A walk down memory lane, that is. Today’s throwback picture features a Department of Animal Services employee shaking hands with his four-legged friend. Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson estimates this sweet snapshot was taken around 1965. The department changed its name from Animal Regulation to Animal Control in 1975.
Share your old County department photos by emailing communications@sdcounty.ca.gov.
This year, the Summer Slam Salad Cook-off has a fresh idea for more employees to participate—it’s going regional.
Participating is both easy and healthy. First, organize a salad-making competition at your location. Then let send the name of your location winner to Saila.Keo@sdcounty.ca.gov by June 3. Final contestants for the County-wide competition will be selected from the regional finalists and announced June 6.
Visit Employee Wellness on InSite for more details.
Participating in Employee Wellness’ next personal fitness challenge is as easy as riding a bike.
For the “Tour de San Diego” bike program, simply pedal in your neighborhood, on local trails or at the gym and log your miles.
The Tour runs through July 20 and is also open to those using non-motorized wheelchairs. Register in LMS by searching “Bike Program.” Log sheets must be submitted by July 26 to DHRWellness.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.
A good way to kick off the campaign is to ride in National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 20.
For more information on the Bike Program including levels and prizes, visit Employee Wellness on InSite. Employees requiring accommodation should email DHRWellness.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov
Also, don’t forget safety. Here are 5 tips to stay safe while biking.
Unless you’ve got kids in grades 9-12, you probably didn’t know it was prom season. Alas, the sparkly gowns and outrageous proposals are here and it makes us wonder – do you have any photos from the vault of your own end-of-high school dance?
Whether you wore a powder blue tux with ruffled shirt or a chiffon dress with big puffy sleeves—we want to see your prom style. Send your best prom pic to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov. Be sure to include your name, title and department in the body of the email.
You all did amazing! More than 600 County employees participated in the physically challenging and suspense-filled Amazing Race, which spanned the County Operations Center campus.
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Summer is coming, which means action-packed blockbusters at the theaters. So stock up on discounted movie tickets now.
County employees can receive between 30 percent and 35 percent off ticket prices through PerkSpot at AMC, Cinemark and Regal theaters, which include Regal Cinemas, Edward Theaters and United Artists Theaters.
PerkSpot offers benefits and discounts to County employees through hundreds of service providers and retailers from movie theaters to florists and jewelers. Using PerkSpot is both easy and free! Simply go to SDCounty.PerkSpot.com and shop. If you are new, click on “Create an Account” to complete the registration process.
Each month, one of the most popular PerkSpot deals will be highlighted on InSite.
Whether or not you realize it, you play an important role in helping those experiencing a mental health challenge.
Mental illness affects one in five adults in any given year. It could be a loved one, a friend or a co-worker.
The County is sponsoring a Mental Health Awareness Week, May 9 through 13, 2016, as part of May is Mental Health Month. Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer kicked off this important event in her InTouch column.
The goal is to help people feel comfortable having open conversations about mental health challenges and to encourage people to seek help.
“The fear of being rejected and the stigma associated with mental health disorders keep some adults from getting the help they need for themselves or their children,” said Alfredo Aguirre, director of the County’s Behavioral Health Services for the Health and Human Services Agency. “Each of us has a role in creating an environment that supports recovery and encourages social inclusion. We all play a role in reducing the stigma and the resulting discrimination toward those living with a mental illness.”
So what can you do to get involved and show your support?
Create awareness by wearing your lime green ribbon. Over 17,000 ribbons will be distributed to County staff in support of the week.
Learn more about how mental health stigma affects most of us and what you can do to help change the perception of those struggling with a mental illness.
Take the daily mental health challenges below starting May 9. It’s a great way to get involved every day, and you can share your support on social media for a chance to win fun prizes. (For more details, click on the link for each day.)
Monday: Wear the lime green ribbon handed out by your department to show your support. Lime green is the national color for mental health awareness.
Tuesday: Don’t miss out on your chance to add your name to the Lime Green Ribbon wall. There are many locations across the County. Snap a photo at the ribbon wall or take a selfie with your ribbon. Then share your photos with the hashtag #EachMindMattersSD on your social media outlet throughout the week to win prizes!
Wednesday: It’s Wellness Wednesday! Make time to take a deep breath, help someone out, make a healthy choice, or exercise.
Thursday: Make a social connection, volunteer or try something new today.
Friday: Get inspired and watch at least one 60-second PSA developed for youth by youth
Saturday and Sunday: Wear your lime green ribbon all weekend and talk to your family and friends about why Each Mind Matters to you.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis and need immediate help, call the County’s Access and Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240. Non-crisis resources for staff are also available through the County’s Employee Assistance Program at (888) 777-6665 or www.anthemeap.com.
San Diego County Fair vouchers will be distributed at the Wellness Expos happening throughout County locations during May! Vouchers can be redeemed for $4 at any ticket booth at the Fairgrounds for admission. Tickets are also available through Departmental HR Officers. Expo schedule and additional details.
When we say we’re working to help make every San Diegan healthy, safe and thriving, what comes to mind when you think about “healthy?” Things like eating right and having normal blood pressure?
Of course, those are essential parts of it. But what’s sometimes overlooked when we discuss health topics, even though it’s every bit as important, is mental health. We need to change that. May is recognized nationally as Mental Health Month, and over the next few weeks we are taking a number of steps to raise awareness among employees about mental health.
We’ve recently stepped up the resources we put into offering mental health services to the public. I want to see that of level of commitment reflected internally as well.
I’ll bring up the statistic that mental illness of some form affects one in five adults in any given year. That’s one in five people who walks into a family resource center. One in five who comes to get a building permit. One in five who pays child support or property taxes.
They are our customers. They’re customers for every department, not just Behavioral Health Services. Part of being prepared to serve them is understanding how common mental illness is and learning to address their particular needs. It’s one more way we can serve with HEART.
They are also us. That one-in-five figure extends into our workplace and includes the people we work alongside every day. We care about each other. The more aware we are of the struggles many of our colleagues are facing, the more supportive we can be. That will only make our County team stronger.
We’ve seen great interest in our Employee Wellness program, with many of you taking part in the variety of activities offered. We want to see mental wellness become just as big a part of our culture.
The first step is to do what I’m doing right here: talk about it. One of the biggest challenges for people with mental illness is overcoming the stigma that’s still often associated with it. That’s what keeps many people from getting the help they need. No one should ever feel any shame seeking help for any kind of health problem. Bringing it out into the open and talking about it helps erase that stigma.
So we have a series of activities this month meant to keep mental health in the spotlight and a topic of conversation. The most visible will be next week when you’ll see daily messages and challenges as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. Watch for more details appearing soon.
You’ll find a new module in LMS with resources and information about trainings such as QPR – Question, Persuade and Refer – a suicide prevention technique. Also this month, over 100 employees will go through a full day of training in what’s known as Mental Health First Aid. It teaches the lay person how to recognize signs and symptoms of mental illness and how to direct people to the appropriate resources.
And it’s not a special event, but this is a good opportunity to remind you once again of our Employee Assistance Program. Among the services EAP provides is counseling for both employees and their household members. It’s free and strictly confidential. If you could use these resources, please, take advantage of them. Part of the message we’re trying to drive home right now is if you need help, ask for help.
I hope you can take a little time to join the activities we’re offering this month and focus on this critical topic. And the real goal of course is to have you take that knowledge into the future and keep building on it. We’ll be better for it, in how we work with both our customers and each other.
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