Join Employee Wellness Programs Virtually
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Many of our Employee Wellness programs have returned this week. Fitness classes, meditation sessions, lunch and learn lessons and cooking demos are being offered virtually.
Click on the links to sign up!
Update for June 1
/Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer
Today I’m shifting from my updates on our COVID-19 response to talk about the protests across the nation and here in San Diego County, especially in their direct impact on our operations.
On Saturday, demonstrators gathered in La Mesa around our library, and last night, outside our County Administration Center. As has happened in so many situations like this, the vast majority protested thoughtfully and peacefully. Their voices exposed deep emotions regarding bias and disparities. Difficult words but important for all to hear. A few allowed their anger to spill over and cause damage to our library and to the County Administration Center. Thankfully, the damage is relatively minor, but enough that we need to close these facilities during the clean-up and repair until we are sure it is safe for employees and the public to enter. This will take a few days.
What will take much more than a few days is addressing the underlying issues that the protesters are raising.
We all need to open our ears and our hearts. But we also must not allow violence to threaten property and lives. The destruction that happened in La Mesa is not acceptable. The laws that protect our free speech are a blessing. We’re so lucky to live in a country where we can speak up and demand change to correct wrongs. But the laws that protect our safety and our property are equally important. We can’t lose sight of the rule of law or the freedom to speak out.
The events of the last several days have left us all filled with emotions. Anger. Frustration. Maybe even despair. But I see the hope that lies ahead. We have all been stirred. And when we all are stirred, we can commit ourselves to action.
The County has started initiatives like Live Well Communities, our Employee Resource Groups and Diversity & Inclusion, because we acknowledge the many issues we need to address. Unconscious bias is real. Health inequities are evident. And justice disparities exist.
And as public servants, we are in positions to do something about it. Our responsibility is to have a positive impact on our community. We need to look at how we learn from this moment and turn it into an opportunity to create a better, more just world.
Hours after vandals struck La Mesa this weekend, a much bigger mob descended – with brooms, buckets and paint rollers. Cleaning away ingrained biases and disparities will take much more effort than sweeping up broken glass. But we can, we must, harness that same spirit of coming together to right wrongs and direct it toward making sure our vision of healthy, safe and thriving reaches ALL San Diegans.
Together, we can do this. We must do this.
Update for May 29
/Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer
So many of you at the County have done remarkable work getting us through this difficult time. But, this being a public health crisis, today I want to offer special recognition to our public health team.
It starts with our public health officer, Dr. Wilma Wooten. After a couple months of almost daily news briefings, she’s now a familiar face all over San Diego. She’s guided us through a challenge like nothing we’ve ever experienced. Remember this is a new virus. Scientists’ understanding of it evolves daily. Dr. Wooten has relied on data and the best available facts, and has always acted out of devotion to the welfare of our residents. A Union-Tribune profile last Sunday dived a little deeper into her COVID-19 work and her life of service.
She gets the spotlight, but there’s a big incredible team right behind her. Doctors. Legions of nurses. Epidemiologists, including the contact tracers and investigators I mentioned the other day. Laboratory staff. Data specialists. Health communicators. Our Medical Operations Center, rounding up medical equipment and supplies, and coordinating with the health care community. Various support staff.
All these folks have worked tirelessly the last few months. Looking back at where we were just a short a time ago, it’s phenomenal how much they’ve accomplished. I’ll reemphasize the dynamic nature of this new health threat and the need to respond to changing guidance and situations on the ground. That constant shifting has made the work all the more demanding.
The good news is that all their efforts are paying off. We’re keeping the spread of the virus at manageable levels, which means we can start to reopen. There’s a long road ahead, and the work will continue. But let’s pause for a moment and extend our gratitude to everyone in public health for so skillfully rising to the challenge of protecting us, keeping us safe.
Update for May 27
/Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer
Did you know we have hundreds of new colleagues at the County, hired to play an essential role in our fight against COVID-19?
They’re members of our contact tracing team. We’ve brought hundreds of temporary employees on board in just a few weeks, and combined with some existing County employees, we’re nearly to our goal of 450 staff focused on this activity.
Contact tracing staff identify close contacts of positive cases, explain quarantine, monitor for symptoms and check in with them during their 14-day monitoring period. The tracing staff also connect them to testing and other service referrals as needed. This is critical to keeping COVID-19 from spreading in the community and is part of our T3 Strategy: test, trace and treat.
Contact tracing is not new to the County. Our epidemiology staff rely on these specialists to control other diseases, like measles. What’s new is the scale of this effort. More than a hundred investigators, who talk to positive cases. Two hundred contact tracers, who follow up with positive cases’ contacts. And a few dozen others in support roles.
On top of that, we’re partnering with San Diego State to provide another 100+ tracers to help with contact tracing in underserved areas. These will include people serving as community health workers, making sure our work is culturally sensitive.
It’s been impressive to watch this all ramp up so quickly, from starting the hiring, to training, to getting the tracers making their contacts. My thanks to everyone who has made this happen, and welcome to our new co-workers joining us in protecting the public’s health.
Connected County: Animal Services
/Many of us continue to work from home or other work locations during the fight against COVID-19. In this video, we check-in with Animal Medical Operations Manager Manny Balcazar. See how he is creatively working to provide services.
Update for May 22
/Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer
It was a big week for San Diego and all of us working on the COVID-19 response. You’ve no doubt seen that the governor gave us the OK to move through Stage 2 of reopening, meaning restaurants and retailers can now have customers back inside.
What most folks didn’t see is all the work that went into preparing our “attestation” that we’re ready for this next step. It required extensive documentation and a huge effort by some of our colleagues. Big shout-out to them for a job well done.
While we’re making progress, it’s essential to remember where we are – in the middle of a gradual process that has to put the public’s health first. As we head into a holiday weekend, a reminder that gatherings are still off limits. No backyard barbecues with anyone outside your household. You can walk on the beach, but no setting up a traditional Memorial Day beach party.
We’ve kept the impacts of the virus at a manageable level because of our preventive actions. The stay-at-home restrictions, the face coverings, the rules for reopened business. It’s all hard, but it’s paid off in lives saved. We have to remain careful and continue to take the direction of our medical professionals.
As places continue to open, it will be less about stay home, more about stay safe. I appreciate everything that everyone has gone through to get us this far. Let’s not let up. Enjoy your long holiday weekend, and do so safely.
Friday Photo: Picture-Perfect Park
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Photo by William Dunigan
Escape with this picture-perfect photo of Ramona Grasslands County Preserve. The 3,521-acre preserve is popular with hikers, cyclists, equestrians and photographers. Take a fun virtual hike of Ramona Grasslands from your desk (or couch if you are working from home).
Share your fabulous photos! If you see a coworker getting the job done, a beautiful sunset over your office or wonderful County program being offered—snap a pic and submit it. Be sure to include information about the photo and your name. One image will be posted to InSite every Friday.
Update for May 19
/Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer
It’s the time of year we celebrate one of life’s big milestones: graduation. From high schools, college, or other levels of education. I know it’s a huge disappointment to grads – and the families that helped get them there – that it’s happening this year without all the pomp and circumstance. That shouldn’t in any way dampen the sense of achievement everyone feels. If anything, getting to that finish line with all the recent hurdles makes it all the more impressive.
In a normal year, they’d be listening to commencement speeches telling them how life will bring many challenges and about the need for persistence and determination. This year, we’re all living those words.
And they always talk about looking forward. We’re in a rough time, and we still have a difficult road ahead, but we will get through. What you’ve shown in responding to this crisis gives me great hope for the future.
I hope you’ll join me in offering congratulations to all of the grads out there, and that includes those in our County family – our student workers and those pursuing degrees on top of their job. It’s an immense accomplishment. If the moment comes without some of the traditional hoopla, it still deserves our recognition and should be a source of tremendous pride.
New Version of Adobe Acrobat Being Pushed to All County Computers
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All County staff will have their computers updated with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC automatically. The update is required due to licensing requirements by Adobe.
The County Technology Office (CTO) will be automatically forcing the installation on the following dates:
Land Use and Environment Group – May 16
Finance and General Government – May 20
Health and Human Services Agency – May 23
(The update was already pushed out to Public Safety Group employees.)
Installation Process
No reboot will be required and the install will happen automatically in the background. The process can take up to 30 minutes depending on network speed. You may be prompted to close any office application such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook as well as your existing installation of Adobe Acrobat. If you’re not present, these applications will be closed automatically.
How to Use
Adobe Acrobat and its use will not change much. The only notable change is a new requirement to log in to the application in order to use it. Here’s how:
Shortly after opening the application, users will be prompted for credentials with an Adobe login screen. Follow the relevant prompts and be sure to click the option to sign in with an enterprise ID.
Your credentials will be your full County email address.
No password should be required if you’re already logged into the device with your County credentials.
You may be prompted with an Oracle Access Manager login screen as well. If so, please login with your County computer USERNAME and PASSWORD.
Once authenticated, the application will function as normal and you shouldn’t be prompted again for at least another 99 days.
For specific instructions on the new Adobe Logins, please see this detailed document.
Sign-in System Goes Touch-free
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Employees are assigned a QR code that you can pull up on your phone or print and add to the back of your badge as seen here.
Normally when the Emergency Operations Center activates, there is a sheet for staff to sign in and out. Everyone touches the same clipboard, paper and pen. That’s something to avoid during the current COVID-19 emergency, since it is a way to spread the virus, even with the use of hand sanitizer.
The infection risk became apparent to Office of Emergency Services (OES) Assistant Director Stephen Rea and Public Safety Group IT Manager Darius Fattahipour. They brainstormed with OES staff and came up with an innovative idea to deploy GOVbox, a touchless kiosk normally used to provide services to the public. In this case, they adapted it for employees reporting for essential duties. Staff scan a QR code to log in and out at the EOC and two other facilities. Employees working remotely can use the system by logging into a website as well.
“This is a perfect solution for a virtual Emergency Operations Center. It’s great example of the adaptability of County staff and County-developed technology being leveraged for purposes never considered,” said Rea.
The system doesn’t replace Kronos, but it allows people to know who is on duty and where they’re working. The system connects with Microsoft Teams, so people working in the EOC can look up people by name or section, see if they are working and where and then message them as needed.
Another feature is that GovBox sends text or email health checks to employees. They need to reply to a short questionnaire, asking if they have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient within the past 14 days; whether they have had a fever of 100 degrees or more, and if they have a cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or a sore throat.
Fattahipour said they were able to quickly reconfigure kiosks on hand, and the County will look at bringing the system to more worksites. The project has been co-sponsored by the Public Safety Group, Child Support Services, and the joint County Technology Office-Perspecta Innovation Program.