HCS Highlights - Fall 2023

HCS Highlights FALL 2023

CONTENTS 04

CATHY’S MESSAGE

06

REGIONAL UPDATES

12

LEANING INTO CONNECTION AND WELLBEING IN ALTSA

14

EDAI: EQUALITY VS. EQUITY

16

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: ELIZABETH PRINCE

17

HCS STAFF SHOW KINDNESS TO A FELLOW STATE EMPLOYEE IN NEED

18

WASHINGTON STATE HONORS UNPAID FAMILY CAREGIVERS FOR THEIR VITAL WORK

20

CLIENT SUCCESS STORY: TRANSITIONING FROM STATE HOSPITAL INTO THE COMMUNITY

CATHY’S MESSAGE Thank you for your dedication to serving Washingtonians! We could not do this important work without each of you. Around here, we know that age is just a number. We are fortunate to have an incredible level of talent and enthusiasm. We also have several team members that have been with the State of Washington for over 35 years! To celebrate their tenure, we asked some of our longest standing colleagues to share their motivations and advice.

Region 1: Kathie Lloyd, Financial Services Specialist 5 Why do you choose to stay in state service?

Cathy Kinnaman Director

I started with the state when I was 19 years old with an on-the-job training (OJT) program. I stay working with Home and Community Services because I love making a difference working with the elderly and disabled. Though I do plan to retire in 2024 and do some traveling.

What motivates you to show up every day?

My staff and never expecting more from them than I am willing to give myself!

What advice would you share with someone just beginning their state career?

Our jobs can get very frustrating on a daily basis. Always greet your clients with a smile and a tone that gives them the mindset that you are here to help. Even if you have to deny, they will know you tried.

Patience and empathy has gotten me through the trials and tribulations of these years.

Anything else you would like to share?

I have enjoyed my 42 years with the State of Washington. It definitely has been a roller coaster ride. HCS has definitely been the most rewarding for me. It has made me a stronger and better person.

Region 2: Perry Kinney, RSW Supervisor Why do you choose to stay in state service?

Behavioral Health has been my primary responsibility, from case-carrying social worker to program supervisor, for the vast majority of my 43 years with DSHS. This program is consistently challenging and often rewarding as well. To see a client succeed in a community-based care setting is both a blessing and a privilege.

What motivates you to show up every day?

I completely enjoy this work, the team that I supervise, and the challenging situations that we regularly embrace.

What advice would you share with someone just beginning their state career?

I believe you can make as much (or as little) out of your career at DSHS as you so choose. Opportunities for personal and professional growth and advancement abound here!

Anything else you would like to share?

As I look back at my years with DSHS, I believe leadership has recognized the need to place an emphasis on independence and community-based living options (as opposed to institutional care) for all of the right reasons! In turn, ALTSA has become a national leader in all of our long-term care programs!

Region 3: Michele Cook, Social Service Supervisor 5 Why do you choose to stay in state service?

Loyalty, I’m a pretty loyal person and I love working for ALTSA. I worked for DCYF for 17 years and it was really hard leaving there. My old coworker talked me into applying for HCS and I did, and I have never looked back.

What motivates you to show up every day?

Our clients, my staff and all the staff in the PA/PT offices. If you work in the Port Angeles or Port Townsend offices, you become part of our family and it doesn’t matter who you work for!

What advice would you share with someone just beginning their state career?

It takes a while to learn the job and just when you think you have, things change. Learn to roll with the punches.

Anything else you would like to share?

I love when we can help someone turn a bad situation into a better outcome. I love collaborating with other professionals and the Tribes on the Olympic Peninsula. I have had wonderfully supportive supervisors, who have made all the difference in the world!

Headquarters: Lori Rolley, Senior Financial Policy Analyst Why do you choose to stay in state service?

I was inspired to work with the elderly and disabled by my mother, Rose Crumb, an RN who was the Director for Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County for over 35 years. She taught Death and Dying at Peninsula College in the 1970s when I was in high school and college and her work with Hospice was my inspiration.

What motivates you to show up every day?

My team, the Financial Eligibility and Policy Unit, working with the field staff and knowing our services change lives.

What advice would you share with someone just beginning their state career?

Get a good mentor, I have had several excellent mentors over the years. Ask questions and continue to be curious, volunteer for workgroups and projects. I have gone back and forth between the State Medicaid Agency and Home and Community Services over the years and working for both agencies has given me a good overall knowledge of how the Medicaid program works.

Anything else you would like to share?

Every day I learn something new. This work is never boring, it is challenging but essential.

REGION 1 UPDATE Tami Rucker, Region 1 Administrator

On September 19th Region 1 Home and Community services held our Annual in-person STAFF APPRECTIATION event in Moses Lake. 161 HCS staff attended! The theme was “Hats off to You”. This phrase can mean many things; removing your hat as a sign of respect, courtesy, greetings, giving thanks, admiration, praise and/or gratitude. The theme fit perfectly as this was a day to celebrate our amazing staff and show our appreciation for their commitment and dedication to support clients and each other. The majority of our staff wore their favorite hat and enjoyed our time together celebrating each other! And, Montana Johnston was our keynote speaker on the subject of Belonging.

REGION 2 UPDATE Front line supervision is one of the most challenging and rewarding roles within Home & Community Services. Becoming a supervisor can be overwhelming as you transition from working directly with clients to overseeing staff and supervising a unit. And while there is a lot of training that is offered to new supervisors, it can be isolating to be learning this new role without the support of your peers. With all that in mind, the Region 2 WMS team recently launched our Supervisory Applied Practice training series for new R2 HCS managers. The purpose of this 6-module series is to help R2 HCS supervisors learn, discuss and practice the essential skills of being a supervisor. Each module reinforces skilled learned in other required trainings and introduces additional topics.

Erin Klones, Interim Region 2 Administrator

In September, Acting Deputy Regional Administrator Joanna Blanford and I had the privilege of launching this training series with our first cohort of 20 R2 HCS managers. This cohort was made up of R2 HCS managers who have been in their roles for under 2 years. We spent the morning part of the session discussing leadership styles and the transition from line staff to supervision. In the afternoon, we dove into more technical topics like Leave Tracker, FMLA and alternate work schedules.

Participants in this cohort shared the following thoughts about the session: “I enjoyed interacting with supervisors from various teams and hearing the similarities we share as newer supervisors, but also leaving on day one of the training with some solutions to issues that can be sometimes challenging.”

“I like the open communication that was established in this first session. The connection was easily established making me look forward to the rest of the series.”

“I’m glad I am a part of the first cohort of this training! I definitely learned a couple of things and there were some good reminders for the things I already knew.”

Upcoming sessions will focus on topics such as hiring, building your team, communication, performance improvement and staff expectations. The R2 HCS WMS team is excited to continue to connect with these new managers in this series. We are extremely lucky to have these supervisors within R2 HCS who are committed to learning new skills to best support their teams and the work of R2.

The historic lighthouse at Cape Disappointment State Park

REGION 3 UPDATE

REGION 3

One of the challenges that Region 3 has faced, along with everyone else, is hiring! Over the past couple of years our vacancy rates and turnover has been very challenging. We are trying to tackle this challenge from multiple angles and one that has been very successful so far is our Hiring Center Pilot Project.

Our Hiring Center Pilot Project is designed to centralize our hiring process and help streamline the work of recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates. The hiring center helps to:

Debbie Willis, Region 3 Administrator

•

Reduce the time and cost of hiring by automating and standardizing the process.

•

Improve the quality and diversity of candidates by reaching out to a wider talent pool.

•

Enhance the candidate experience by providing clear communication, transparency, and support throughout the hiring process.

Our hiring center has been up and running since May 2023, thanks to our amazing AA3, Ay’sha Singleton. Ay’sha plays a vital role in assisting our hiring managers, in particular our SSS5s during this pilot. For all vacant SSS3 positions (our highest vacancy count), we have combined the vacancies into one recruitment. Ay’sha reviews all the applicant materials, ensures qualified candidates get to the next stage, arranges the panels, and schedules the interviews, which ensures everything runs smoothly and efficiently. This has allowed hiring managers to focus their valuable time on their core responsibilities rather than spending hours reviewing applications, scheduling interviews, and tracking down references and transcripts.

The results so far are very encouraging, and we are looking forward to expanding this pilot to our other positions.

Data and feedback from the past four months (June-Sept) have been every encouraging! We have filled 31 out of 38 SSS3 positions! This is an amazing achievement, as it represents an 82% success rate in our hiring process. Here are some examples of the feedback we have received from our supervisors and managers: •

“The Hiring Center new process has worked great for me as a supervisor. The process prior was very difficult to follow and stressful. The current process has been simplified and supervisors know exactly what to do.”

•

“Having a dedicated person who knows the ins and outs of hiring, tips tricks and hints, and a point person with the answers to my questions has been an indescribable shift in hiring.”

•

“Previously, when we posted for a position, we only got a few candidates on our lists and would have to repost several times before we were able to hire. When the pilot started, we had vacancies in most of our teams and we were able to fill vacancies more quickly and efficiently.”

•

“Having a dedicated person that helps with all aspects of the hiring process has also taken work off supervisors and has help create region-wide hiring consistency. For candidates, the pilot has reduced the time spend doing multiple interviews and hiring activities.”

By using the hiring center, we have helped reduce the workload of our hiring managers, avoid delays in filling critical positions, and improve the quality of our hires. The hiring center is a win-win solution that streamlines the work and decreases the time positions sit vacant!

Wildwood Chapel next to the Skagit River and a lush forest near Rockport

LEANING INTO CONNECTION AND WELLBEING IN ALTSA

By Amy Besel, ALTSA Senior Organizational Development Administrator, Office of the Assistant Secretary I hope you were able

•

involving the people who do the work in identifying and solving problems,

•

growing and developing our people through accessible and inclusive training,

•

connecting them to the mission, vision, and values and helping them have a true sense of belonging,

•

embracing diverse ideas and giving people the autonomy to innovate within their sphere of influence, and

•

using change management to help people thrive

to participate in the Governor’s 12th Annual Lean Conference. If you missed it, please click here to pick a few 60-minute sessions of interest and prioritize time on your calendar to watch.

I am confident you will find

Amy Besel

some inspiration and learn something new! Also, please join me in giving a big shout

out to two of ALTSA’s Organizational Development team

through change.

members, Beth Adams and Collin May, for being the only

All of this requires connection and leads to greater

speakers representing DSHS this year with their great

sense of satisfaction, wellbeing, engagement, AND

presentation, “Transforming ‘Discord and Hogwash’ to

ALTSA being an Employer of Choice, which leads to

Lean Thinking”.

better outcomes for our teammates and the people we

And what does Lean have to do with connection

serve.

and wellbeing, you may ask? Lots! Check out our

At this year’s Lean Conference, keynote speaker Amy

Lean SharePoint site where you will see the Lean

Leneker shared the current priorities for the US Office

Transformation model. The right pillar of the model is

of the Surgeon General, with the top two being Social

“respect for people.” This has everything to do with

Connection and Workplace Wellbeing. These have been

connection and wellbeing. This means:

areas of focus for ALTSA’s Organizational Development team during the pandemic and beyond through:

•

Adding a wellbeing measure to the employee survey and using the data as part of Strategic Plan Objective 18,

•

Creating RAVE Reviews, Connection Cafes, Focal Points, the monthly Wellness note which supports whole-person wellbeing through the 12 dimension of wellness, developing and launching Introduction to Lean Thinking, Lessons in Leadership, The ALTSA Way Executive Leadership program, and weaving Change Management learning opportunities into these programs for staff and leaders at all levels of ALTSA in support of everyone’s well-being and stress reduction as we move through the steady flow of changes across our administration, not the least of which is ALTSA’s continued support of tele-and-hybrid work for your wellbeing, and maximizing use of the Learning Center functionality to bring these dynamic, accessible and inclusive development opportunities to everyone free of charge.

•

We have also embarked on bringing Date to Lead ™ to our Extended Management Team, which includes Directors, Regional Administrators, and Office Chiefs, this summer and next spring, to further support connection and wellbeing through building trust, holding each other accountable, and achieving results.

If you appreciate any of these efforts, thank our leadership team as it is their investment in you let that has enabled our collective efforts thus far!

Send me an email or better yet, let us know in the Employee Survey before Nov 13th and share your ideas for how to get better.

Thanks for leaning into connection and wellbeing in ALTSA (see what I did there lol?- sorry, not sorry!)

I am clearly excited about all the connection and wellbeing benefits of our Lean journey and hope you are too!

EDAI: EQUALITY VS. EQUITY

By Michelle Joseph, ALTSA EDAI Administrator As you can see in the image below there is a distinct difference between equality and equity. Both terms are utilized in the workplace and often misused. Why focus on these terms? It is for equity impact! When going through the process of promoting equity by increasing fairness and reducing disparities, you must consider several factors. Below are some questions and examples of various workplace scenarios to consider.

Everyone has the same treatment without accounting for differing needs or circumstances.

The act of developing, strengthening, and supporting procedural and outcome fairness in systems, procedures, and resource distribution mechanisms to create equitable (not equal) opportunity for all people.

Questions an employee may ask when looking for equitable outcomes:

Questions a manager may ask when exploring equitable outcomes:

•

What am I seeking to accomplish?

•

What are we seeking to accomplish?

•

What is within the company’s scope to support my success?

•

What is within my scope to support the employee’s success?

•

What actions can I take that supports favorable outcomes for myself and my team?

•

Have I explored all known possible outcomes?

•

What story am I telling myself about my situation?

•

Are there possible perceptions/realities of what is done for one employee vs. another?

•

What biases might I have about the request received?

TOPIC

EQUALITY

EQUITY

Recruitment

All people have access to the same opportunity to apply for the same job at the same time and with the same requirements. This is regardless of their age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or other demographics.

A person reaches out to apply for the job. However, based on their disability, they cannot complete the online application. The person is requesting additional support to complete the online process and apply for the job.

New Employee

All new employees must attend the same training on person-centered practices.

While attending the training, a person identifies additional supports needed to successfully achieve learning outcomes. A dimension of diversity for this person requires more one-on-one interactions vs. group-facilitated practices.

Performance Evaluation All employee evaluations state the same language,

New statement: “Over the last review cycle, Mariah had a proficiency rate of 80%, contributing to the team’s overall success.”

“All team members met expected proficiency.”

Employee Expectations

All workers are required to meet expected proficiency There is a new employee who began working with of 80% by August 31, 2023.

DSHS on January 15, 2023. They need additional time to achieve the expected proficiency goal. Perhaps a goal for this employee, is to gradually increase proficiency during their trial/probationary period.

For example: By the end of the 3rd month, expected proficiency goal shall be 30%. Support and coaching of that individual may require person-centered practices to achieve the expected proficiency in a reasonable amount of time. This can be necessary for several reasons, such as: • Different learning abilities.

• Barriers to learning acronyms, programs, culture, or tools needed for success, etc.

Flexibility

I am a caregiver for a loved one and require a flexible schedule. Or I am a student who needs to attend a class from 2–3 p.m., twice a week. Equality says all employees will have the same schedule of MondayFriday, 8am-5pm.

Key Takeaway

The examples above are specific with a goal to create opportunities to collaborate and apply a personcentered approach to support each person’s success in their role. Try to refrain from statements such as “This is how we’ve always done it.”, or “When I was a worker, we couldn’t…” Perhaps that is true. Now, we have more innovative options to meet the business needs of ALTSA, employee needs, and achieve client service delivery requirements.

Equity considers the business and persons need for flexibility. A flex schedule may be granted to support an individuals need. Equity also considers the business needs of the team, unit, and division.

Equity does not imply that a worker is not required to meet job expectations and performance goals. Equity creates opportunities for the employee and manager to collaborate to achieve equitable outcomes for all involved.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: ELIZABETH PRINCE HONORED WITH AWARD FROM WASHINGTON STATE HOUSING FINANCE COMMISSION Elizabeth Prince, Housing and Employment Office Chief at DSHS’ Aging and Long-Term Support Administration, was awarded the Unsung Hero award, as part of the 2023 Friend of Housing Awards. Chosen by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, the award honors someone whose efforts behind the scenes have had a far-reaching impact. Prince was nominated by her colleague Whitney Joy Howard.

Prince created the first housing programs in ALTSA in 2010 and since then has championed creating a housing team and expansion of programs available to help vulnerable people in Washington secure and maintain access to affordable housing. This includes working with local housing authorities, landlords and the Department of Commerce to increase how many seniors and people with disabilities can use federal housing vouchers. These partnerships also utilize state-funded subsidies to help individuals afford market-based rent while waiting for approval for permanent rental assistance. This supports individuals to move from institutional settings to their own homes more quickly.

For Prince, the goal of her work is to help people maintain what they want the most — their independence. “When you see somebody who wouldn’t have always had the choice, to see people come out the other side of all the layers with a key to an apartment, it’s pretty cool,” Prince says. “For many other people it may seem simple but it’s not simple. It’s slow and steady, and everyone on our team works hard to make these connections and help our clients.”

“Affordable and accessible housing is one of the biggest challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and older adults,” says Bea Rector, ALTSA Assistant Secretary. “Liz identified this need over a decade ago and worked to address it by developing a team with housing expertise, partnering with federal and local housing organizations as well as private landlords and developers all focused on growing the resources, services, policies and practices needed to increase housing access to the people we serve. She is a leader in the field of housing and home and community-based services, and we are truly fortunate to have her championing this work at DSHS.”

HCS STAFF SHOW KINDNESS TO FELLOW STATE EMPLOYEE IN NEED It was a warm beautiful fall day in Washington, and 4 bright promising HCS supervisors were on their way to a region wide management meeting. On the journey over, the four took highway 24 to Union Gap. On a two-lane highway in the heartland of Washington the 4 noticed a state car stopped on the side of the road. The supervisors talked and agreed to stop and see if their fellow state peer needed assistance. At first the peer said, “no,” she was fine but after further discussion with HCS Kathy Valencia, she agreed to accept the help. Her name was Rosa. Rosa was working in Moses Lake for the day for Work source and was traveling back to her home office of Sunnyside when she got a flat tire. She called for roadside assistance, and it was going to take an hour and a half for them to arrive.

Brad Ross, HCS, opened the back hatch, pulled out the spare tire and handed it to Ryan McGrath, He also handed the jack to Mike Banks, and they immediately jumped into action. Brad and Kathy helped to set up a safe area to work, running up the road and placing hazard signs to warn oncoming drivers of the pit crew hard at work. Mike got the car to the proper height; Ryan removed the tire and replaced it, and Brad checked the bolts to ensure they were safe and secure as a backup. The hazards were collected and placed back in the car and Rosa was on her way. Everyone agreed that the spare looked somewhat low with air and encouraged her to go to the nearest gas station to fill the tire before finishing her 60-mile journey home. A peer back on the road and safe, all in a day’s work for HCS.

WASHINGTON STATE HONORS UNPAID CAREGIVERS FOR THEIR VITAL WORK In November, Washington State honors unpaid family and kinship caregivers who help loved ones with chronic illness, disabilities, and other special needs. These caregivers are estimated to provide 770,000,000 hours and over 16 billion dollars in unpaid essential services, and they play a vital role in our long-term services and supports.

Washington State is recognized as a leader in the nation for long-term care services and supports.

Programs carried out by Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services, Aging and Long-Term Support Administration, thirteen Area Agencies on Aging, their local partners, and federally recognized Tribes are essential to support family caregivers.

The need for family caregivers is increasing rapidly. In 2021, 42,000 children were living with grandparents as the head of household, and there is an everincreasing number of kinship caregivers such as uncles, aunts, cousins, and siblings stepping in to assume responsibility for children whose parents are unable or unwilling to parent.

The Dementia Action Collaborative (DAC) is increasing the availability and awareness of supports and services for more than 213,000 family members caring for a person living with dementia, including resources such as the Dementia Road Map: A Guide for Family and Care Partners. The DAC recently updated the Washington State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias.

To help unpaid family caregivers get a break from caregiving, learn new skills, and access self-care and wellness resources, innovative programs like the Medicaid Transformation Project and WA Cares, Washington’s long term care trust, will bring new sources of funding.

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) has expanded access to nutrition for eligible older adults with an electronic benefit card. This electronic benefit card provides $80 for each eligible older adult to access fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey, and herbs at participating farmers markets, farm, and roadside stands.

As the state’s older population is expected to increase, and family caregivers are facing workforce challenges and population shifts that decrease the number of family members available to care for their older relatives, comprehensive supports for family caregivers are essential.

Therefore, Governor Jay Inslee has proclaimed November 2023 as a month to honor and recognize the unpaid family and kinship caregivers who help friends, neighbors, and loved ones with chronic illness, disabilities, and other special needs.

Let’s support and recognize the incredible contributions of family caregivers who provide essential services to our loved ones. We should ensure that these caregivers have access to the resources they need to continue their vital work.

CLIENT SUCCESS STORY

FROM STATE HOSPITAL INTO THE COMMUNITY A 20-year-old client was admitted to Eastern State Hospital (ESH) in August of 2014; he had little family support and spent the next four years living at ESH. In 2018, the client moved to a residential setting; however, he was unsuccessful. After three weeks, he returned to ESH for the next three years. During this time, the Governor’s Opportunity for Supportive Housing (GOSH) was a newly developed program. At the time HCS started working with him, no providers were willing to work with him due to his history of non-compliance with treatment. We presented the client with the option of working with GOSH to find independent housing.

In 2020, the client was referred to and accepted by a GOSH provider, willing to work with him to find housing post-discharge from ESH. Residential settings had been exhausted, leaving independent housing as the only option for him. The client is a member of the Colville Tribe and was able to offer payee services; however, there were no other tribal services that could help with stability in the community that we were aware of. To the team’s knowledge, the client had never lived independently and had spent a considerable amount of time hospitalized.

While at ESH, the client had a period of times when he was cooperative and ready for discharge planning and other times when he was assaultive, putting his discharge planning on hold. GOSH continued to work slowly with the client to secure independent housing.

In 2022, after working with a GOSH provider while at ESH for over 1.5 years, an apartment was secured for the client. The client was anxious and stressed about moving into the community after being at ESH for the majority of his young adult life; his treatment team slowly assisted by taking him out into the community to get him comfortable and assist with setting up his apartment with all of the items that would make his transition smooth.

After eight months of working with his treatment team at ESH, the client could transition to the community into his own apartment.

He had the support of a caregiver coming in to assist with some everyday living tasks, such as grocery shopping and cooking, which he had never had to do for himself while at ESH. His GOSH case manager was able to assist with getting him to his appointments in the community, and his Tribal Payee was able to assist with helping him manage his money.

The client maintained his status in the community with these supports for over half a year, the longest he had been out of ESH in over eight years! HCS has continued and will continue to work with him during his setbacks in the community as he continues to have trips in and out of ESH stays as part of his overall process and journey toward success and independence.

Do you have a story tip? Want to submit a photo of Washington’s scenery?

SEND THEM TO CYNTHIA.SHIPLEY@DSHS.WA.GOV!