Wondering why your Facebook feed is flooded with friends dumping buckets of icy water on their heads? It’s the Ice Bucket Challenge.
In the chilly challenge, participants dump a bucket of ice water onto their head and nominate others to do the same within 24 hours or donate money to the fight against ALS.
Have you cooled down with this cool challenge? Share your YouTube videos with us. Paste links in the comment section below.
Hungry for information? Attend the next lunch and learn session. The Pain Management: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome information session will be held Wednesday, Aug. 20 from noon to 1 p.m., in the Executive Room at the North Inland Public Health Center at 600 E. Valley Parkway in Escondido.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by a pinched nerve in your wrist. Symptoms include tingling or numbness in the palm and fingers. It can weaken the hand and cause pain.
People who type on the keyboard frequently and for prolonged periods with minimal breaks are at risk.
Wellness Coordinator William Erese said this presentation will teach employees ways to prevent, recognize and manage the condition.
The course will be taught by Dana Mann, M.P.H., M.C.H.E.S, a health education consultant with 30 years of experience.
To register for the free lunch and learn, visit the Learning Management System (LMS).
The County’s Department of Human Resources has gone international. The International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) awarded the County its 2014 Agency Award for Excellence in the large agency division.
The acclaimed Awards for Excellence recognizes the overall quality, accomplishments and contributions of public human resources divisions to one small, one medium and one large agency annually. The award will be presented on Sept. 22 in Philadelphia.
“We’re thrilled to win an Agency Award for Excellence. The international award speaks volumes to the hard work being done by our dedicated staff both in human resources and in all groups to make the County an employer of choice,” said Susan Brazeau, director of Human Resources.
The County’s human resource department, with 115 staff members, serves and supports more than 16,000 employees. It was up against numerous other large cities, counties and public agencies for the award. It was recognized in the following areas:
Employee Wellness Program
The County’s wellness program takes a comprehensive approach to health and well-being. From onsite fitness and cooking classes to biometric screenings and health risk assessments, employees are living well.
Work Safe Stay Healthy Strategic Plan
The Work Safe Stay Health program was developed to encourage all County employees to work safely. The County decreased the number of workers’ compensation incidents, workers’ compensation costs and total production loss due to injury last year.
Recruitment and Selection Efforts
The County receives approximately 100,000 applications for employment annually. It’s new online hiring and selection programs helps screen candidates and expedites the application review and hiring process.
Veterans Outreach Program
With one of the largest populations of veterans, the County is assisting veterans with their transition into civilian life with outreach programs. A veterans’ outreach team has attended numerous career fairs, summits and college networking event.
Employee Development
The human resources department offers a series of professional development training workshops to help employees improve their skills through online and classroom trainings. In addition, the County offers management seminars and leadership academies to prepare our emerging leaders.
How will you respond in the event of an emergency? As a County employee, you are by law a disaster service worker and that means -- if you haven’t already been assigned a role -- you will likely be tasked with some duties outside of your normal job during and/or after a countywide disaster.
”As County workers our day-to-day mission includes delivering excellent public service -- and during a disaster that mission is no different. The specific duties you are assigned, however, might change during large-scale emergencies,” said Holly Crawford, director of the Office of Emergency Services. “The more people we can train ahead of time as disaster service workers the less ‘just-in-time training’ will be needed. And this will ultimately allow us to provide better service to disaster victims. We need your help in achieving that goal.”
Some of the roles that need to be filled include answering phones with 2-1-1, the County’s public information line, to connect residents with disaster information and resources, and working in a Local Assistance Center or in a County shelter. In all three assignments, you will be helping the public by directing them to resources that will help them stay safe during or recover from an emergency.
As we gear up for peak wildfire season, the County is asking all employees to consider which of those roles they might be best suited to fill in a disaster, and to then sign up for training classes to perform these jobs.
All of this is part of the County’s Advanced Recovery Initiative program to ensure County workers are prepared to jump in and help others recover in a disaster.
Some County employees have already been identified as Advanced Recovery Initiative members for support to the County Shelter Team, Local Assistance Center Teams, County 2-1-1 teams, Emergency Operations Center staffing, etc. The Office of Emergency Services will reach out to you directly regarding upcoming training/refresher training.
County staff who have critical continuity of operations roles within their departments will likely not be called to work as disaster service workers.
The County needs at least 150 employees ready to step in as 211 operators. If you’re interested, you will need to go through a two-hour training session. Trainings are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 9 to 11 a.m. or from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and also on Monday, Sept. 22 from noon to 2 p.m. or from 2 to 4 p.m. They will be held at the ME’s Training Room, 5570 Overland Ave. at the County Operations Center.
County Local Assistance Center workers will help direct disaster survivors to local, state and federal resources that are available to them after a disaster.
Members of the County Shelter Team will be responsible for helping to manage and maintain an overnight shelter to house temporarily displaced residents during a disaster. Jobs will range from checking people in to setting up cots to helping to pass along the latest updates on the emergency event.
CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer reminds us all that helping is important and rewarding.
To begin, click just one of the three links below and you will be contacted about scheduling training for that emergency position.
• County 2-1-1 Operator
• County Shelter Team
• County Local Assistance Center Worker
You might have to allow a program to run in order to view this video below of County employees who were trained to work as 2-1-1 operators during a previous wildfire disaster.
A year after launch, the County’s online permitting system has both made it far easier for customers to get access to a variety of services and more efficient for the County to deliver them.
The Land Use & Environment Group’s (LUEG) Accela Citizen Access site now allows you to apply for and pay for certain permits online. You can submit plans, ask to schedule an inspection, and even conduct research on permits and property information.
Planning & Development Services offers some of their most common permits online, which now include roof-mount solar, HVAC and electrical permits.
“Roughly 50 percent of our building permits now come through online,” said Vince Nicoletti of PDS. “The online services not only save our customers time, but increase our efficiency through system automation so we can do more with less.”
Customers and industry members have been extremely satisfied with the new features.
“San Diego County is one of the fastest and easiest permitting jurisdictions that we deal with,” said California Solar Energy Industry Association member Alexandra Sink of Solar City. “The County is certainly a leader in the effort to streamline permitting and I hope more jurisdictions follow their example.”
Online permitting came about based on customer feedback, when LUEG decided to streamline permit tracking technology across departments and improve customer access to apply for and view permits online.
The first phase of online permitting was launched barely a year ago, and use of the Accela system is now widespread throughout LUEG departments. Inspectors in the Watershed Protection Program in Public Works use it to inspect water quality treatment devices, commercial, industrial, and municipal stormwater facilities. Customers can view inspection data and can submit stormwater complaints through the Accela Citizen Access portal.
In the past, landfills, transfer stations, and franchise waste and recycling collectors used paper forms that were submitted to the recycling division for confirmation. Now, these operators enter their own data in Accela reports, cutting out the paper, and speeding the process.
At the Air Pollution Control District, customers can view their applications, copies of their permits, sites, inspection reports, invoices, and other related documents. They can also pay online for new applications for coating processes to include metal, marine, and wood.
Customers at the Agriculture, Weights and Measure (AWM) portal can request export and import inspections for plant material shipments. Starting in August, AWM customers can also submit payments for the point-of-sale scanner registrations.
The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) also offers online payment for all of their permits. Customers simply go online with their permit number and pay each year without even needing to create an account. DEH has seen a 66 percent increase in their online revenue from FY2012-2013 to FY 2013-2014.
To date, more than 5,500 customers have registered online to submit, apply, and pay for permits. Accela applications have been so successful, the County has won praise not only from Accela, Inc., winning a recent community engagement award, but also a first place award from the National Association of Counties.
And there’s more to come. Services planned for the future include a property summary report that will provide basic property information such as setbacks, animal regulations, service districts, and more.
The network of County employee resources groups (ERG) continues to grow. Three new organizations are in the early stages of forming this summer: groups for veterans, millennials and employees of Middle Eastern heritage.
Joe Cordero, CAO Liaison to ERG, said employee groups not only benefit the membership, but they benefit the county as a whole.
“The ERGs all focus on recruiting and retention, professional development, supporting the County’s initiatives and cultural competency,” Cordero said. “It is a part of diversity and inclusion.”
Interested in joining these groups at the very start? Here’s how to help or stay connected until they launch:
Additional information about the existing ERGs can be found online at African American Association of County Employees (AAACE), Asian Pacific Alliance of County Employees (APACE),
County of San Diego Filipino-American Employees Association (CSDFEA), The LGBT and Allies and the San Diego County Latino Association (SDCLA).
Whether you are running outdoors, taking a spin class or lifting at the gym—music can help move you.
We asked a few of our Wellness Champions what tunes are getting them moving this summer.
Are you sweating to the oldies? Running to Rihanna? Or pumping iron to Iron Maiden? Let us know what’s on your summer workout playlist.
Lakeeta Collins, AAPOA acting president, hands Alondra M. her scholarship award. At one time in her life, she was on probation and at another was a ward of the court. But she didn’t let either of those challenging situations hinder her aspirations.
Alondra M. is one of two girls the African-American Probation Officers Association (AAPOA) awarded $300 scholarships meant to encourage positive change for youth.
“She uses her past life experiences to push herself through her current situation in order to achieve the goals she has set for herself,” said San Diego County Deputy Probation Officer Tracy Gillum, who nominated Alondra for the scholarship.
Gillum nominated Alondra because as long as she’s known the young woman, she has been an advocate for herself. Besides going to college, Alondra also works as a peer mentor to other foster youth trying to motivate them toward independence.
Alondra is enrolled at two community colleges so she can arrange her classes around her work schedule. She plans to use the scholarship to buy textbooks and pay off some of her student loans.
“I am persevering in my educational goals and keeping a positive mindset,” said Alondra in her application. “I would like to transfer to San Diego State and earn a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice with a Minor in Social Work.
“I would like to become a Probation Officer in the future and work with minors and their struggles,” she said. “I feel like I would become a great P.O. (Probation Officer) due to my own experiences with authority.”
Elizabeth Namowicz, AAPOA Member, presented Kiera Lathan with a $300 scholarship for college.Gillum said, “Alondra has the ability and skills to be successful at whatever career she chooses, but if that happens to be with SD Probation, then one day I can see her being the Chief Probation Officer.”
Scholarships are also open to Probation staff family members who meet the qualifications such as Kiera Lathan, the daughter of Deputy Probation Officer Kendra Morris. Kiera said she will use her scholarship to pay for her student housing and meal plan at college.
“I will be attending California Lutheran University and majoring in Biochemistry. After California Lutheran University, I intend on enrolling in graduate school in order to get a Master’s Degree in Biochemistry. I would like to conduct research that will improve human and environmental health,” she said in her application.
AAPOA board members nominated Kiera for continuing to excel in her educational endeavors. One of Kiera’s teachers also recommended her, noting she had excelled in an honors chemistry course.
“She places an immense value on her education as evident by her rigorous course schedule,” the teacher added. “She has a desire to succeed and a willingness to learn; traits which are admired by fellow faculty and peers. She has an outstanding work ethic, and is definitely on her way to becoming one of the great future leaders of tomorrow.”
AAPOA’s goal is to adhere to our department’s vision of enhancing the quality of life for San Diego County residents by creating safer communities.
“We commit ourselves to promoting and supporting the education of underprivileged youth in our community,” said Lakeeta Collins, acting president of AAPOA. “We further commit ourselves to acting as a resource and conduit of information related to African-American history, current affairs, and career enhancements for all Probation staff.” To learn more about AAPOA, contact Collins at (858) 694-4338 or Lakeeta.Collins@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Here at the County, our roughly 17,000 employees can be found in all corners of the region. But you’ll also find a lot at a few main locations.
See which 10 sites have the most County employees working at them by clicking through the slideshow below.
Even basic life-saving skills can be critical in a medical emergency. County employees are invited to take a new course to learn how to respond during the first crucial moments.
The two-hour, non-certified Basic Life-Saving Techniques is meant to provide you with basic skills to be used until professional responders arrive.
The Aug. 18 course was developed for those with no previous training and those interested in refreshing their life-saving skills. It consists of lecture, demonstrations and practice exercises. Scenarios to be reviewed include choking, CPR and control of serious bleeding. The cost is $15.
If you can’t make the August class, don’t fret. The course will be offered again on Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Nov. 10 and Dec. 22—depending on enrollment needs.
If you’re interested, sign up for the Basic Life-Savings Techniques course on Learning Management System (LMS). All trainings will be held at the County Operations Center, 5530 Overland Ave., Second Floor, Room 241 (training room), San Diego, CA 92123.
If you want to go beyond basic, you can also sign up for a full-day Heartsaver, CPR, AED and First Aid course through Learning Management System and earn certification. The seven-hour course covers adult, child and infant CPR, AED use, choking and first aid. Cost is $25. A recertification course is also available for $25. Dates for all can be found in LMS.
AND IF YOU KNOW CPR... Register for PulsePoint, a new smartphone app that lets citizens trained in CPR know when their help is needed by someone nearby. It is now available in the San Diego region, thanks to the County and its partners. Learn more
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