APRIL 2020
NEWSFEED
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION Staff responding during a pandemic
ALAMEDA COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY • OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS & COMMUNITY RELATIONS • EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
IN THIS ISSUE 1 Essentially Connected 1 Reflections from the Front Line 3 The Elasticity of Kindness Can Never Be Masked 4 Essential Faces, Meeting Essential Needs
County of Alameda Social Services Agency
Essentially Connected
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WRITTEN BY: Sylvia Soublet, Director of Public Affairs and Community Relations
he faces behind the masks are not strangers. We know them. We recognize the voices. We’ve looked into their eyes. Even the glove-clad hands seem strangely familiar. But the circumstances are foreign to us. We alternate between concern and commitment, trying to contain our emotions ranging from sadness to fear as we consume the news stories night after night. Social Services Agency staff at every level—whether working in the office, at home, or in the community—start each workday knowing we are not invulnerable. There is no playbook for this. We are trying our best to navigate this turbulent terrain and maintain some semblance of normalcy during the most abnormal of times.
As with most crises, a new lexicon has emerged that captures the magnitude of the moment: essential worker, social distancing, flatten the curve, non-essential worker, physical isolation, bend the curve, and physical distancing. We have learned new ways to connect beyond physical presence through virtual happy hour, virtual dance party, virtual birthday celebrations, and even virtual religious services. We adapt our behavior as circumstances dictate. Beyond fear, loss, uncertainty, terminology, and news reports, one simple fact has emerged: we are essentially connected beyond job titles, socio-economics, ethnicity, income ranges, gender orientation, and political affiliation. Continued on page 2
Top center: Staff at the Eastmont SelfSufficiency Center Right (top): Customers in line outside the Eden Area Multi-Service Center Right (bottom): Staff at the North Oakland office
Continued from page 1: Essentially Connected SSA staff are essentially connected to the people standing in lines outside our offices with crumpled pieces of paper containing all of their vital information. They are essentially connected through the distribution of mail, through phone calls of reassurance, through processing applications, through food distribution, through protection of seniors, and through the care of vulnerable children. These are normal, ordinary activities of everyday Agency life, but now they are also the connections that can help raise people beyond their circumstances and, yes, survive a pandemic. This is what essential connections look like. Staff at Adult & Aging Services
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Reflections from the Front LIne: Interviews with SSA Staff
’m glad that we did not close because we’re seeing an influx of people coming in who really, truly need the assistance,” says Dana Hodge, Social Worker III. Hear directly from colleagues on what role they play in delivering SSA’s essential services, how they feel about serving the public during this pandemic, and how they are keeping safe and optimistic. Click on the photos to view each video.
Dana Hodge Social Worker III, Workforce & Benefits Administration
Anthony Marchante Veteran Services Officer, Adult & Aging Services
Nestor Manjarrez Eligibility Support Clerk, Workforce & Benefits Administration
Shaeonna Muhammad Service Support Specialist In-Home Supportive Services, Adult & Aging Services
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The Elasticity of Kindness Can Never be Masked
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WRITTEN BY: Sylvia Soublet, Director of Public Affairs & Community Relations
he frenzy began immediately when the news broke that the CDC and local health officials recommended that we wear “face coverings” when out in the community—whether at grocery stores or at work interacting with each other and the public. Everyone took to Amazon and, predictably, everything was sold out. Those of us without access to the black market or Dark Web—which I’m guessing is the vast majority of SSA staff—were left to our own devices. Next came the YouTube influencers who presented some ingenious methods for creating protective masks that incorporated some fashion flare. Well, let me just say, do not sleep on Social Services managers. They can channel their Project Runway alter egos when the circumstances call for it. Amada Robles, WBA Division Director was not going to settle for having staff work through the initial County stay at home order from March 17 through April 7, without some form of face protection. If she could not purchase masks she would make them. While on site at Hayward on April 6, I asked Amada where she came up with the idea.
“I saw some of our staff who were here every day managing the line of customers needing our services. They did it day after day without complaint to make sure that our customers received the service they deserve at such a critical time.” - Amada Robles
“I saw some of our staff who were here every day managing the line of customers needing our services,” Amada said. “They did it day after day without complaint to make sure that our customers received the service they deserve at such a critical time. I also noticed that a number of them were not wearing any face protection, and when I asked, they said they could not find any. I was worried for them. When I could not find any face protection to purchase because everywhere I looked was sold out, I decided to make my own. I had the perfect fabric.”
Amada soon learned it would take more than the perfect fabric; it would take sheer determination. When she tried to purchase elastic—you guessed it— it was sold out everywhere. Just when the project was coming apart at the seams, Amada shared her elastic frustration with fellow Division Director, Hannia Casaw-Barnell, who had the perfect solution. As fate would have it, Hannia remembered that her mom had a secret stash (as only moms do) of elastic. Legend has it, during Hannia’s mom’s travels to Costa Rica (Hannia’s native home) 15 years ago, she purchased elastic to make baby clothes for Hannia’s then infant daughter who is now…do the math, 15. Hannia shared the elastic conundrum with her mom… and I don’t think it’s a stretch to guess what happened next. Whether you call them face masks or face coverings, the protection afforded to many WBA staff was crafted from imported vintage elastic and human kindness woven into each thread. Thank you to Amada, Hannia, and King Yee Chiu (Hannia’s mom)!
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Essential Faces, Meeting Essential Needs In spite of changes to our workspaces and customer lobbies, our modes of service delivery, and even what we must wear to work (face coverings!), the smiles are still there. Thank you to all SSA staff, for everything you do. *Photos were taken during the Week of April 6, prior to the mandatory face covering directive.
CONTACT THE BUZZ Send comments to Sylvia Soublet • ssoublet@acgov.org Content and Design Editor: Andrea Wong
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