enrollment

How to Save a Life in a Sitting

County to Host Joint Blood/Bone Marrow Registry Drive Tuesday

Lymphoma survivor Marsha Cook, a Land Use/Environmental Planner III in DPW's Watershed Protection Program, with her brother. Cook received a life-saving bone marrow transplant from him.

It started with a few subtle symptoms.

County employee Marsha Cook noticed her right shoulder had been sore for a while. A lymph node in her neck had become swollen, too.

Within weeks, Cook, a Land Use/Environmental Planner in the County’s Watershed Protection Program, learned she had a type of cancer called follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is one of the more common forms of lymphoma, which is a cancer of a part of the immune system called the lymphatic system, according to a National Institutes of Health webpage on the topic.

“It was sort of prolific in my body, but I wasn’t having any severe symptoms, said Cook, who was 42 at the time of diagnosis.

Her reaction? “How do we fix it?” she wanted to know.

Remarkably, eleven years later, Cook is in remission and working full-time. She credits a bone marrow transplant and blood transfusions she received during the depths of her illness for saving her life.

Cook is telling her story in an effort to encourage other County employees to participate in a blood and bone marrow registry drive Tuesday. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the County Operations Center, at 5560 Overland Ave., First Floor Training Room (Room 171), San Diego. Appointments are recommended for blood donations through this San Diego Blood Bank signup webpage. Those interested in joining the bone marrow registry can drop in.

Both County employees and the public are welcome to donate blood and join a bone marrow registry operated by Be The Match nonprofit. Testing for one marrow is easy – just get your cheeks swabbed. County officials expect this to be just the start of an ongoing partnership between the County and Be The Match. Additional joint drives are planned for Sept. 12 at the Fallbrook Community Center, Oct. 10 at the San Diego Superior Court in El Cajon, Dec. 9 at the County Operations Center, Dec. 12 at the Fallbrook Community Center and Dec. 17 at the North County Regional Complex in Vista.

Board of County Supervisors Chairman Greg Cox is among those who plan to donate blood at Tuesday’s event, and Supervisor Bill Horn plans to join the bone marrow registry.

Cox has been a stalwart supporter of blood donation efforts over the years, donating more than 16 gallons so far. He wasn’t surprised County employees had found yet another way to help others, this time through the bone marrow registry.

“County employees are very generous, whether it be donating blood or contributing through CECO to help those less fortunate,” Chairman Cox said. “This marrow donor registry drive is another way to help those who need help, and maybe save a life.”

Horn’s inspiration came from a battle against leukemia fought by the spouse of one his policy advisors, whom he called a friend. The employee’s husband received bone marrow transplants, but unfortunately lost the fight.

“Because he had no siblings, he and his wife turned to Be The Match to help locate a possible donor,” Horn said. “A match was finally identified and he received two bone marrow transplants. He tragically lost his battle with cancer, but he had a fighting chance thanks to the kindness of a stranger.” 

The samples collected Tuesday will help Be The Match widen its life saving database of potential bone marrow donors. Marrow donors are urgently needed to save the lives of patients with diseases like leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia, according to Be The Match.

Juan Olmeda, Communicable Disease Investigator/Border Health Assistant in HHSA's Office of Border Health, says he is alive today because of a bone marrow transplant. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009.County employee Juan Olmeda said he, too, is alive today in large part because of a bone marrow transplant he received from his sister in 2010. The 55-year-old Communicable Disease Investigator/Border Health Assistant was diagnosed with leukemia the prior year. Though Olmeda is mostly back on his feet, his recovery has been challenging: Olmeda said the color in his cheeks is still not what it once was. He said he bruises easily and has to cover his skin when he goes in the sun.

But he has learned so much, and wants to use that newfound knowledge to help others. He wants County employees who are dealing with similar health issues or facing a bone marrow transplant to know he is available to talk or provide support.

He said he feels incredibly grateful, calling his sister his guardian angel.

“She gave me my life back,” he said. “I feel like I need to do that for other people.”

His story was one of a few featured in this San Diego Blood Bank video.

Cook, too, wants to use her experience to help others. She said she wouldn’t be alive today if her brother hadn’t donated bone marrow that she was able to receive in 2006. She said she’s extra grateful because herbrother hates needles and can’t stand the sight of his own blood.

“For him to be so afraid” and still do this for her meant so much, Cook said.

“I feel very lucky,” she said.

For more information on the bone marrow drive or to get involved, contact Shelley Baker at Be The Match at 714-296-8479 (cell) or sbaker@nmdp.org or visit the organization’s website. For more information on the blood drive or to sign up, visit the San Diego Blood Bank’s online signup webpage or general website or call 1-800-MY-4SDBB(469-7322).

They've Got Zumba Fever

They took matters into their own hands.

After a simple DVD purchase a group of HHSA employees in Escondido were able to continue their Zumba-filled quest to Live Well uninterrupted.

The County’s Department of Human Resources began offering Zumba, Boot Camp and yoga classes for employees recently, but those classes took a break during the month of July and this group of employees wanted to quench their thirst for Zumba.

Elvie Bernales, a principal administrative analyst, decided to take action so she went out and purchased a Zumba DVD.

“We like Zumba here and wanted to continue the momentum,” she said. “A lot of people got excited that we were doing this and signed up to work out with us.”

They’ve even inspired HHSA employees in Oceanside to start a Zumba class using a DVD.

The County-sponsored Zumba lessons were taking place once a week on Wednesdays, but the employees got even more ambitious. They work out with their DVD twice a week – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 at the North Inland Administration building.

“It’s a really good workout,” said Bernales. “It’s a fun way of getting fit.”

Even though the County-sponsored classes resumed last week, the DVD-fueled group is continuing as a complement.

According to Bernales, the group will work out with the instructor once a week and a second day with their DVD.

“It’s like were a Zumba family now,” said Bernales. “The more I do it, the more fit I get.”

Mentor Program Forges Lasting Bonds

 Mentors and mentees celebrated the completion of the Mentor Partnership Program at a ceremony last week at the COC. From left to right: Mentee Amber Tarrac, a Legislative Assistant II in the Office of Supervisor Dianne Jacob; Mentor Dennis Gibson, Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector; and Mentee Mavette Sadile, a Departmental Technology Systems Specialist for the Treasurer-Tax Collector.

One pair read the headline-grabbing, bestselling book “Lean In,” by Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, and then talked about their impressions. They also learned about how to read body language.

Another duo came to rely on each other for advice about both the professional and personal. They became friends and plan to stay in touch.

The most common refrain expressed by participants in this year’s Mentor Partnership Program was an appreciation for the candor and honesty shared in one-on-one meetings. Mentees said they loved learning both the successes and mistakes made over their mentors’ years of experience on the job.

In all, more than 200 County employees were recognized Thursday at a ceremony marking the completion of the second round of the program.

CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer delivered the keynote address, explaining that her own career had been heavily influenced by a mentor from a previous job years earlier. She shared some pieces of wisdom she learned then, including the importance of setting bold goals, staying curious on the job and being able to distill your goals and messages in a succinct way. She said her mentor also emphasized personal ethics, and the idea that they are the only thing you spend every single minute of every single day with for the rest of your life.  

“Here I am, years later, still thinking about these things today and I think the same thing will happen to you as you reflect back on the last six months and what has hopefully been a good pairing for you,” Robbins-Meyer said.

Started last year, the program is aimed at helping the County’s next generation of leaders and managers reach their career goals. The program matches up mentors and mentees, and the pairs proceed to meet one-on-one for a minimum of four hours a month over the course of six months. The program won a 2013 NACo Achievement Award.

Department of Environmental Health Director Jack Miller, who acted as a mentor in the program, spoke with Helmer Rodriguez, a Senior Real Property Agent in the Department of General Services, following last week's ceremony. Rodriquez was a mentee in the program.

As Baby Boomers begin to retire in increasing numbers, including many County employees, the Mentor program helps ensure a diverse, well-qualified pool of internal candidates are ready to step into those roles. Mentors say they also learn a great deal through the experience.

In remarks at the start of the ceremony Thursday, Human Resources Director Don Turko said this may represent the official end of this round of the mentor program, but that he hoped the relationships formed over the prior months would carry on.

“For mentors, being a mentor really never stops, it is a continuing commitment,” he said. “And hopefully for mentees, this is the beginning of a journey of self-discovery and growth that leads each of you to become a mentor yourself one day.”

Plans are in the works for another session of the Mentor Partnership Program next year. The video below, produced by the County Communications Office, features some of this year’s participants.

Got Live Well?

When Anita Walia was an intern at Palomar Health’s Community Outreach she attended a presentation on the County’s efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of all local residents.

Walia, who was a graduate student at San Diego State University working on a master’s degree in public health, found the campaign exciting and decided to learn more about it.

 Her interest in Live Well San Diego was so great, she became a student worker with the Health and Human Service Agency’s (HHSA) North-Inland Region. She wanted to see what she could do to promote Live Well San Diego.

For the past 18 months, she has been the project coordinator for HHSA’s Communities of Excellence (CX3) in Escondido, which aims to improve access to healthy foods, increase physical activity and prevent obesity. CX3 is managed by HHSA’s Public Health Services.

“It’s a great obesity-prevention project that involves residents of low-income neighborhoods in assessing access to healthy food in their community,” said Walia, 25. “Residents use the information gathered to advocate for healthy change.”

Walia works with students from local schools who are members of the Escondido Education COMPACT, one of HHSA’s many partners in that community. COMPACT has been offering teens and young adults work readiness and employment skills training for more than 25 years.

So what is it like working with young people?

Walia said students bring a different perspective on obesity and how it affects them and their families.

“Young people are an underutilized resource,” said Walia. “Working with students is great. The youth voice is actually very powerful because they really know what is going on in their communities.”

Last year, Walia led a group of COMPACT students who spent several months assessing Escondido’s Mission Park neighborhood to find out whether healthy foods were easy to get and whether it was safe to walk in the area.

The group canvassed four fast-food restaurants and determined the majority of items being advertised on their windows were foods high in fat. The students also visited four grocery and convenience stores and found few healthy options. They walked and analyzed 16 blocks in the area and found lots of graffiti, cracked sidewalks, and not enough clearly marked pedestrian crossings at some busy intersections, which made crossing it difficult and unsafe.

The students also took part in a message development and media training before taking their findings to the Escondido City Council, which was impressed with the students’ presentation.

This summer, Walia is recruiting more students to continue and strengthen the work being done in Escondido. 

“They are so inspiring and motivating. They want better and they know that their community deserves better,” said Walia, who lives and breathes Live Well San Diego. “I’ve also learned how important it is to build partnerships in the community. Without them we would not have had the success we’ve had.”

Walia not only eats healthy foods but she also lifts weights during the week and hikes on weekends.

“I try to practice what I preach,” said Walia, who has completed her master’s degree and hopes her student position leads to permanent employment as a community health promotion specialist. “I’ve spent the last year and a half developing partnerships and really getting to know the community. I think CX3 is a really great project and aligns with Live Well San Diego.”

On a Roll for Parks

County Parks volunteer Gardner Grady hits the trail on his mountain bike.

How does an avid mountain biker make sure his favorite trails are in tip-top condition? Why help to maintain them, of course, and that’s just what Gardner Grady does for the County Parks and Recreation Department. He rides an average of three days a week and puts some of that time, ten to 12 hours a month, into biking for Parks’ volunteer patrol team. He’s proved to be so valuable a volunteer the County Board of Supervisors gave Grady a proclamation Tuesday and recognized Grady as Volunteer of the Month.

Supervisor Dianne Jacob presents a proclamation to Gardner Grady recognizing him as the Volunteer of the Month.

Why so much for County Parks?

“I have a passion for quality trails,” said Grady.

He joined the patrol team in 2008 and his job is to check trail conditions, report on the wildlife he sees and how many hikers, bicyclists and equestrians he runs across while on patrol.

“He’s our extra eyes and ears,” said Parks and Recreation Chief Amy Harbert.

While he rides and performs trail work throughout the County Parks trail system, Grady spends most of his time at the Goodan Ranch/Sycamore Canyon Open Space Preserve in Poway because it’s near his home.  

Grady is self-employed in the graphics business but he’s served as past president of the San Diego Mountain Bike Association. The organization partnered with County Parks in the “Adopt a Trail” program. Over the years Grady has led trail work parties and attended many meetings promoting mountain biking and non-motorized multi-use trails. 

“He’s the epitome of a volunteer,” said Parks Volunteer Services Coordinator Cheryl Wegner. “He has a passion for trails and he also understands the bigger picture.”

Grady is among more than 3,000 people who volunteer for the County Parks and Recreation Department every year. More than 400 give their time on a regular basis. Altogether, that adds up to more than 97,000 service hours saving taxpayers about $2 million a year.   

Triumph Over Oklahoma Tornado

Michael, Sarah and Lisa Gross.
Sometimes the excitement of winning season can feel like a tornado. For one local softball team their winning season put them in the middle of a real tornado.

Sarah Gross, 13, is a member of the Mystic 2000 girls softball team and daughter of County employees Michael and Lisa Gross.

Michael, who has worked for the County for nearly 29 years, is a budget manager for Child Support Services, and Lisa is an administrative analyst III with County Counsel.

The Mystic 2000 team ended their softball season with a win in the silver division of the Triple Crown World Series and by the way, they also survived an F5 category tornado in Oklahoma  last May.

On Tuesday, Chairman Greg Cox said the Board of Supervisors invited Sarah to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the Board meeting because of the team’s big win.

He also noted the girls had raised more than $2,000 for the family of a 9-year-old girl softball player killed in the first Moore, Oklahoma tornado May 20. The Mystic 2000 team went to Oklahoma on May 29 for a softball game and to give their donation to the family.

Then a second tornado struck that day.  The team had gone to a Women’s World Series softball game but was sent back to their hotel to take shelter from the approaching tornado, said father Michael Gross. There was no basement, but the hotel had an emergency plan for guests.

“We were all in the hotel bathroom. Our whole team almost in two stalls,” said Sarah. “We were holding onto each other for support.” She added the tornado experience helped the girls on the team bond even more.

Michael said, “They were scared. I mean obviously scared … there was some crying.”

He recalled that waiting for the tornado was the worst part and it seemed to take a very long time for the storm to pass. He was trying to watch news reports until the power went out. Eventually Michael went outside and shot video of the tornado headed straight for them.

In the end the tornado, which was 2.5 miles wide, spun up and never touched down near them. They were all safe. As it passed overhead, the sky darkened as if it were night and hail the size of golf balls rained down. The winds reportedly blew about 60-70 mph.

Who would imagine that Oklahoma would have two F5 tornados in less than two weeks, Michael asked. He joked that he’d never return to the Midwest.

If his story sounds familiar, you may have heard his voice on the local news stations. During the tornado and immediately after, Michael said he got calls from local news stations and he let them know what was going on with the girls.

Michael said afterward he and some of the girls went to Moore to see the damage for themselves and it looked almost like a lunar landscape.

“It was just numbing. It’s like nothing ever existed,” he said.

He said they also spoke with some people who were trying to find their belongings among all the debris.

“My daughter will never forget seeing that. It’s not just about softball … there’s a bigger picture out there. It’s all about human spirit. They weren’t giving up, they were going to rebuild,” Michael said.

Sarah added, “It really gave me a new perspective with how people deal with natural disasters.”

And despite that big scare, the Mystic 2000 team did go on to win two games in Oklahoma. They also handed off the money they collected for the family of the girl killed by the first tornado and her family was very grateful.

The Mystic 2000 team went on to win five of six major series, Michael said.

“These girls have been training for a long time. I mean, they’re a strong bunch of girls,” he said.