Have a musical movie night, thanks to the Resource Team for Diversity & Inclusion and the ERG Council.
Watch "The Music of Strangers, Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble," for free this Thursday at the COC.
Learn more about our diverse and inclusive culture at the County.
Labor negotiations are never fun. And when agreements cannot be reached they add to the stress and anxiety of our entire workforce. SEIU represents approximately 10,000 hardworking County employees. I respect SEIU’s legal authority to speak on behalf of their represented bargaining units.
As SEIU’s strike vote continues, the County is working diligently to put continuity of operations plans in place to ensure the public is served in the event of any future labor action. There may be delays and inconveniences to the public but we are committed to ensuring the health and safety of our residents will be protected and county services will remain open for business. SEIU has agreed to provide us 10-day notice of calling for a strike so that critical life/safety employees can be identified to ensure they fulfill their employment responsibilities to protect the public. Thank you all.
We remain hopeful that the County and SEIU will come to agreement soon. Meanwhile, please know that the work you do is very important and your dedication to public service is evident every day. Thank you for your patience and your continued hard work during these unsettling times.
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Here's What We're Doing to Promote Diversity & Inclusion
Whether you grew up listening to records, 8-track tapes, cassettes, CDs or MP3s, we want to know your top-rated albums. Tell us which artists/bands’ albums are your favorite in the comment section below. If you don't know the album title, let us know the songs that keep you motivated or mellow.
Employees tried out new tech tools such as virtual reality goggles, 3D printers, robotic devices and applications at “Innovation by Design” at the County Operations Tuesday. The annual expo is meant to expose County staff to technology that could possibly improve or streamline their business in some way.
The County’s Technology Office, DXC Technology (formerly Hewlett Packard), and its partner AT&T hosted the event.
There’s still an opportunity for you to geek out over the products presented at the expo. They’re listed below, along with links for product information, including potential benefits and uses.
Get attractive discounts on admissions to some of San Diego County’s most popular attractions. PerkSpot is offering County employees discounted tickets to Aquatica San Diego, LEGOLAND California, SeaWorld, and the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park.
PerkSpot offers benefits and discounts through hundreds of service providers and retailers, from movie theaters to florists and jewelers. Go to SDCounty.PerkSpot.com and shop. If you are new, click on “Create an Account” to register.
Each month, one of the most popular PerkSpot deals will be highlighted on InSite.
Technology moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look at it once in a while, you might miss something.
So stop and take a look at “Innovation by Design,” the County’s annual Innovation Days expo, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the County Operations Center.
You can get a glimpse of the future — the latest, greatest info-tech and web-based tools that can help us improve how we work and conduct the public’s business. All they need is your imagination. Come, look, touch and share your ideas.
This is not just for the techies in your office. It’s meant to get everyone thinking about tools we might use.
Booths will feature all kinds of cool tech, including:
Alexa — The intelligent personal assistant developed by Amazon.
iLobby Visitor Management — A tool that lets visitors sign in digitally rather than sign a sign-in sheet, takes their picture, prints them up visitor badges, digitally notifies staff of their arrival and prints out a visitor activity report at the end of the day.
MakerBot 3D Printers
Ozobot Smart Robots — Fun toy robots that can teach people how to code.
Damage Assessment Mobile Apps
Microsoft PowerApps — An Office-style tool that simplifies building business apps so any employee can build business apps without having to code.
Oculus Rift Virtual Reality — The goggles that immerse you in virtual reality, where you can be under the ocean, flying in space, or onstage.
GoCharge Solar Charging Station — GoCharge, which already makes charging stations for conferences, colleges, hospitals and event-venues, now has created solar-panel charging stations for outdoor events to power cell phones, laptops, tablets, whatever.
The event will be held in the hearings room next door to the cafeteria at the County Operations Center and is being put on by the County’s Technology Office, DXC Technology, the County’s technology provider formerly known as Hewlett Packard, and its partner, AT&T.
Technology moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look at it once in a while, you might miss something.
So stop and take a look at “Innovation by Design,” the County’s annual Innovation Days expo, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the County Operations Center.
You can get a glimpse of the future — the latest, greatest info-tech and web-based tools that can help us improve how we work and conduct the public’s business. All they need is your imagination. Come, look, touch and share your ideas.
This is not just for the techies in your office. It’s meant to get everyone thinking about tools we might use.
Booths will feature all kinds of cool tech, including:
·Alexa — The intelligent personal assistant developed by Amazon.
·iLobby Visitor Management — A tool that lets visitors sign in digitally rather than sign a sign-in sheet, takes their picture, prints them up visitor badges, digitally notifies staff of their arrival and prints out a visitor activity report at the end of the day.
·MakerBot 3D Printers
·Ozobot Smart Robots — Fun toy robots that can teach people how to code.
·Damage Assessment Mobile Apps
·Microsoft PowerApps — An Office-style tool that simplifies building business apps so any employee can build business apps without having to code.
·Oculus Rift Virtual Reality — The goggles that immerse you in virtual reality, where you can be under the ocean, flying in space, or onstage.
·GoCharge Solar Charging Station — GoCharge, which already makes charging stations for conferences, colleges, hospitals and event-venues, now has created solar-panel charging stations for outdoor events to power cell phones, laptops, tablets, whatever.
The event will be held in the hearings room next door to the cafeteria at the County Operations Center and is being put on by the County’s Technology Office, DXC Technology, the County’s technology provider formerly known as Hewlett Packard, and its partner, AT&T.
It’s not too late to participate in this year’s Live Well San Diego 5K on Sunday, July 30. In fact, early bird discount pricing has been extended to Friday, July 21.
County employees can also use the special discount code CNTY when you register to save even more with an additional $5 off the registration fee.
The Live Well 5K is an annual event with a run/walk and interactive family-friendly Discovery Expo. The 5K kicks off at the Waterfront Park at 7:30 a.m. on July 30. On-site registration begins at 6:30 a.m.
The Discovery Expo features an Innovation Zone with some of San Diego’s leaders in health and wellness, a pet zone, music, fitness classes, dancing, free snacks and healthy beverages and a special Kids Fun Zone.
Registration includes the 5K run/walk, a Live Well San Diego 5K T-shirt, a participant medal and a virtual goodie e-bag.
The event is a partnership with the San Diego Blood Bank and the proceeds benefit the life-saving work that they do.
Get on the trail to better health and wellness. Sign up for the Employee Wellness Program’s next health challenge—HealthTrails.
Individuals or teams participating in this eight-week program will go the distance tracking health habits: physical activity, stress management through meditation, sleep and volunteering.
“Along with a proper diet these factors contribute to your physical, mental and social wellbeing,” said Employee Wellness Coordinator William Erese.
Participants will earn points for their efforts and move along a virtual trail. As trekkers progress along a map, they’ll see postcard-style photos and vivid descriptions of that location.
HealthTrails has a social aspect, too. Comment on the message boards online or through the app, make plans with fellow employees to walk during lunch or hit the gym after work, send encouragement, and find healthy recipes to fuel you on your journey.
Plus, participants can sync their FitBit to automatically log activities.
Some 1,100 employees took part in HealthTrails last year. For more information and to register through July 31, visit cosd.healthtrails.com. The program starts August 2.
Employees requiring accommodation should email DHRWellness.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Several County departments and our LGBT & Allies Association Employee Resource Group (ERG) marched in the San Diego Pride Parade this weekend in Hillcrest. The parade attracted more than 100,000 people. See the full gallery.
Bridgeman-Smith, HHSA, and John Echeverria from the Probation Department speak with an arrestee. He went to treatment immediately.
When drug users on probation are re-arrested, they often go to jail. But sometimes, they don’t have to.
Linda Bridgeman-Smith, DUI and Prevention Services Manager with the County Health and Human Services Agency Behavioral Health Services, is sometimes present to encourage probationers to get help rather than be incarcerated.
Bridgeman-Smith’s interaction with probationers is part of a drug treatment outreach and enforcement effort under the San Diego County Methamphetamine Strike Force known as Tip the Scale.
“Many are repeat offenders,” said Bridgeman Smith, who has worked for the County since 1999, the last 15 years with the Health and Human Services Agency. “If they go into treatment, they can avoid jail.”
A partnership between public safety and public health, Tip the Scale operations are one-day efforts conducted by the San Diego County Sheriff’s and Probation departments, Behavioral Health Services, treatment providers and law enforcement agencies from jurisdictions all around the region where the operation takes place.
There are probation compliance checks and saturation patrols in known hotspots for drug-related crime. Tip the Scale is conducted two to three times per year and target primarily people between 18 and 26 years old.
The goal of Tip the Scale is to steer drug offenders toward treatment, provide resources to families and to make sure those on probation are in compliance. Counselors are always on hand for a substance abuse conversation, where they briefly talk with offenders about their drug problems and how they might get their lives back on track.
“If they take care of their substance abuse, they are less likely to commit a crime again,” said Bridgeman-Smith, who has been in the substance abuse field for more than 30 years.
Bridgeman-Smith said treatment counselors get to speak with all offenders, unless they are extremely high or considered dangerous. The five-minute conversation is casual and non-confidential.
“Most people are pretty receptive to talking,” Bridgeman-Smith said. “We tell them that if they can get clean, the cycle can stop.”
According to Bridgeman-Smith, about one in five offenders typically go directly into treatment from Tip the Scale. However, treatment is always an option as the judicial process takes place.
“We would like for people to choose treatment,” Bridgeman-Smith said. “We know that treatment works. We want people’s lives to get better.”
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