 Hello HHS colleagues,
I hope you all had a restful and joyful Thanksgiving holiday.
Many of us have spent recent days reflecting on those things in our lives for which we are most grateful — family, friends, our homes, our health. I hope that you’ll also take a moment to pause and absorb the gratitude expressed by our clients for the work you do.
I enjoyed reading this letter received by our Human Services team:
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In the hustle, bustle and stress of our daily workflow it can be easy to forget that our programs — and not just the tangible services we provide, but the intangible personal interactions we have each day — do matter to those we serve and make a real difference in their lives. I hope you’ve felt that gratitude, and I am thankful for the opportunity we have to make an impact in this community.
It’s been a busy few months in HHS. Earlier in November, we presented our board with an update on efforts around homelessness, including an update from Dr. Robert Marbut whose 2015 report has guided much of our work on this issue.
Among some of the recent developments: We’ve been able to purchase two properties for Whole Person Care clients using funds from Sutter Health and contracting with AMI Housing to operate them. These will house up to 14 individuals, and altogether we’re looking at more than 40 units that we’ve secured this year. We also opened our medical respite facility in October, where individuals who aren’t sick enough for hospitalization but still too sick for the streets or regular shelter environments can go and recover. If you didn’t read the recent story in the Sacramento Bee, it’s a good look at our Whole Person Care program.
We’ve seen that these efforts and others — from our collaboration with law enforcement to our efforts with emergency shelters — are having an effect. While we have seen a slight increase in our homeless population, it is nowhere near the rates seen in nearby counties and across the state. And we have made great strides in reducing the numbers of chronically homeless and homeless veterans.
I also want to take a moment and thank everyone who volunteered to assist with the recent wine country fires. Several divisions stepped up and offered their assistance, with everything from mental health work to environmental cleanup, and I know that your efforts are deeply appreciated by our friends in Sonoma.
In this 'season of giving' I couldn’t be more proud of our department!
Best,
Jeff
P.S. I hope you’ll stop by the CDRC on Dec. 7 for the annual winter celebration, hosted by Administrative Services and Environmental Health! These folks get pretty creative when decorating their workspaces … almost as creative as some of your Halloween costumes last month!
We celebrated several recent awards received by HHS at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, including six National Association of Counties (NACo) awards. Two of those programs also made NACo's list of “100 Brilliant Ideas” from across the nation. Our Environmental Health division also received this year’s Excellence in Environmental Health Award from the California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health for its unique program.
 Human Services
Employment Services customers celebrated for finding jobs, purpose
Curtis Pierce is hopeful again. Hopeful, and hungry to learn.
After losing his job, unemployment had thrust him into a spiral of negativity. Then, he reached out to Placer County Employment Services. They paired him with a counselor and began offering support, ranging from resume and interview help to on-the-job experience.
Today, Pierce has a full-time position and is also attending American River College studying automation and mechatronics. And he has no intention to slow down anytime soon, with plans to move forward in the field of mechanical engineering after finishing his associate’s degree.
“It’s a hunger. I want to learn more. [This experience] just sparked something, where I’m addicted to learning now,” he said. “They lit the fuse, and I took off from there.”
Earlier this month, Placer County held its third annual recognition ceremony for 102 program participants who have successfully transitioned into employment this year, and a handful of local employers who have helped them on their journeys. Though it was a rainy night, about two dozen families were in attendance.
READ MORE, VIEW PHOTOS AND VIDEO >
Housing
Authority working with Veterans Affairs to hold housing fair for homeless
veterans
Placer County is
seeking landlords, employers and community partners who can help us give back
to our local heroes in need at a community housing fair Dec. 8.
There are dozens
of homeless veterans right now in Placer County. The Placer County Housing
Authority — in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Volunteers of America and Advocates
for Mentally Ill Housing Inc. — will hold a community housing fair Dec. 8 at
the Auburn Veterans Memorial Hall, 100 East Street in Auburn starting at 9 a.m.
Homeless veterans will be able to connect with landlords, employers and other
resources to help them on the path to independence. Learn
more.
Volunteers
sought for tax help program
Human Services is
seeking volunteers for the VITA program, which
offers free tax assistance to low-income individuals and families. Last year we
helped hundreds of Placer County residents get more than $500,000 back in
refunds. Learn
more and sign up to volunteer today.
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 Children’s System of Care
'Betsy's Bench': Children’s System of Care employee memorialized by colleagues
Betsy Jones’ desk was situated near the entrance of the intake room in Children’s System of Care offices in Rocklin. There, she was at the center of the action, checking in on colleagues who happened to walk by and asking for updates about their kids and families.
Her reach, however, extended far beyond the walls of that office. After she passed away in June following a battle with cancer, coworkers received a letter of condolence from the Roseville Police Department. The officers had never met Betsy in person, but had spoken with her countless times as she worked with them to navigate difficult child welfare cases.
“She was just a voice on the phone, but that letter really showed her impact,” coworker Kathleen Taylor said. “She had a lot of fans.”
READ MORE >
Placer County kids join seven ‘forever families’ on Adoption Day
Nov. 18 was National Adoption Day. Here in Placer County, we had seven families finalize their adoptions at a special celebration at the historic courthouse in Auburn! Children celebrated with face painting, arts and crafts, live music and stuffed animals — plus a few favorite movie characters made an appearance. Check out some photos on our Facebook page. Our county still has a great need for foster and adoptive families.
Youth commission notes distracted driving as part of statewide survey
The Placer County Youth Commission participated in a statewide, student-led survey of distracted driving, organized and funded by the California Friday Night Live Partnership. The annual Roadwatch survey aims to improve traffic safety and curtail distracted driving and the threat it poses to other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Drivers can be distracted by phones, passengers, pets, food and more. Read more.
Workshops for parents, children on human trafficking see success
In October, CSOC worked in collaboration with the Placer County Office of Education and local nonprofit Stand Up Placer to host a series of workshops around human trafficking aimed at youth, parents, educators and more. The workshops were extremely popular — check out this story from CBS13 to get a glimpse! Based on their success future workshops are planned, so stay tuned.
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 Administrative Services
From helpfulness to humor, People’s Choice awards highlight superstars
Administrative Services held its third annual People’s Choice awards this October, recognizing the best and brightest employees as chosen by their peers.
Ten staff members received framed awards, designed by a committee of their peers, surrounded by balloons and cheers from their coworkers.
“This is a great opportunity for all of us to acknowledge the people around us, who day in and day out, help brighten our work environment with their positive attitudes,” said division director Darlene King. “This team has so many unique strengths that complement one another.”
The committee chose the categories - which are different every year - and the entire division submitted their nominations.
The winners pictured (view a larger photo), and their award categories, are as follows:
Back row (left to right): Stan Hapak (Most Likely to Crack the Code), Tami Burns (Most Likely to Lend a Hand), Erica Collins (Most Likely to be a Standup Comedian), Kristal Baumbach (Most Likely to Conquer the World), and Layne Kuhn (Most Likely to Work on a Bomb Squad).
Front row (left to right): Alexis Madera (Most Likely to Share Their Sandbox), Suzanne Davirro (Most Likely to Go the Distance), Karen Lightfoot-Smith (Most Likely to BeDazzle), and Megan Shepard (Most Likely to be a Motivational Speaker)
Not pictured: Marilyn Pajari (Most Likely to Keep Their Ducks in a Row)
Click here to view a few more photos from this fun event.
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 Environmental Health
Water Workshop brings
environmental health professionals from across the state to Placer
Placer County hosted a water
workshop for environmental health professionals, inviting participants from
across the state for four days of training in Squaw Valley this October. More
than 100 people, including both water operators and regulators, were in
attendance for sessions including cross connections, backflow prevention and
more — a variety of techniques to ensure safe drinking water for the public.
The program was funded by the
California Department of Public Health, which in 2014 distributed money to
environmental health departments across California intended to boost
compliance. Many counties spent their funds locally and focused on meeting the
state requirements. Since Placer was already fully in compliance, leaders were
able to get creative with the extra money.
“We thought big. With this
funding we chose to bring a unique opportunity to professionals not just from
Placer County but the entire state,” said environmental health director Wesley
Nicks. “The goals was to connect water regulators and operators together to
learn from each other.”
Click here to watch a video of highlights from the workshop.
READ MORE >
Food safety: Turkey tips
Environmental Health staff
created this short video to promote food safety this holiday season. If you’ll be cooking a turkey, take
a look at their tips to help avoid foodborne illness!
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 Public Health
Miles of Smiles program to expand to more classrooms
One by one, kindergartners at George Cirby Elementary School approached Dr. Kayla Nguyen and opened their mouths as she peered in with magnifier glasses and a tongue depressor, searching for signs of cavities, abscesses or infection.
“Remember to brush your teeth. Have your parents help you,” she’d remind each one as they hopped off the chair and went back to their teacher and classmates a few feet away.
Miles of Smiles is a volunteer-run program providing screenings and referrals for students in Roseville. Nguyen visits classrooms to screen students in kindergarten, second and fifth grades and refers those with urgent needs to local dental providers. Second and fifth graders also receive dental sealants.
The Rotary Club of Roseville started the program in 2000 in two elementary schools. Miles of Smiles now reaches six schools and has provided more than 9,200 sealants in its nearly two decades of existence. With the help of a $10,000 infusion from Placer County, approved by county the Board of Supervisors in September, it will further expand to two middle schools in the coming year, reaching at least 200 more children each year.
READ MORE >
Looking for more tips on oral health?
Dr. Rob Oldham's November column in the Auburn Jounal is chock-full of tips for you and your family.
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Kudos to Mary Debra Gutierrez in Public Health, who recently received her doctorate degree in physical therapy. She completed 15 months of the post-professional online program through A.T. Still University in Arizona. Debbie works for California Children's Services at the Newcastle Medical Therapy Unit, which provides occupational and physical therapy to children from birth to 21 years of age with CCS-eligible neurological and/or orthopedic conditions.
Debbie also took the certification exam to become a Pediatric Clinical Specialist in 2013. She and her husband own and edit a regional resource magazine, the Parents Resource Guide.
Know a colleague who should be congratulated for their professional or personal accomplishment? Send your "shout-out" to kcombs@placer.ca.gov.
 Adult System of Care
Mental
health workers assist staff, students at Sonoma schools impacted by fire
When a call
for help came as fire ravaged through Sonoma County, Placer County was quick to
respond.
Among the
several departments and divisions that volunteered their services following
mutual aid requests were four behavioral health workers with the county's
Health and Human Services department — Scott Genschmer, Dave Sherlock, Kyle
Sterry and Bill Thomas.
The four
responders were assigned to several Santa Rosa schools, assisting victims
recovering from the Tubbs fire. At one, more than 100 students and five
teachers had been displaced by the fire, many from the devastated Coffey Park
neighborhood. In the midst of that devastation, experienced mental health
professionals were crucial.
"[Victims]
are trying to put one foot in front of the other. Crisis counseling is
incredibly important. It starts the healing process early on," Genschmer
said. "If you experience trauma and go without mental health support, it
can get worse over time."
The disaster
hit close to home for Genschmer, whose mother was evacuated from Calistoga for
a week and came to Roseville. Her neighborhood, thankfully, was spared.
The four
responders assisted both students and staff as they transitioned back to
school, some after an absence of more than three weeks.
“Most children
just wanted to return to familiar faces, places, routines and a schedule that
included future expectations,” said Sherlock.
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Re-entry program takes aim at revolving jail door
Chris Hudak knew he wanted to change, but didn’t know where to start. He found answers with the Placer Re-Entry Program.
Hudak is one of 162 people who have graduated from the PREP. The program provides services and accountability to criminal offenders who are at medium to high risk of reoffending, serving those who are currently in custody as well as parolees and probationers. Read more.
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Animal Services
A first-person view of the Animal Services open house
Walking in the door, my attention was immediately drawn to a huge glass enclosure across the lobby at the end of the counter where cats and kittens were “attacking” feather toys deployed by volunteers. I was thoroughly entertained watching these adorable creatures play, purr and pounce.
“The cat viewing area was designed to draw you in,” said Wesley Nicks, Director of Environmental Health and Animal Services at Placer County. “It completely captivates visitors and puts everyone in a good mood watching cats and kittens playing.”
These are just a few of my experiences during my visit to the Placer County Animal Services open house on Saturday, Sept. 23. This event attracted more than 1,000 visitors to the new, state-of-the-art animal services center at 11232 B Ave in Auburn.
I enjoyed a busy afternoon that included snacking on some yummy treats from food vendors outside while exploring the center; meeting adoptable pets; having a free pet identification tag engraved for my dog and taking a tour of Gold Country Wildlife Rescue across the street.
READ MORE >
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