County Collaborative Newsletter -- Issue 8, July 2021 |
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Ball, Daniel (Corbitt) Named to
Business Journal's Forty Under 40 List
Congratulations to Montgomery County's own Brittany Daniel (Corbitt) and Tristyn Ball for being recognized as two of Dayton Business Journal's Forty under 40 winners! The awards were announced at a special ceremony at NCR Country Club.
Brittany works for the County as a Workforce Specialist Team Lead, overseeing Project Hire and working as liaison with our training providers.
Tristyn is with Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS). She has developed the Montgomery County Prevention Coalition into a force of 200 volunteers!
Tristyn has also developed a comprehensive trauma response system designed to provide early identification and intervention to children who experienced trauma.
We appreciate your passion, Brittany and Tristyn, and we are so pleased that you are part of our Montgomery County team!
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Brittany Daniel (Corbett) |
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Say hello to Maverick, son of Business Services' Garth McLean! |
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Enhanced Paternity Leave
Offered for New Dads
Great news for new dads! The Board of County Commissioners enhanced paternal leave for employees. On June 1, most BCC employees became eligible for three weeks of paternity leave. Those employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement or who are not qualified for FMLA receive the former benefit -- one week of paternity leave.
The Commissioners also approved eight hours of leave to celebrate Juneteenth. It is called “holiday float” in KRONOS and can be used anytime this year with supervisor approval. The Juneteenth holiday will be factored into the federal holiday calendar next year.
For additional information, see BCC policy 6.2 or contact your local HR office.
Thank you, Commissioners!
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Engineer Shows Appreciation for Students' Kind Gesture
Some second graders in Lindsey Locker’s class noticed some of our Montgomery County workers replacing a pipe near John Hole Elementary School back in April, and they decided to write the workers letters of thanks. A few weeks later, County Engineer Paul Gruner, Project Manager Joseph Dura, and University of Cincinnati co-op student Vernisha Walker returned the favor with a thank you gesture of their own. They went to Ms. Locker’s class to see the children and bring them hard hats that said “Junior Engineer.” The kids were so excited and had many good questions about the job!
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Free Legal Assistance Available to Veterans
Montgomery County Veterans' Services Commission (MCVSC) is the first in the state to implement a no-cost legal assistance program to meet the needs of veterans.
Area veterans expressed a need for help with foreclosure and eviction, creditor calls and consumer issues. The program invites veterans and their dependents to receive free legal consultations and representation through the MCVSC.
Attorney Steven Strain, United States Marine Corp veteran, joined the team in March and immediately began helping veterans. Welcome to the County, Steven!
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Workforce Team Helps
Citizens Losing Benefits
The Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Grants program is targeted to individuals whose unemployment benefits are nearing an end. Our team is working to help people find reliable employment quickly and become self-sufficient. With a new job, clients are experiencing higher feelings of self-worth and accomplishment, as well as strengthening our local economy.
Since implementing the RESEA program, we’ve assisted over 70 people in finding employment and connecting them to other resources.
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Sheriff Works to Break Stigma around Mental Health |
Sheriff Rob Streck acknowledged Mental Health Awareness month in May by asking Montgomery County residents to join him in his campaign to break the stigma associated with mental illness.
“With one in five Americans living with a mental health condition, it is imperative that we bring awareness to these issues, talk with our friends, families and neighbors about how and where they can find the support and services they need,” said Sheriff Streck.
To support his call for action, the Montgomery County Drug Free Coalition, collaborated with several community partners including the Veteran Mobile Unit and Haven Behavioral Hospital, which offered resource information during two events in May.
Sheriff Streck continues to support peer recovery services and referral/linkage to area agencies, and he stresses the importance of his deputies and dispatch officers receiving appropriate crisis intervention training.
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Communications Team Promotions
Congratulations to two Communications team members. Kevin Lavoie was recently promoted to Assistant Director of Communications and Dani Damon was promoted to Public Information Officer for Human Services.
Congratulations Kevin and Dani! Thanks for all you do!
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Special Parking Spaces for Purple Heart Veterans
The County is thrilled to be able to recognize Purple Heart recipients by designating several parking spaces at facilities, such as this one at the Montgomery County Veteran Service Commission. Additional Purple Heart parking spaces are available at the Reibold Building and the County Administration Building.
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ARC Goes Mobile
The Animal Resource Center has unveiled the newest addition to Montgomery County’s fleet – the mobile clinic! The mobile clinic was purchased in 2020 using CARES Act funds and will allow ARC to offer vaccine clinics, low-cost spay and neuter surgeries, as well as provide education throughout the County.
These services are vital to making Montgomery County a people-and-pet-friendly community for everyone. To keep up with the mobile clinic and where it will be next, visit mcanimals.org/resources/mobile-clinic.
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Children Services Teams with Churches to Meet Families’ Needs
Montgomery County Children Services has been taking part in an exciting collaboration with area churches called “CarePortal” to help meet the needs of local families.
Caseworkers can send a message through this special portal concerning a need someone on their caseload may have, such as a crib, toddler clothing, diapers, winter coats, etc. Participating churches will then send out a call to parties who have expressed interest in helping, and the need will usually get filled.
“When I first learned about CarePortal, I thought tapping into a community resource that already exists and wants to help our youth was an amazing idea,” said Craig Rickett, Associate Director for Children Services. “The link between churches and child welfare just sounded like a natural partnership.”
730 area children have been served through CarePortal since the program’s inception in November of 2018. Churches have filled more than 85 percent of the requests, providing items with a total value of over $320,000. To learn more, go to www.careportal.org.
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Fatherhood Summit Aug. 27
The Montgomery County Fatherhood Initiative will host its annual Fatherhood Summit on Aug. 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sinclair Community College. Montgomery County Child Support, the Office of Reentry, Juvenile Court and other county entities will be there to help area fathers.
Special guest will be Kim Dent, Executive Director of the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood. Topics will include: Reconnecting with Children after Incarceration; Toxic Masculinity; Staying Mentally Healthy as a Father; Custody and Parenting Time; Nurturing Fathers; and Fathers’ Role in Early Educational Success.
This event is open to the public. For registration information and other details, call Mike Newsom at 937-225-4759.
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ADAMHS Wins Dayton Chamber of Commerce Workplace Diversity Award!
Montgomery County ADAMHS received the Premier Health Workplace Diversity Award at the Dayton Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting on May 26, 2021, at Carillion Historical Park.
This award recognizes organizations that demonstrate outstanding diversity and inclusion efforts, policies, and initiatives within the workplace.
Congratulations to the ADAMHS staff for all of the work done to create a more equitable region by spearheading the Health Equity Council (HEC), creating diverse marketing campaigns, remaining dedicated to hiring and sustaining diverse talent, and uniting providers to address health equity issues within the behavioral healthcare system.
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Dr. Michelle Pierce-Mobley joined HR team members for a recruiting event at Greenewood Manor, a nursing care provider in Greene County that is closing. The team went to talk to employees there who may want to work at Stillwater Center and other departments in Montgomery County. Way to look after those employees! |
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Trade Alliance Yields Collaboration between UD, Israeli Company
Now in its 12th year, the Dayton Region Israel Trade Alliance (DRITA) continues to help companies across Montgomery County and Israel make connections needed to expand in a global market.
In February 2020, the DRITA team traveled to Israel on a trade mission and met with company leaders at Lehavot, a fire protection system company. Thanks to DRITA, Lehavot later partnered with the University of Dayton’s MBA Capstone Program.
Through this partnership, Lehavot received a personalized strategic analysis valued at $70,000 minimum with suggestions for market positioning, pricing, go-to market strategies, supply chain and more.
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Employees' Testimony Impacts
Lives of People with Disabilities
People with disabilities worldwide will gain opportunities to participate in activities most of us take for granted, thanks to the testimony of four Montgomery County employees.
DDS Superintendent Dr. Pamela Combs, Assistant Superintendent Kamarr Gage, and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Scott Kidd joined Bryan Bailey, Day Program Special Projects manager for Montgomery County’s Stillwater Center, in testifying before the International Code Council. They spoke about the essential role that adult changing stations play for adults with disabilities access.
Their testimonies, along with those of several others from around the U.S., resulted in the unanimous passage of an addition to International Building Code that will require adult changing stations in new construction starting in 2024.
Though most people are unaware, the lack of adult changing stations in public buildings prevents people with disabilities from participating in essential activities such as employment and shopping, as well as social opportunities and access to critical community services.
“Access to the community is a fundamental right of every person,” said Dr. Combs. “We, as an organization and as a County, are proud to support this step towards equity for all.”
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Family Assistance Increases Customer Access
As the COVID-19 pandemic put up barriers, Montgomery County’s Family Assistance Division (FAD) found new ways to increase customer access to its services.
FAD expanded its in-person services at The Job Center on June 2. Through the blue doors, the public now has access to Concierge Services, the Forms Area, Quick Scan Room and the re-designed Resource Room from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Resource Room is equipped with 10 computers and phones so customers can login and/or create an online Self-Service Portal (SSP) account or call to apply for benefits. Staff are available at any time to assist customers during these processes.
FAD has also seen an increase in the use of virtual mediums to communicate with customers. Using the statewide enterprise number, 844-640-OHIO (6446), customers can opt-in to receive case updates via SMS or voice messaging. From June 2020 to June 2021, more than 20,000 customers opted in for text messaging services and more than 200,000 case updates were sent via SMS or voice messaging.
In March, customers also got a new option to chat with a live child care representative on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This service can be accessed on our website at bit.ly/3wUzls6.
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Public Health Develops Plan
To Address Vaccine Inequities
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed health inequities that have existed in minority populations over many years. While anyone can contract COVID-19, minority groups have been disproportionately affected by the virus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows:
- Black or African American people were 2.9 times more likely than non-Hispanic white people to be hospitalized and 1.9 times more likely to die from COVID-19.
- Hispanic and Latino people were 3.1 times more likely than non-Hispanic white people to be hospitalized and 2.3 times more likely to die from COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic is also highlighting societal and health care inequities. Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County’s Local Office of Minority Health has developed a COVID-19 Community Health Equity Education & Outreach Plan and Task Force to address these inequities.
Public Health is using the following strategies to help reduce the effects of healthcare inequities; engaging local faith-based leaders, providing vaccinations in areas with higher concentration of minorities, producing advertising that speaks to minority populations, creating an “Ask Your Local Experts” video series, and hosting online community forums.
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Safety Thrives Despite Pandemic
Through the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19, the Montgomery County Safety Team has juggled their day-to-day tasks while assuming additional roles to ensure the safety of all county employees and the public.
The safety team staffed the County PPE distribution warehouse and inventoried, stocked, and packaged for pick-up more than one million items needed throughout the community.
The lean team of six made a point to visit every single county department and facility each month, ensuring safety precautions were in place and departments had all needed resources.
Their dedication and hard work helped keep the number of county employees who tested positive for COVID-19 far below the positivity rate of the community. Next time you see safety staff passing through your work area, please say thanks for their hard work and dedication.
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Styrofoam Recycling Event
Montgomery County Environmental Services’ Environmental Learning Center has held two successful Styrofoam Recycling Events in 2021.
The latest was in May at Welcome Stadium. We had more than 300 cars attend the event, disposing an entire semitrailer full of Styrofoam! Commission President Judy Dodge made a pit stop to help and thank our volunteers.
As you may know, Styrofoam is largely made up of air. It is also not accepted through your curbside service, so it otherwise ends up in a landfill. We are helping to address this problem by collaborating with EcoDevelopment – who then transforms Styrofoam into alternative items such as surfboards.
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So...what do you think?
We want to hear from you! How are we doing? Do you like the Newsletter? What do you want to see in it? Don't be shy! Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected]
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