HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-04 COUNTY
CORRIDORS
I A NEWSLETTER FOR EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES OF TOMPKINS COUNTY
Vol.I,No.II April 1988
Kids Teach Kids '-- _ _ r
About Alcohol � ``By Jan Nissenson,Stop DWI If you think BYOB means "Bring - , .,4 Y B ttl " ou're showin our .• 'our Own o e , Y 8 Y �, �
2,,
age! BYOB in Tompkins County means Ye
"Better Your Own Body"and refers to an , fV } � ._ flain-- 1100 alcohol nutrition education program ♦ ,.
jointly sponsored by Cooperative Exten- e ' •1
sion Association of Tompkins County and / '+ ;' j'?•t
STOP -DWI. I 1:, 4,,
This joint venture began four years ago
when STOP-DWI was looking for a mean- ;0_
�" „ =
ingful education program for elementary . 1 • t ,�, t
grades and Martha Mapes of Cornell's i r
Division of Nutritional Sciences was de-
veloping a national training manual for :, '
teen discussion leaders and a pilot site for
cross-age teaching. The result has been - K
ongoing, unique, cross-age teaching by -.'"
trained high school students who teach
4th and 5th graders. ,,,.1 ...00•1'...
..0 '
The three-session program includes a
IGnien Hedlund,Ms.er,teach..Idda abaA alcohol. Photo by New Yak Slab College a humeri Ecology of Cornea unlhwdby.
variety of techniques such as role playing,
cartoons,lectures, slides and discussions iginate in high school."There is alarming eryday teacher. Hopefully the kids will
presented to as many as 1,200 students in evidence that experimentation with drugs recall this special experience for years to
a school year. Becoming a teen teacher and alcohol is starting in the elementary come.Immediate impressions are reflec-
has required a commitment involving 24 age group"says Brenda Carpenter,Senior ted in many thank you notes from the stu-
hours of training, weekly staff meetings, 4-H Program Assistant, responsible for dents. One wrote:"Thank you for coming
arranging to make up missed school work, our BYOB program. in to teach us about alcohol. We all ap-
driving to schools throughout the County, Providing accurate information along preciate it very much.I like the third les-
being prompt and prepared, and giving with skill building techniques for decision son the most because it had skits and the
three consecutive sessions to each class- making at a young age is the mission of work sheet in it. I think I learned the most
room."Taking responsibility for cross-age BYOB.Approaching the subject through in the first class during the slides. Now I
teaching implies that the teen is willing to "Thank you for coming in to teach can make my own decisions about alcohol
help others gain a knowledge and skills to because I know the facts."
make decisions about alcohol without us about alcohol...Now I can make my This year's teen discussion leaders,
forcing personal opinions and values on own decisions about alcohol because I guided by the untiring and dedicated ef-
them."(The Teen as Teacher.Halting the know the facts." forts of Brenda Carpenter, are Polly
Gateway Driving,M.C.Mapes.) O'Rourke, Georgette Atsedes, Vicki
a nutritional viewpoint provides for objec- O'Rourke, Georgette Atsedes, Vicki
The need for effective alcohol educa- tivity, i.e., alcohol is a food (an empty- Whipple, and Deanna Smith of Dryden
tion has become paramount in New York calorie food,containing no vitamins,min- High School and Deborah Watrous of
erals or essential nutrients)and it is also a
State evidenced by a recent survey show- Groton High School.STOP-DWI and the
ing that 83%of juniors and seniors have
drug,a depressant of the central nervous elementary students in Tompkins County
used alcohol and one in ten get drunk once system. Prolonged use can adversely af- truly appreciate and respect their efforts.
a week. The same survey shows us that fect all body tissues and can impact on
31% of our 7th graders reported being personal relationships.
drunk by age 13. And we already knew Kids teaching kids seems to provide an THIS NEWSLETTER IS F ECYC .FABLE,
that drunk driving reached the top of the impact on our 4th and 5th graders that
list as the leading cause of death of teens.
� may be distinguished from that of the ev-
However, these habits don't usually or-
Healthy Notes Vacancies
WORK SITE HEALTH The Personnel Department(121 E.Court St.,Ithaca)Is accepting applications for immediate openings in the
following positions.These openings are as of April 12,1968.
By Hugh Hurlbut,Personnel PURCHASING CLERK: Process purchase orders for county departments; High school and two years
experience OR one year and four credit hours of accounting courses;Grade 6.
Lose weight! smoking! exercis- SOLID WASTE ASSISTANT: Public Works (Solid Waste);two years clerical experience with one year
8 Stop 8 account keeping experience;Grade 7.
ing!Control your stress!
SUPERVISING PUBLIC HEALTH NUR$E: BSN plus two years experience as Public Health Nurse.
But how do you get started? What's Grade 14.
safe? Everywhere you turn today you see
STENOGRAPHER:District Attorney's Office;High school graduation;35 wpm typing,80 wpm stenog-
fad diets,exercise programs,stress control
classes and smoking cessation techniques. raphy. (Confid.)Grade 5.
It's difficult to decide what's the right ap- GROUNDS SUPERVISOR: TC3; High school plus three years experience OR AA plus one year ex-
proach to take. perience.Grade J.
To address these and many more CONTINUING TREATMENT SPECIALIST: Mental Health at Meadow House; BA in Human Services,
health related issues,the Tompkins Coun- Health,related field OR AAS plus two years experience. Grade 10.
ty Personnel Office in cooperation with COMPUTER OPERATOR/TECHNIGIAN:Data Processing;AAS in Computer Operations or related field
Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Central New OR BOCES Data Processing Program plus one year experience OR High school plus two years ex-
York is implementing a health program, perience. Grade 7.
available to all County employees.
MICROCOMPUTER SPECIALIST: Data processing; High school plus one year experience. Grade 9.
To kick off the on-going program"An
Introduction to Wellness"will be presen MAINTENANCE WORKER:Public Works(Buildings and Grounds);One year experience in one or more
of the mechanical or construction trades. Grade 7.
ted on Wednesday,May 11,at noon at the
First Court House;on Thursday,May 12,
at noon in the Sadd Conference Room;
and on Thursday, May 12, at 3:30 p.m. at Milestones COUNTY CORRIDORS
the County Highway Department.
Division of Purchasing &Central Articles and opinion pieces for this employee and
This presentation will mark the begin- Services retiree newsletter are selected by the volunteer
ning of a series of programs that will be We welcome Ethel Sequeira, our new editorial board based on their interest to Tomp-
available during the year, ranging from Desktop Publishing Operator, who is kins County employees and retirees. Material is
walking, exercise, weight management, working on publishing the Proceedings of welcome and is solicited from current and former
stress control, blood pressure screening the Board of Representatives and this employees,retirees,and others.
and much more! Newsletter. Ethel lives in Ithaca and has
worked for Ironies,Inc. and H.O.M.E.S. This newsletter is published by County Central
Come and learn the details and get Also joining us is Scott Repsher, our Services using"desktop publishing"typography
started on the road to better health. Mark and layout. Submissions must be typewritten
new Buyer. He currently commutes from originals,on white paper,single spaced between
your calendar. Shortsville but will be moving to the
$ area lines,double spaced between paragraphs. Sub
very soon. Scott has worked for Clinical missions will not be pubitshedthat do riot include
Own Your Own Bank Technology and Priority Audio in the author's name and signature; department, and
Rochester area. County telephone number. Publishing deadline
Tompkins Employees Federal Credit County staff will miss the friendly voice is 3:30 p.m, nine days before the second Cours
Union is a cooperative owned and op- of Sandy Bliss, our Purchasing Clerk. ty payroll of the month.Publication and distribu-
erated by the members. The directors, Sandy has resigned to join the U.S. Post tion is on the second County payday of the
who in turn elect the officers,are elected Office in Ithaca. She had been with the month
from the membership by the members. County since 1983, first in the Budget &
County and their families are Material for publication is selected by the editorial
ty Finance Office, then joining our newly board which reserves the right to edit any submis
eligible to join the credit union. formed division in September, 1986. lions. The editorial board is made up of Bill
Although the County provides payroll Chapp (DSS), Sheila Ferrari (Purchasing and
Central Services), Scott Heyman (Administra-
deduction for credit union deposits for its • WHO IS T O MP KI NS tion),Joyce Musson (Administration),Janet Nis:
employees and provides an office,the of COUNTY'S SENIOR sensor (Stop DWI),Geri Roebal (Youth Bureau),
fice staff is employed by the credit union Greg Smestad(Central Services),Marilyn Straw.:
and not by the County. EMPLOYEE IN YEARS OF berg(Office for the Aging),and Judy Tynyk(Alen:
SERVICE? tal Health Clinic). Articles and other correspon.
The Credit Union office is now located dente may be sent to Newsletter, Central Ser-
in Biggs Building B and will soon be mo- • FIND THE ANSWER IN NEXT vices through County interoffice mail,or to News.
ving to Biggs A near the new State Police MONTH'S COUNTY COR- letter,c/o Purchasing and Central Services,Biggs
office. Center Building A,301 Harris B Dates Drive kb.
(=ODORS aca,N.Y.14850 via U.S.Malls .::::::::«:>«<:: :>:»»>i<
Employee of the Month
Music, Motorcycles, and the .
Art of Office Maintenance ,
By Sheila Ferrari,Purchasing&Central Services -1
Harold has worked for Tompkins County for 2 years. In �w
that time he has worked in the County Administrator's Of-
fice, Social Services, Probation, Planning, Public Health,
Mental Health, Data Processing, Assessment, Elections,
Public Works, Office for the Aging, and Purchasing and %
Central Services. A problem employee requiring frequent
transfers? No, Harold is an integral part of the County's .
"Renovation crew,"made up of virtually the entire staff of
the Division of Buildings&Grounds.
In the last 2 years almost every County department has
either moved or expanded into new space.And the"Ren-
ovation Crew"has kept pace—knocking out walls,creating
44440014.
new walls,hanging doors,dropping ceilings,installing light +►z
fixtures, removing plumbing fixtures, installing sinks, run- i
ning wiremold,painting,installing locks,in short,according '
to Harold,"everything that needs to be done to make a space 7 A
liveable." Under the able direction of Bob Mabee, Main- 4. ..;
tenance Supervisor,and Donn Williams,General Buildings
Supervisor, the "Renovation Crew" has made work sur-
roundings more pleasant for most of us.
Harold has many and varied interests outside of work. z ` x
An avid motorcyclist,Tuesday evenings and Saturday morn- a t
ings find him teaching an adult education course at
B.O.C.E.S.,driver education for motorcyclists.A member
F.L.A.M.E. (Finger Lakes Association for Motorcycle 4.6g,
Education),Harold is a certified Motorcycle Safety Foun-
dation Instructor. He is currently teaching one 3-week
course; the next one starts in May. If interested, contact
B.O.C.E.S.Adult Education.
Friday and Saturday evenings will likely find Harold en-
gaged in his other part-time activity—mobile disc jockey for
weddings, dances and parties. His company, Direct Drive
Sound Systems(844-8953),provides sound and light services
for live bands in addition to the disc jockey services.
A busy man—one of the fastest workers I have ever seen
on the job(moved my office in half an hour flat)—Harold
has a message for all departments who have work lined up
and are waiting:
Herold&Itl wondng on office makeover In the Blgge compl.x photo by Bill Chapp
"Be patient.I'm going as fast as I can."
NEW DIRECTORY OF LONG TERM CARE SERVICE IS NOW AVAILABLE
A new booklet,Long Tenn Care Services in Tompkins County, has just been published by the Tompkins County Office for the Aging.
Older people and their families,as well as agencies dealing with older adults,should find this booklet to be helpful when planning for ser-
vices. It includes basic consumer information about available long term care services,who provides them and how much they cost. The
booklet covers the wide range of services that older residents may receive in Tompkins County.
Long term care services are available to older persons in their homes,in the community and in institutions.They provide companion-
ship,nutritional assistance,help with shopping,housekeeping and help for people who are having trouble taking care of themselves.
However,choosing the right combination of living situation and services can be difficult,especially when all possible choices are not
known Long Tenn Care Services in Tompkins County is designed to assist in this decision-making process by providing up-to-date infor-
mation on more than 25 profit and non-profit agencies,organizations and institutions. The directory lists the types of health and support
services that are available for older persons,the names and addresses of the agencies that provide them,information on fees,eligibility re-
quirements and sponsorship and who to contact for more information.
Copies are available by calling the Office for the Aging at 274-5450 or by stopping in at their new location in the basement of the Tompkins
County Courthouse.
1
Harris B. Dates Drive is
currently under construc-
^� � r� i I tion from the Hospital
ae i COUNTY OFFICES Driveway to the north west
e69y /// BUI GLD NGS—A 8 B I corner of the Biggs Building
! A parking lot.
y� __ 7"--
The $160,000 project is
a
under the supervision of the
o• '_� _"' f"' c Town of Ithaca with fnan-
:. o ;� DATES 0,c?. �--� o cial participation by
�• HARRIS B 4-��1 r Z
',,4,_:;. , •� c Hospital and the Pr nit
__ _ 0 Tompkins County,
� .,„, ' y�/ Tompkins Community
c j p -
\ "°'" m ~ sionai Building.The County
is ,,. Highway Department will
o ; _ =i. = I .� s"'`.—` / pave the road.
�� ��.
em t.� _ W '. o The new road will remove
:� ' 14- ? z the traffic from hospital and
,.et
rF _ county parking lots when
› r_ try - I r 7 m barriers are placed between
��, /U r- ry. t--� �� N mow: m the adjacent lots and will
z �F,,��r � � n / A. enable professional building
�uKi• P 4 o staff and patients to access
o
k ffi
Route 96 at the new traffic
0 light. Conversion of the ac-
I.. cess road to a town road was
a state requirement for
provision of the traffic light.
The road is slated to open
in early June.
Will DSS Move? CLASSIF EDS
The County Board of Representatives Planning and Development Committee asked
County Staff at its March 29th meeting to perform a preliminary feasibility study of a move COUNTY PICNIC. The County
of the Department of Social Services offices to the East Green Street,South Tioga Street Vending Machine Committee has set
site of a proposed new Mental Health building.
September 25, 1988, from 11:00 a.m. to
The Committee asked the County Administrator and the Planning Department to com 3:00loye for a County picnic--to include
ment on the impact of such a move on both the space needs and the work of other County empl es and spouses and children,ipicnic will abe
departments,the possibility of selling either of the Biggs Center office buildings,the views retirees and spops pavilion The picnic will k.
of County staff on the impact on service delivery,parking and the possibility of providing a We in the large pploion at Stewart Park.
free shuttle service if the department stays where it is. The report is due in one month. comments welcome July 1. Please suggestions se send n-
comments by July 1. Please send this in-
formation to Personnel.
APRIL IS ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH WANTED TO BUY: VW Bug Con-
vertible.272-4110,after 5:00
By Jan Nissenson,STOP-DWI Coordinator
WANTED; Used Postage Stamps,
Alcohol impacts on a wide range of health and social problems: U.S. or foreign.(please do not remove
It is the most commonly used and abused drug in our society:used ten times more than from letter)Helen Torchia,110 West King
all other drugs combined. Road,Ithaca,272-5917
It is the first mood-altering substance used by most Americans,usually beginning about
age 12.Our kids view 100,000 beer commercials on T.V.before they reach age 19. READY FOR ADOPTATION:Mid-
A recent survey of New York State school students revealed that 70%of our teens drink May,nine adorable kittens.564-9244
alcohol and 31%of the 7th graders have been drunk by age 13.
Up to one-third of all hospital admissions are related to alcohol abuse. AKC GERMAN SHEPHERD: For
It costs New York State an estimated$8-10 billion per year in health care,lost produc- Sale.Large male,one year old.Ready to
tivity and social services. start work.257-1683
10%of the drinkers consume half of the alcohol sold.
Over 700,000 serious injuries occur annually in our nation from drinking and driving.
An estimated 24,000 people are killed by drinking drivers.The leading cause of death for
people under age 20 is drunk driving.
A person who drives at the legal limit of.10%is seven times more likely to cause a crash
than a non-drinking driver.
1