Administration

Break the Stigma - Dealing with Mental Illness

What does professional golfer, Tadd Fujikawa, singer, Demi Lovato, NBA player Kevin Love, and former KHON2 anchor, Ron Mizutani have In common?

They all publicly professed to have a form of mental illness.

Perhaps you or a loved one have experienced depression or anxiety especially during the global pandemic.

While I normally write about physical health and wellness, I’d like to instead emphasize the importance of taking care of our mental health and BREAK THE STIGMA surrounding mental illness.

The experts warn that now, more than ever, we should be vigilant and watch for signs of anxiety or depression during these challenging times.

“WHILE WE ARE working very hard around the pandemic, there is a mental health crisis happening,” said Sondra Leiggi-Brandon, QMC Director, Behavioral Health Services. “As people feel more and more isolated from their social networks, and face economic struggles and uncertainty…, we’ve seen an increase in struggles with mental health,” said Leiggi-Brandon.

“This is the time to look for signs of family members or friends who are experiencing depression, suicidal thoughts, and/or other mental health crises.”

Within HDOT, we have lost employees to suicide during the pandemic. No one wants to talk about it, but I think we should start the conversation because this is too important to stay silent.

Mental illness is real and it is common. We all need help from time to time, and we should not feel ashamed to ask for it.

As a state employee, we have free counseling sessions through WorkLife Hawaii.

Call to make an appointment to talk to a professional counselor about such issues as:

• Marriage/Family issues • Stress • Depression • Anxiety • Relationship Endings/Divorces • Grief/Loss • Drugs and Alcohol Use • Financial Stress • Adjusting to change • Or other issues you might see a counselor for

By: Melanie Martin

To speak to a counselor, call WorkLife Hawaii. On Oahu, call (808) 543-8445. On the neighbor islands, call toll free (800) 994-3571.

Administration

Cybersecurity Awarness Month

By: Darren Cantrill

Cybersecurity Awareness Month—previously known as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month— continues to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity across our Nation, ensuring that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online. What about my computer(s), tablets, any device that connects to the Internet?

Check to see how many devices are connected to your WI-FI and if they belong to you!

Do you separate your connected devices from your computer network?

Why does cybersecurity matter in a home?

How many of us have a smart assistant turning on the lights, checking our calendars and helping to automate our lives?

How many have alarm systems and security companies that monitor our alarms and respond to break-ins? Ask yourself, what am I really protecting? A good practice to have is to separate your connected devices on a different IP address range than your computer network.

I will refer you to this LINK. Or search for “how to run multiple networks in your home.”

With the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more of us are working from home.

Our home networks have become a hub for our personal information and our crucial business information as well.

This bypasses the tens of thousands of dollars most businesses put in place with enterprise firewalls.

It also leaves business data in the hands of a more vulnerable home network.

Take the time now, during this cybersecurity awareness month, to check everything out BEFORE you add more devices at Christmas.

Expensive electronics, jewelry, and our personal safety and protection. But what about our bank accounts and financial information?

It is estimated that cybercrime damage will be $6 trillion in 2021.

When was the last time you checked your devices?

Look at all the electronic devices in your house and work backwards from the Internet. Does my Internet/Wi-Fi router have an updated firmware available?

Administration

Justice40 Initiative and Title VI

By: Randall Landry

As you may or may not know, the federal government is pushing through changes focusing on equity (among other priorities).

Depending on where you work in HDOT, you may have heard from me about Environmental Justice concerns or worked with partner agencies or stakeholders that have an explicit equity focus as part of their agency (for example, the City & County of Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resiliency). environmental protection for all communities.

Environmental justice serves as a foundational base for these new actions from President Joe Biden.

The White House is furthering the goals of these Executive Orders via the Justice40 initiative, which strives to deliver 40 percent of overall benefits of relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities.

The U.S. President has implemented Executive Orders 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support For Underserved Communities Through The Federal Government, and 14008, Tackling The Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, both of which have a renewed emphasis on equal opportunity and Environmental Justice. This Justice40 initiative may bring policy or programmatic changes to how the U.S. DOT and its umbrella agencies (such as Federal Highways Administration, Federal Transit Administration or Federal Aviation Administration) handles grants, projects, etc., and may be of interest to you to find out more and participate to ensure your voice is heard in this process.

For those who do not know, what is Environmental Justice?

Environmental Justice as a policy priority stems from Executive Order 12898 titled Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, issued by President Bill Clinton in 1994.

This order served to focus federal attention on the environmental and human health effects of federal actions on minority and lowincome populations with the goal of achieving The U.S. DOT will be holding two public meetings to discuss the Justice40 initiative from 7-8 a.m. Nov. 9 and Nov. 16 (HST).

You can read more about the Justice40 initiative and register for these public meetings here.

Any questions about Title VI, Environmental Justice, Language Access, or equity generally and how to better implement equity initiatives within HDOT, please call or email Randall Landry at Randall.T.Landry@Hawaii.gov at (808) 8317921.