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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-11 7 A Newsletter for Employees and R¢tir¢es 0 f Tompkins Count y ,. , .H c... t • : > , ., NOVEMBER 1996 r� Volume 9 Number 10 Thank you to Security PFQ UPDATE by Dody Smith, DSS Tuesday, October 8th started out as a regular by Jerry Feist office day but as the day wore on it became very evenfful for all of us at Families Together. Stephanie Delczeg As the County's new Training Coordinator, I have became seriously ill in her office and was eight months been asked to help make sure that all pregnant at the time. Her co- workers - Diana McComb, County employees have it e Kim Dickerson, John Talbot and Cindy Christenson alertedm our security team. The security team calmly took over the the support and situation and saved the lives of Stephanie and her baby. resources you need to • `- Denny Fairchild, Ed Hague, Ted Merritt and Tom do your job as well as Hollern quickly called the ambulance and got Stephanie possible. That means I out of her office to meet it. When we thanked them, will be working with Security reported that it was all in a day's work; it was departments to plan and more than juste day's work for us however. We are lucky offer inter departmental 4 training in a wide variety here at Social Services to have a security team like of areas that complement the technical training you may be this getting through your own department. On October 28th we honored our Security Team at our pre - planned baby shower for Stephanie and son As part of the preparation for planning those Daniel. training sessions, I am learning about the County's Thanks Guys!!! previous efforts and talking with a cross section of employees, supervisors and managers from different departments to get a better feel for what kind of training • s fi would be most valuable. Once we know what is needed, "The test of our worth . • = - ' 1 will be conducting some of the training myself in areas is the service we render." such as stress management, time management, 14Yf i iiu � ? ii: ":iiiciiiiii. ,,, ,,, „ ...._._......... supervisory skill development, and communication skills � � as °— �n � ,xi �- - and arranging for outside trainers with different skills and ”" ;: <; ;;;: styles to balance what I can offer. Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt a ..t -k; €sss s< - ,- Continued on page 2 £ , u I r �t - �� 0 : 1 hankswtn fig 7w,, from your Corridors Editorial Board Supporting Our Community PFQ UPDate by Jerry Feist by Scott Heyman, County Administrator ...continued from front cover More than 200 I will also be helping to implement the Partners for employees and retirees of f Quality Initiative. We are concluding the pilot phase and Tompkins County donated -f , have learned a lot about how to help departments and work money to the United Way units define their customers' needs, how to use data to last year. That says a lot = w go , analyze problems, and most importantly how to involve about how much they care �:; employees who do the daily work in finding solutions, about the community they �•'3 • r.. making decisions, and improving the services they provide. live and work in. � •; Now we are ready to reach out to more departments By the time you �''�.-. '� `s starting later this Fall and during 1997. read this you should have ktZ At my first Leadership Council meeting I heard received Information and a v ,.. � , about an exciting new Employee Suggestion System being pledge card for this year's I Itl Ill '•' .. imp within the Public Works department. When campaign. Please give this I�l`I�r an individual employee with a good idea gets several other your careful thought and !'' �� l, ? employees to agree that a change is needed, they can attention. One or two k) '' p submit their idea to their division. QUEST team i � I I ��l ° dollars per paycheck does a f i representatives and the division manager review the tremendous amount of good `1111. ,i,,,Ia ! suggestion and decide whether and how it can be since our local United Way 4�, 1.1rd4r, implemented. The first idea has made its way through the targets its allocations to the _ process and now, as a result of the QUEST team's effort, people who need it most. Ks Wpoue employees in the Buildings and Grounds division will have input when hiring decisions are being made. 1 997 BUDGET My first impressions of County employees and the I had hoped to provide a recap of the proposed work that you do have been very positive. I have talked 1997 County Budget in this issue of Corridors, but the with lots of people so far and found everyone to be timing doesn't quite work. Watch the Ithaca Journal or call dedicated to providing the best quality service possible to me (274- 5552), Kathy West or Kathleen Drew (274- 5551), our customers - citizens, fellow employees, and the or your department head to get a summary of where things community as a whole. I see Tompkins County civil stand. servants are both civil and dedicated to serving. I look forward to meeting more of you, learning EMPLOYEE EMERGENCY POOL more about the County and the important work done by our employees, and to providing the resources you need to do Discussions among County management and your job as well as possible. unions are expected to result very soon (perhaps by the time you read this) in a pool of fringe hours or money or both for County employees and their families experiencing JOIN emergencies. We have had such arrangements in the past Tompkins Employees that were in many ways unsatisfactory — sometimes help Federal Credit Union was not available to people who really needed it. The hope As a member you are entitled to: is to learn from those mistakes and set up a pool that Low Loan Rates everyone can support and understand, and that will be there when it is really needed. "No Fee Share Drafts (Checking) 'Automatic Payroll Deductions Time flies like an arrow Fruit flies like a banana Overdraft Protection 'Holiday /Club Accounts GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR Ea'No fee Travelers Cheques WHEN BUYING HEATING FUEL by Judy Tynyk, Weights and Measures Hours of Business Home heating fuel and propane are sold by volume Monday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or weight. When these products are delivered to your Tuesday 8 :30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. home, the seller must give you a "delivery ticket" showing Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the name and address of the buyer and seller, the delivery Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. date, the amount and type of fuel delivered. The price per (New Beginning November 1, 1996) gallon of the fuel should also be on the delivery ticket. The Friday 8 :30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. amount of product delivered must be "metered" onto the ticket - it cannot be written in by hand. Questions or Comments (607) 272 -8567 Healthy Heart IQ UP ? Answer true or false to the following questions to test your IS YOUR NUMBER knowledge of heart disease. Answers found on page 5. BP Screening Clinics Coming Soon Kathy de Figueiredo, R.N. 1. A stroke is often the first symptom of high blood The Tompkins County Employee Wellness committee will pressure, and a heart attack is often the first be sponsoring Blood Pressure Screening Clinics at each symptom of high blood cholesterol. County Worksite. 2. Young adults do not get high blood pressure. Blood Pressure Screening is important! High Blood Pressure is often called the "silent 3. If you're overweight, you are 2 -6 times more likely killer ". Having high blood pressure is especially dangerous to develop high blood pressure. because there are no clear signs and symptoms. A person can have high blood pressure and not know it. However, it 4. Smoking is a major risk factor for four of the five can cause heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. leading causes of death including heart attack, Anybody in any walk of life can be affected. That is why it stroke, cancer, and lung diseases such as is important to have regular blood pressure checks by a emphysema and bronchitis. health care professional. The Healthy Heart/Health Promotion Program will 5. Stress causes high blood pressure. run the clinics. Our one -on -one approach lets us talk to you about how to prevent premature heart disease and other 6. Heart disease is the leading killer of men and chronic diseases. We give you the information you need to women in the United States. make positive lifestyle changes. 7. You have to exercise vigorously every day to Each employee receives: improve your blood pressure and heart health. • Skilled nursing assessment 8. The most effective dietary way to lower the level of • Blood pressure measurement your blood cholesterol is to eat foods low in • Counseling on nutrition, smoking, physical cholesterol. activity, and stress management • Medical referrals as necessary Take advantage of this free employee benefit! Stop by and pick up a Healthy Heart recipe and a free ::::::............. P Y P P Y P package of raisins that will count toward your 5 daily servings of fruit and vegetables. Watch for our flyers and check p -mail to find out /, / / p when well be in your building or contact your Safety Officer c7 Jhou ihffu( (ift (Lech done in a (ovin waif for the clinic schedule. l than clinic for the downtown employees will be tell / � / � more o f care and hint / ne .33 than an held on Tuesday, November 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in // //�� the Old Jail conference room. womb could Jack. Robin St. John On behalf of my daughter, Dawn Sherman, !want J count m� A'iendi ah lirnek iJ area cure.. . to say a very huge thank -you to all of you who sent the c'7/ / Q / beautiful get well cards and dish garden/fresh flower /hat g row more beaulifuC each dat bouquets while she was at Cayuga Medical Center. Your kindness and generosity meant a lot both to her and to me! After nine and one -half hours of surgery on Monday, 10/21, and removal of a brain tumor the size of a To all my friends at Tompkins County. tangerine, Dawn is doing well. Thankfully it was not a malignant tumor but nevertheless it's quite an ordeal to go Thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers and through and recover from. support. Connor is doing better than anyone expected and Thank you, once again, for thinking of her ... you're continues to improve, but still "isn't out of the woods." a great group to work with and for. Please continue your prayers, they are working. Louise McEwen Love, Chris Personnel Chris Brill, Finance- Purchasing A TRIBUTE TO TWO LOST CHILDREN BEWARE OF THIS SCAM! by Paula Herman, DSS by Kathleen Drew, Administration Spread the word, the scam works basically like this A te' ° h ',7: You get home and notice that the message light is ' a c ��� �. � � � blinking on your answering machine. You listen to the • 'i T .'4N - '* ! ' ri message, which has several wrinkles, but the best one is �!``!!ii ,�+, ! � 1 ' ��' s ��. INS : 'umm: x x " '� '�* grim 9 ,� 1' , ��-. r 1: AM ,,, ;;; ;;� "r l` ' the caller asks you to call a number beginning with area r te_ Vi m, = r ,'-_�� �i��: !� i mi ! i ii r; =='`� �� .- �: __ .,;: code 809 to receive information about a family member who has been ill. (They may also tell you someone has been arrested, died, you have won a wonderful prize, etc.) In any event, concerned or curious, you make the Tamara and James Burlingame and their daughter call. Sometimes the phone will be answered by a person Alicia were devastated when they learned of the brutal who claims to speak broken English. (The idea is to keep deaths of Sara Hajney and Jennifer Bolduc. Alicia is a you on the line to build up charges.) Or, sometimes you member of the Dryden High School Cheerleaders as were will just get a long recorded message. The bottom lines is, Sara and Jennifer, As James and Tamara watched their when your phone bill comes, you see this incredible daughter suffering the loss of her friends and as they charge, oftentimes more than $100.00 dollars! experienced their own pain over this tragedy, they decided Crooks are using the 809 to do something to honor the memory of Sara and Jennifer. numbers as "pay- per - calls" and to i �`'`: , � ° Mrs. Burlingame stated that she felt the time had come to get around the US Regulations and ":7"! 900 number blocking. Every time ,� I n: use the energy that tragedy and grief had created, to work ; l with these feelings and in turn, create something that you call the number, they get a =- ..( ..==i'=.! would honor the memory of the two beloved teenagers greatly inflated rebate from the ' �i u!!!::ix -:� :- , -..::„ forever. foreign phone company. Since the The Burlingame family decided to plant two trees 809 numbers are in the Caribbean, they aren't bound by on the Dryden High School Camous in honor of Sara and US 900# regulations that require them to warn you of the Jennifer. They enlisted the aid of the Dryden High School charge and rate involved, and also to provide a time Football Team and the Cheer Leading Team and with period during which you may terminate the call without everyone's help the two maple trees were planted on being charged. October 11, 1996. This was the day of the memorial The newest twist to this scam is to page people service which was held on the Dryden High School using the 809 numbers. With the new area code changes, Campus. For a time, while everyone worked, students and people unknowingly are returning these calls. When the bill friends could place grieving on hold while the beautiful comes, there are HUGE charges for the calls. maples were put in their places. A red maple was planted My suggestion is that no matter how you get the for Sara because of the beautiful autumn red of her hair message, if you are asked to call a number with an 809 and a golden maple was planted for Jennifer because of area code that you don't recognize, DON'T RETURN THE the golden luster of her beautiful hair. The trees will remain CALL! It's bad enough that the criminal is invading your as a symbol of the love and sorrow that the community privacy, don't let them invade your wallet as well! feels for Sara and Jennifer and will mark their place in this Scams of this type are extremely hard to prosecute uncertain world where life is often inexplicably cut short. and since you did actually make the call, neither your local The two trees which will grow together will be there long phone company or your long distance carrier will want to after all of us and all of the tragic events of the fall of 1996 get involved. They'll tell you that they are simply providing will be gone. They will stand as markers of lives lost and the billing for the foreign company. You end up trying to feelings found and wishes that can never be granted and deal (over the phone) with a foreign company that feels deeds that can never be undone_ they have done no wrong. It can turn into a real nightmare! We are honored to report that James and Tamara Please forward this message to friends and let Burlingame have been foster parents with Tompkins people be aware of it! County Department of Social Services for the past two years. They have done a wonderful job caring for our Why are builders afraid to have a 13th floor, displaced children. We are also proud to report that they but book publishers aren't are now in the process of adopting the two children that we , ! 7 sw : af raid to have a Chapter 11 . have placed in their home. '= Thank you James and Tamara for caring enough to reach out and express your feelings and -- emotions in an act that will touch the community now 5 W • and for many years to come. 0 TOM PKI NS COUNTY Answers EMPLOYEES to Healthy Heart IQ Quiz An Important Message (from h ) 1. True. A person with h high blood pressure or high about your blood cholesterol may feel fine and look great; Employee Assistance Program there are often no signs that anything is wrong until * Is a situation troubling you or someone you care about.., a stroke or heart attack occurs. -At HOME? -At WORK? 2. False. About 15% of those ages 18 -39 are among * Is a situation troubling you or someone you care about... the 50 million Americans with high blood pressure. -with a CHILD or PARTNER? Once you have high blood pressure, you have it for -with a CO- WORKER or SUPERVISOR? the rest of your life. So start now to prevent it. -with a NEIGHBOR or FRIEND? - with YOURSELF? 3. True. As weight increases, so does blood * Is a situation troubling you or someone you care about... pressure. It is important to stay at a healthy - because of DRUGS or ALCOHOL? weight. - because of STRESS or BOREDOM? * Is a situation troubling you or someone you care about... 4. True. Heavy smokers are 2 to 4 times more likely - and you feel CONFUSED or SCARED? to have a heart attack than nonsmokers, and the - and you feel SAD or ANXIOUS? heart attack death rate among all smokers is 70% - and you feel FRUSTRATED or RESENTFUL? greater than that of nonsmokers. The risk of dying -and you feel ANGRY or DEPRESSED? from lung cancer is 22 times higher for male Your EAP service is paid for by your Employer and is smokers than male nonsmokers, and 12 times available to eligible family members. higher for female smokers than female Your EAP service is professional and confidential and nonsmokers. Finally, 80% of all deaths from offers day or evening appointments. emphysema and bronchitis are directly due to Your EAP service is available by phone or in person and smoking. is there to assist you with finding solutions. Your EAP service is Assessment and Referral or Short- 5. False. Stress does make blood pressure go up, term Counseling or Consultation and Problem - solving. but only temporarily. Ups and downs in blood pressure are normal. Blood pressure becomes Also available for County Supervisors dangerous when it is always high. A single cause of high blood pressure is never found. * Is an employee... - LATE or ABSENT more frequently? 6. True. Coronary heart disease is the #1 killer in the - Working more SLOWLY? United States. Approximately 489,000 Americans - Becoming less and less PRODUCTIVE? died of coronary heart disease in 1990 and about * Is an employee... 1/2 of these deaths were women. - Making THREATS? - Acting ANGRY or DEPRESSED? 7. False. Studies show that even a little physical - FIGHTING with co- workers? activity helps prevent high blood pressure and Supervising employees can be frustrating and having the strengthens your heart. Even among the answers can be tough. overweight, those who exercise have lower blood pressure than those who don't. Your County EAP can help! Your Employee Assistance Program at Family & 8. False. Reducing the amount of cholesterol in your Children's Service of Ithaca offers: diet is important, however eating foods low in Supervisory Consultations that are confidential, paid by saturated fat is the most effective way to lower your employer, and available by phone or in person. blood cholesterol levels, along with eating less Supervisory Consultations can help you sort out total fat and cholesterol. workplace issues from personal issues. Supervisory Consultations help to develop intervention Adapted from quizzes prepared by the National Heart, Lung and strategies. Blood Institute. Supervisory Consultations reduce your stress as a Last call! supervisor. for your floating holiday! EAP offered by Family & Children's Service of Ithaca t 204 N. Cayuga St. Ithaca, NY 14850 607 - 273 -7494 or Must be requested by 1- 800 - 834 -1239 14'r December 1, 1996. Unclassifieds Personnel Personals For Sale: Congratulations to: 1992 Chevy Blazer. Full size 350 C.I. Carl Heck, Planning, and Stephanie Delczeg, Children's Absolutely loaded - every option. Towing Services, on the birth of their son Daniel born October 8. package, extended warranty. 44,000 miles. Black. $17,500. Call John 277- 6822 - leave message. Best Wishes to: Louise McEwen, Personnel, and David Jayne, BAG, and Custom Pine Furniture. Need an end their families, and Louise's daughter Dawn who recently had table? Coffee table? Something unique? surgery. Give me a call - 564 -1088. Chris Brill, Finance, and her son Connor who recently had surgery. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Nordic Track "Professional" model. New $600 - 2 years old $400 OBO. Call Diane Thank you: evenings. 272 -7582 Enhancer for a solitaire. Size 6, has 2 from Sharon Cooper, Assessment, to all County small diamonds on each side. Paid $150 employees who sent contributions to me for the Jennifer Bolduc and a couple months ago. Asking $50. Sarah Hajney Scholarship and Family fund. Your contributions Please call 277 -6462. were greatly appreciated by both families. Wanted: Looking for Dressers - cheap. Call Alison Dear Tompkins County Employees, at 273 -2569 - leave message. 1 want to thank you all for the flowers that you sent while I was in the hospital. Old Fountain Pens 1 or 100. Any I've worked for the County for almost 6 years and have had condition. 387 -9503. more than one occasion where l needed and received support from my co- workers. You are very generous people and I'm lucky to For Hire: work with you Entertainers. The Great Zucchini Sincerely, Sharon Haas, H.D. performs Magic for children. Reach new heights in your celebration with the Articles to be considered for the December 5 issue must be League of Stiltwalkers. Also, received by Wednesday, November 13, 1996. Lengthy articles Juggler /Unicyclist. 272 -7582. should be on disk. Send by interdepartmental mail to Ruth There's no time like the pleasant Pond, Finance /Purchasing or 125 East Court St., Ithaca, NY 14850. Fax: 274 -5505. The Department Head Minutes are available on: UNCLASSIFIEDS f:lcommonldhd918.doc and also in the Classified ads up to 25 words in length are free to County employees, retirees "Employee Only" section of the County's web and their immediate families. Ads may be for any purpose except no personal ads will be accepted. No County addresses or telephone numbers may be listed in page. these ads. Use this coupon to send your ad to Corridors c/o Finance - Purchasing. Please type or print legibly! Thanks! NATIO DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH ft Submitted by Sue Kilgore FAST FACT from HERBIE HEART f Are you among the one million New Yorkers who have diabetes? Do you find it hard to control your blood sugar level? Here are a few tips that might help. With health professional: COUNTY CORRIDORS ..develop a meal plan and follow it Articles and opinion pieces for County Corridors are selected by the volunteer ..keep a record of the food you eat daily, even editorial board based on their interest to Tompkins County employees and retirees. snacks They do not necessarily express the opinions of the Editorial Board. Material is ..check your blood sugar level daily s from current employees, retirees and others. Material for publication is selected by the editorial board which reserves the right ..exercise and cut back on alcohol consumption to edit any submissions except in the instance of copyright articles. The Editorial Even changing one small thing, whether it Board is made up of: Bill Chapp, Social Services; Sharon Cooper, Assessment; is getting more exercise or eating smaller portions, Lisa Eaton, (Proofreader), Finance - Purchasing; Iretta Ellis, Information Services; can help you reduce your blood sugar level. For Scott Heyman, County Administrator; Louise McEwen, Personnel; Ruth Pond, (Editor), Finance - Purchasing; Judy Tynyk, (Chair), Weights and Measures; and more information on diabetes, contact Healthy Vickie Wagner, (Artist), Drafting Technician. Heart/Health Promotion Program at 274 -6710. Correspondence may be sent through County inter - department mail to: County Corridors, c/o Finance - Purchasing, 125 East Court St., Ithaca, NY 14850. •