Access Flex Benefits on the Go

A new app is making filing flex benefits claims a lot quicker and easier.

ASI Flex, the company that handles flexible spending account benefits for the County, recently unveiled the new smartphone app, which allows users to view their accounts via mobile devices.

Employees can use the free app to file claims and take and send photos of receipts or other documents.  

To download the new ASI Flex app, go to Google Play or the iPhone App Store and then search for ASI Flex.

Mobile apps, or application software, allow smartphone and tablet users to perform all sorts of tasks, from checking the weather or shopping to temporarily turning their device into a flashlight. This type of software has exploded in popularity in recent years.

For more information, visit ASI Flex’s website or contact HR’s Employee Benefits Division at (888) 550-2203 or the Benefits InSite page.

Employees Answer Call to Count Homeless

Supervisor Greg Cox speaks with a man on the street while taking part in the Point In Time count Friday.

Hundreds of County employees stepped up and volunteered to take part in the Point-In-Time homeless count Friday. In fact, more than 400 employees set their alarm clocks early so they’d be ready to hit the streets for a 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. stint.  

The annual snapshot in time is part of the “WeALLCount” campaign by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. The final count is used to apply for federal funding and it also helps County staff identify the scope of the problem and work on solutions to best serve this at-risk population.

Last year, the region’s combined total came to 8,879 men, women and children, the third highest number in the nation. They included veterans, families, substance abusers, those living with HIV/AIDS, the chronically homeless and victims of domestic violence.   

Supervisors Greg Cox and Ron Roberts led the County’s volunteer effort Dec. 3 by asking their fellow supervisors to allow employees to participate on paid County time and the Board agreed.

“The spirit of volunteerism among our County employees is very strong,” said Supervisor Ron Roberts. “We knew all we had to do was ask for help. They responded by the hundreds.”

Supervisor Cox was among those who took part in the count Friday morning.

“It was an eye-opening experience. We talked with several homeless individuals, including a veteran and a pregnant woman. The experience was humbling and helped me gain a better understanding of the gaps in services and the many challenges facing these individuals,” said Supervisor Cox. “I want to thank the hundreds of County employees who answered the call to volunteer for this critical event. Together, our efforts will make a difference.”

Housing and Community Development's Kelly Duffek (standing, right) gets instructions on which area her team will count before heading out.County volunteers were asked not to approach anyone but just count the number of people they saw on the streets. If the homeless approached them, volunteers could ask if they would be open to an interview by others at a later date. Volunteers were able to request certain neighborhoods and go out in teams of two or three with their co-workers.    

Housing and Community Development (HCD) took the lead on coordinating the employee effort, but those who stepped forward came from across County departments and included executives and other top managers.

“The support from all levels at the County and the response to the call for volunteers was awesome.  Even better were the personal stories people shared with me regarding their experience; I can say I am truly proud to be a County employee,” said HCD Director Todd Henderson. “A huge thank you to all that woke up early to make a difference! And to those that missed the chance, stay tuned for next year…”

Health and Human Services Agency staff taking part in the count included (left to right) Diana Carillo, Robert Krause, Julie A. Bruno, Barbara Jimenez, Henry Tarke and Maria Ana Jimenez.

Spread the Health: Share Your Successful Wellness Story

Attaining a desired goal is always something to be proud of, but sharing your success makes it that much sweeter.

The County’s Wellness Program  is looking for employee stories to share in its “Hall of Champions.” Wellness Coordinator William Erese said he hopes the success stories inspire others to be healthy and make a change.

Do you have an inspiring story about personal weight loss? Have you gained healthy eating habits or a love for all-things fit? Share it with your colleagues! Send a short summary of your success story — with photos — to DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Employees can check out the Hall of Champions site on beginning in the second quarter of the program, which begins in April, to see their own success stories and their co-workers’ efforts at maintaining a healthy life.

What Are Those Large, Plywood Boxes?

These plywood boxes will be molds for the concrete fountains at the CAC's future Waterfront ParkIf you’ve had a chance to look out on the north side of the County Administration Center this week (or the south side last week), you may have noticed a long row of large, plywood boxes. These hollow boxes, which initially look like storage units or even tunnels, are actually the formwork for concrete that will eventually be the foundation for the water fountains on both ends of the building.Large pipes carrying the 81,400 gallons of water will sit underneath this concrete work.

“Think of it as a mold,” Project Manager Suzanne Evans said. “These will form the steps of the fountain.”

The large wooden structures, which measure about five feet high, six feet wide and 400 feet long, essentially will be housing the pipes that will carry the 81,400 gallons of water through the fountains. Concrete will be poured over each wooden box — and fortified with rebar — in about six different stages.

Evans said there is a plywood box made for each future water jet — with a total of about 30 jets for both the north and south fountains, combined.

The south side of the CAC is one step ahead of the north side, but visions of plywood will soon be forgotten as engineers are fine-tuning fountain operations with a mock-up model.The south side formwork is a step ahead the north side, with added support beams and some stages of concrete pouring complete. 

Completion of the entire Waterfront Park is projected for this spring.

Leonard Pinson, Property Manager of the CAC, said water for the fountains will be retained in a large underground storage tank located in the same building with the fountain pumps and new CAC chillers in the northeast corner of the park.

A Shadow of Her Former Self

Stacy Ferda, an office assistant at the Oceanside Family Resource Center, lost 57 pounds in six months.

The visual was startling.

Stacy Ferda walked into her last diet support group pulling a cart with more than 50 pounds of food in it. It was equal to the weight she had lost up to that point.

The purpose was to show new program enrollees that attaining their weight loss goals was possible and to celebrate participants’ goal attainment with a donation to the food bank equal to their dropped pounds.

For Ferda, an office assistant at the Oceanside Public Health Center, it really hit home how far she had come since she began the program weighing 198 pounds.

“I thought ‘I was carrying this on my body?” she said. “It’s pretty eye-opening.”

She’s down to 141 pounds now, having dropped a total of 57 since she began the weight loss program on July 2, 2013.

It was tough to face up to her food addiction. But when her good knee started to give out she realized she had to.

“I could no long fake the fact that my weight wasn’t affecting me, even though I was active,” she said.

She liked to eat alone and would often hide how much she was eating.

“I did the March of Dimes walk in Oceanside and it really bothered me that I had to get a size 2X shirt,” Ferda said.

While she was on OPTIFAST, Ferda had five ready-to-drink shakes and two servings of low-sodium broths each day.

“If you go into it with the right mentality, you’re pretty OK with being on a liquid diet,” she said. “The cravings go away.”

Ferda said part of the reason she was successful was the support offered by her co-workers and husband. Her husband went on the same plan and lost 100 pounds.

“It helps to have the work environment and encouragement to have a healthy lifestyle,” she said. “Our Public Health Nurse Manager Audrey Lopez sets a great example.”

She said Lopez walks a 30-minute route every day - rain or shine.

“We have a pattern we walk every day,” she said. “Audrey does it in 30, but I’m at 35 minutes right now.”

Ferda says she tries to ensure she walks at least five days a week and also goes on bike rides.

Just as she was finishing the OPTIFAST program, the County’s Employee Wellness Program was wrapping up it’s “Maintain Don’t Gain” campaign. It was perfect timing.

“’Maintain Don’t Gain’ was going on right when I’m about to go back on regular food,” she said.

 “There are 16 steps in my house and it used to be that every step I went down I hurt, and every step I went up I hurt. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

New Discounts on Glasses, Contact Lenses Available

 

Thinking of buying a pair of snazzy new glasses or fresh contact lenses?

It’s a good time, according to the County’s vision insurance provider VSP. The company recently announced new, $20 discounts for plan members on eyeglass brands such as Nine West, Lacoste and Nike, during calendar year 2014. Employees can also get deals on contact lenses.

VSP subscribers are eligible for certain benefits, including a vision exam each year and a $130 allowance for an eyeglass frame every other plan year with a $15 co-payment and through an in-network doctor. Subscribers also receive annual $105 allowances for contact lenses. A complete description of the County’s VSP benefits package is available in this flier. 

The following new discounts will be available through VSP-approved doctors during 2014:

·        A $20 discount on certain brands of eyeglass frames, including ck Calvin Klein, bebe, Flexon, Lacoste, Michael Kors, Nike, Nine West and others.

·        Rebates of $25 on ACUVUE brand contact lenses and up to $110 on eligible supplies of Bausch + Lomb contact lenses. Visit the VSP’s Special Offers page to learn more.

For more information, including a list of in-network providers, visit HR Benefits or call (888) 550-2203, or contact VSP.

 

Probation Chief Briefs Congressional Aides on Realignment Progress

San Diego County Chief Probation Officer Mack Jenkins was among a panel of Public Safety Realignment experts in the state that briefed congressional aides last week on local strategies for implementation and how it is working.Probation Chief Mack Jenkins spoke on Capitol Hill last week about the impact of public safety realignment on San Diego County and the state.

Jenkins participated in a panel to brief Congressional staffers and national groups about California’s effort to reduce the prison population as part of public safety realignment. The panel was organized by Congressmen Adam Schiff and Paul Cook, both from California, during a time when the federal government is also reconsidering its prison system.

Public safety realignment took effect in the California in 2011, shifting responsibility for non-violent, non-serious, and non-sex offenders from the state to counties. That means community offenders who would have previously been in state prison or on state parole now serve their sentences in County jail or under County Probation’s supervision.

Since realignment began, California’s prison population has declined by more than 25,000 people or 17 percent.

“From a San Diego standpoint, I talked about how we already had an exceptional collaboration with law enforcement, the courts and even community providers before the task of implementing it came to us and that has helped us immeasurably in managing this at the local level,” Jenkins said. ” We feel as though we are making good progress in implementing realignment.”

Jenkins also discussed Probation’s Community Transition Center where all state prisoners report before transitioning into the community, as well as realignment’s effect on recidivism, which is when an offender commits a new crime. Last month, the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation released a report that tracked recidivism rates for 58,000 offenders across the state who were supervised by probation instead of the state.

“The CDCR report shows that for the realigned offenders that county probation officers statewide are doing as well and arguably better than what they were doing at the state,” said Jenkins. “As for the reduction in prison populations, some states have made some reductions but nothing on the scale of California.”

Jenkins was joined on the panel by Matt Cate, executive director of the California State Association of Counties, as well as other government and law enforcement representatives from California.

The event was sponsored by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National Association of Counties (NACO), and the American Probation and Parole Association.

Re-energize at Your Workspace

You can get so locked in when working on a computer you tense up and are left feeling drained. Watch how one employee breaks up her day with simple exercises and check out these exercise tips.

Probation Officers Get Look at Service Provider Options

Getting probationers the right kind of help is key to getting their lives on track, and San Diego County probation officers Thursday picked up new knowledge about options available for those they supervise.

North County probation officers and staff met with community service providers for drug and alcohol treatment, vocational training, mentoring and housing as part of the Community Resource Directory Expo in San Marcos. They met with representatives from 45 program providers such as the Alpha Project, the Mano a Mano Foundation, Deaf Community Services, North County Serenity House, North County Lifeline and Volunteers in Probation.

 “Our goal is to link offenders with the right treatment services based on their assessed needs and this provider expo allows probation officers to discuss specific plans and options with the people who will be working with the offenders they are trying to rehabilitate,” said Chief Probation Officer Mack Jenkins.

Adult and juvenile offenders are referred using a web-based Community Resource Directory to these probation-approved providers as a way to help address and manage continuing issues in their lives that may have once led them down the wrong path.

“By building better communication and relationships with the community service providers, we can protect community safety and reduce crime,” said Jenkins.

Get a Taste of Success

Natasha Garcia prepares her Healthy Holiday Dessert Contest-winning recipe to be served at the COC cafeteria.

Irresistible smells often waft from Natasha Garcia’s kitchen.

Growing up, “there was always activity in the kitchen,” said the Planning & Development Services accounting technician. It was a warm spot where family members converged and cooked. As a college student, she interned one summer in a professional kitchen. In her own home now, she bakes fresh breads, and cooks dishes from scratch such as chicken pot pie and albondigas soup. Her family and friends are often drafted as taste testers.

On Wednesday, Garcia’s latest culinary creation will be available for County employees to sample. She recently won the County’s Healthy Holiday Dessert Recipe Contest with her preparation of a French dessert dish named pear-almond clafouti. The COC cafeteria will serve it starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The contest, in its second year, poses a challenge to employees: create a dessert that is both healthy and delicious.

Garcia was one of 65 employees to give it a try.

She brought her own creative flair to her clafouti dish, a baked dessert with fresh fruit and what Garcia described as a light, soufflé-like consistency. Garcia started with a recipe she found in a co-worker’s healthy cookbook, but tweaked it to make it even healthier and tastier.

Since the contest called for low-calorie desserts, Garcia made a few substitutions to lower the calorie count further. She used more egg whites and less egg, as well as more orange juice and less liqueur. She used pears instead of the apricots called for in the original recipe. And she decided against mangoes or persimmons, after making samples of each and getting feedback from friends, family and co-workers. The tasters liked the texture and flavor of the pear best.

The judges obviously agreed, selecting her creation in a final round last month that included the top five recipes from each County group. Other finalists prepared lemon angel cake, peach betty, gluten- free zucchini chocolate cake and flourless brownies. The five-judge panel, which included chefs from the COC cafeteria as well as a few County employees, selected her dish based on both presentation and taste.

COC Commons Food Service Director Javier Alamanza said Garcia’s dish had “good flavor.” Her presentation was also polished and professional.

What does Garcia think about the cafeteria serving her dish? It’s remarkable, she said.

As the winner, she spent time this week in the kitchen at the COC preparing her dish to serve. She peeled and poached the pears on Tuesday, and planned to return Wednesday morning to finish cooking the 60 servings planned.

William Erese, the County’s wellness coordinator, said he was extremely pleased with how the contest went this year and that there are plans to expand it in the future.

As contest winner, Garcia received a few prizes including an electric juicer, which she brought into work to share with her co-workers. She said winning felt like a “team effort.”

“They’ve shown a lot of support,” she said. “Especially when it came to tasting.”

Pear-Almond Clafouti Recipe (PDF)