HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991-03 ' A Newsletter for
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VIP "FIELD TRIP" ' n , , � ,rt W > t,r,
by Jim Bramble, Health Department „ ! •, •\ t""
On February 14, 1991, Senator James _ < --.� �i
Seward (R), spent a day in the field with
Health Department staff members. On the "i 3''
following Thursday, February 21, 1991, As - ! ''
semblyman Marty Luster (D) also spent a •'6 9 1
day with the staff on a "field trip". 1 ,
They participated in the public health t , 7 i fit .
field visits as a follow -up to the "Human Ser- +� %.w
vices Speakout ", held January 25, 1991, and t ': ..
sponsored by the Human Services Coalition` { ` , }i
and the United Way of Tompkins County. t`
the Senator and the Assemblyman S oth
ere very receptive and eager to observe " V/
how the Tompkins County Health Depart- ' ' - '
ment serves individuals in the areas of ,' 'z, • -. 'I
prevention and health care. !fir
Senator Seward arrived early in the
morning to meet with Suzanne Stopen, Assemblyman Marty Luster received a surprise visit from a group of pre - schoolers and
Public Health Director, who introduced him FeFe Barno- Rossi, Director of Tompkins Employee Day Care,
to the different divisions' staff with whom he
would be spending the day.
His firs[ stop was with Healthy Heart was with Prevention nurse, Liza McKinney, further into the field with the Environmen-
Program Director, Kathy Tajeu, Ph.D. and R.N. This was the first time that Senator tal Health staff. He expressed an interest in
her staff. They discussed the activities of the Seward had ever made a home visit, Liza returning this summer to further explore the
Healthy Heart Program over the past two said. "We visited a teen mother and her department's activities.
years. Senator Seward emphasized the im- family and spoke about the role of Health Assemblyman Marty Luster's recent ap-
portance of preventing chronic diseases, Department nurses and the vital function of pointment as the chairman of the State
such as heart disease and the necessity of home visits as the cornerstone of care for "at Assembly's new subcommittee on Rural
educational efforts beginning early in life. risk" families." She said that by talking with Health gave this "field trip" with the staff a
the Senator, she was able to give him a special significance and his visit was eager -
k • c :I,' clearer picture of public health preventive ly awaited by all.
i- K 1- nursing. After his introduction to the staff with
h. 2 The final leg of Senator Seward 's journey whom he would be spending the day, the As-
was spent with Audrey Balander, a Public semblyman received a surprise visit from a
�� _ Health Sanitarian with the Health group of pre - schoolers and FeFe Barno-
He also pointed out that sometimes it can be Department's Environmental Health Rossi, Director of the Tompkins Employee
confusing to know what is and isn't healthy Division. The Senator accompanied Audrey Day Care. The children gave him pictures
nd cited food product labelling as an ex on a Food Service Inspection conducted at they had drawn for the Assemblyman thank -
ple. Healthy Heart staff agreed with the
sery Willard Straight Dining at Cornell Univer- ing him for his advocacy and support for
nervation and explained to the Senator sity. Food service regulations and inspection child care in New York State.
their efforts to educate consumers by con- procedures were explained to the Senator Assemblyman Luster traveled with D.G.
ducting regularly scheduled "supermarket during their visit. Willard Straight personnel Bancroft, a Public Health Nurse (PHN) in
were extremely receptive to this visit. the Health Department's Home Care
tours". Unfortunately, the weather made it im- Division.
The next step of the Senator's "field trip"
possible for Senator Seward to travel any »
Continued on page 3.
People Helping People
by: Cathy Eldridge, Department of Social receive more than $900 in a calendar year, Bridie Hockenberry, Mental Health - 274- II
Services and no payment of more than $600 ($1,800 6200
is maximum). No employee with less than six Hugh Hurlbut, Commissioner of Person -
The Employee Emergency Committee months of service from the last hire date is nel - 274 -5526
has been set up to assist active County eligible. The Committee will ask for new Cathy Eldridge, Social Services - 274 -5616
employees and their families who have a donations every time the Emergency Pool The Committee has been meeting one
catastrophic family emergency for which goes below $5,000. time per month since November 1990.
they need help and /or have been in an unpaid The donated dollar amount of the pool as In writing this article and having it
status for one payroll period. of February 5, 1991 is $13,959.01 and three published in the COUNTY CORRIDORS,
This is one of the bylaws of the Employee claims have been processed for a total of it is our goal to make County employees
Emergency Pool set up by the Committee. $1,203.28. Any County employee can donate aware of the Employee Emergency Pool and
The Committee has come up with other accrued vacation, compensatory and discre- its Committee (set up and detailed in the
bylaws or ground rules to follow (these are tionary hours to the pool by filling out and County's current contract). In the future we
prone to change or rewrite; these are by no signing a form from the Personnel Office or hope to set up some kind of report or regular
means set in stone). Employees who might by contacting one of the following Commit- article to be published in the COUNTY
need help would be approached to deter- tee members: CORRIDORS to answer questions and
mine if they desire help, and if so, in what Fran Armstrong, Comptroller's Office - keep employees informed of what the Com-
area. The employee would have to give con- 274 -5544 mittee is doing, continued development of
sent for the Committee to review the Rick Chase, Public Works - 273 -4262 the bylaws and claims and possibly include
employee's request and look into the situa- Dewey Dawson, Sheriff's Department - the difference between the new way vs. old
tion. In no instance would an employee 257 -1345 way.
COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR' S REPORT
STATE BUDGET POSITION RATING PROJECT Division of Assessment
NEAR ADOPTION would like to welcome their
new RPS program. •
By: Scott Heyman, County Administrator not receiving these by the time they read this
New York State Budget: Nothing new newsletter should contact Anita Fitzpatrick, This is a new updated on
(see February CORRIDORS). 274- 5526).
y ) line -file maintenance system
Rumor had it that the Legislature was The Personnel Committee will be estab
drifting toward adoption of the Governor's lishing the sequence of events to be fol- allowing direct access
budget essentially as presented. On March lowed, including employees' appeals to that to master assessment records
5th, however, the Ithaca Journal quoted As- Committee, to complete the project at a spe- by individual terminals.
sembly Speaker Mel Miller as saying major cial meeting on March 13. An an
changes were needed. nouncement will follow soon.
County/TCCC /Library Position Reclas- Department heads welcomed three new ,
sifications and Pay Equity Project: The members to their ranks at their February
response by administrative staff (Hurlbut, meeting. They were Aurora Valenti and
Fitzpatrick and Heyman) to appeals from Emery Guest, elected last November as o •- _ . eh
over 350 employees has been mailed to all County Clerk and Sheriff respectively, and ,"" o
staff who submitted those appeals. (Anyone Robert Stolp, Supervising Attorney for the �o,
Assigned Counsel Program. • Loved Ones In The Gulf... o
"VESTING" Susan Miller tells us that S Sgt. Mark A.
WHAT IS MEANT BY `VESTING IN THE RETIREMENT Miuerisstill inthePersian Gultanddoes
not know when he will be returning to the p
O
SYSTEM? UnitedStates. in the meantime, Susan says 0
He loves any mail he receives ". If you C
by L. McEwen, Benefits Manager they're hired so you must keep your mem- F would like to drop a line to S Sgt. Mark 0
�. Miller
The question has been asked by some bership date in mind when attempting to here u his full address. Q O
determine when you're a vested member. S Sgt. Mark A. Miller
employees as to what is meant by vesting in y 268. 72.3215 al-
the Retirement System. Very simply, "vest- If you have 10 or more years of credited 354thTFW/MA•AGS 0151 . a
ing " means freezing your service time and /or service • and leave public employment, you 0 APO New York, NY 09855 •
contributions. This is accomplished after ten have the right to a vested benefit. This entit- o t
years of membership in the Retirement Sys- les you to a retirement allowance when you
tem. Please note: This does not refer to ten attain retirement age (Tier 1= 55; Tier 2, 3 N Ir •
years of service with the County, this refers and 4 = 62) regardless of the fact that you
have left public employment. Of course, you
to ten years of membership in the System.
They may or may not be the same. Not all would have to file for such a benefit when you
reach retirement age. I hope this clarifies the County Corridors wishes Mark, and
new employees join Retirement as soon as everyone else serving in the Gulf, a
term `vested for those of you who inquired. Speedy return home!
Field Trip DAY CARE HAPPENINGS
» Continued from page 1.
He and Ms. Bancroft made visits at two of by: Fefe Barno - Rossi, Director Tompkins in my bathrobe and slippers, no one seemed
Home Care Team's caseload. The first to
e o Employees' Daycare Center to notice!
. ouple living within the city limits. Ms. This year has started out to be very inter- Pajama Day was a nice change of pace for
croft explained to the Assemblyman that esting for all of us at Tompkins Employees' all, and now we can look forward to the
home nursing visits allow the couple to Daycare. The first of January all County warm, squishy mud of Spring. It's amazing
remain in the community, and that without employees who have their children in the
what kids can do with mud and dirt! Last
these visits they might face institutionaliza - Center received an automatic 15% reduc- week, as one devoted dad was searching for
tion. The second visit, in an outlying tion in fees from the regular rate. The Coun- his son's missing mitten, his son sheepishly
township, was to an elderly woman who has ty has offered to pay the difference in cost as told how it was lost mitten,
on the playground be-
suffered a stroke. She receives Physical a new benefit to its employees. This means a cause he had been "filling it with dust ".
Therapy, Occupational Therapy and regular substantial savings to employees as well as Our big project for this spring is to en-
home nursing visits from the Home Care having the convenience of a quality on -site hance our playground, just off the back of
Team. Ms. Bancroft pointed out that the daycare center. Biggs B. It's a beautiful space but it could use
visiting nurse is also responsible for the su- Twenty -five percent of the families using a little grass seed, pea gravel, and more sand
pervision of the Home Health Aide who the Center are County employees. In the fu- for the sandbox. We also are hoping to build
helps the patient with her exercises and per- ture we would like to see this number in- a blacktop tricycle path for all our young
sonal care. The patient was delighted to have crease. The staff at the Center strongly en- drivers. If anyone knows where we might ob
her picture taken with the Assemblyman and courage parent involvement, including tain large quantities of sand, old sandbox
thoroughly enjoyed talking with him. lunchtime visits and programming support. toys and play items, please let me know.
Afterwards, Ms. Bancroft and the As- If you have not already visited the Center, Every donation is appreciated.
semblyman discussed the importance of please make a point to do so. There's always If you are interested in visiting the Center,
people staying in their home environment for something going on that's worth seeing! On
please call for a tour or just drop by on your
the enhancement of their physical and men- Friday, March 1st, the Center tried to put an lnch hour. hour. Someone is usually available to
tal well - being, as well as the decreased cost end to the winter blues by having a pajama
lunch
u around. If you are expecting a baby
of home nursing visits versus the higher cost party. The kids (and some of the staff) wore
anytime in the near future and are interested
of Skilled Nursing Facilities. Mr. Luster was their pajamas, ate popcorn, watched a in infant care, you should get on our waiting
very familiar with the problems associated in movie, and even had sack races in the halls. list. Spaces are limited, however County
rural regions and thanked Ms. Bancroft for We were all a bit silly that day, but I thought employees do receive firstpreference. Ca11273-
informing him of specific needs in this area. it was a little strange that when I went up to 6785 and ask for Fefe.
Environmental Health's Rick Ewald, the second floor to the Health Department
for Sanitarian and Victor Rozenfine,
blic Health Engineer, took the As- - 4 _ ril r
semblyman on a field visit to a proposed sub- 4 r '-'• division within the county. Mr. Luster ob ,, • • ( -)
served some of the preliminary activities that clr . , d -
take place prior to the review process which _,..- - y
any development must undergo before r - -- °- .. a!e 0• ,,
receiving approval from the Department. kr"
Three "deep holes" were prepared in order ' �/
to•determine soil conditions on that site. This i i
s r 3• .
testing of soil conditions gives an indication
of the type, size, and design of individual
sewage treatment systems which may be Rick Ewald, Kathy Tajeu, Assemblyman Marty Luster, Jim Bramble, and D. G. Bancroft
serving the houses on individual lots.
Assemblyman Luster's busy day with the Field Trip Pictures
Health Department's staff also included a
stop at the Healthy Heart Program's offices. r
Dr. Tajeu and staff reiterated that heart dis-
ease is the #1 killer in New York State. They Tompkins County Biggs Center '
also discussed New York State's initiative for "'"-'
reducing premature heart disease through 13 u i I d i n g P .. .
p
II
revention efforts. The Cayuga- Tompkins
Healthy Heart Program is one of eight coin- ,,, .4 •
munity programs around the state, and is -.' + 1 a It h D e p `
considered a rural site by the New York State i
Department of Health. Assemblyman 4 1 Dept
Luster left with a sampling of materials on "`
rition, exercise and smoking cessation e a t
are available to county residents from
t e Health Department. He departed plan - e
ning to see the staff again in Albany at the
Legislature's Healthy Heart Day on Kathy Tajeu, Audrey Balander, Senator James Seward, and Liza McKinney
February 26, 1991, and have his cholesterol
checked.
FREE INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE Looking for Information
about Senior Services?
SENIOR CITIZENS - LOW INCOME - HOMEBOUND
Many booklets are available free -of -cost
ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY RSVP VOLUNTEERS from the Office for the Aging at 309 North•
(sponsored by the IRS Tax Counseling for Elderly Program) Tioga Street in Ithaca. Located on the 2nd
floor of the Thaler & Thaler Law Office
FEBRUARY 4 — APRIL 15, 1991 Building, the office can now be accessed
from a newly installed ramp at the front door.
An elevator is available from the first to the
MONDAY VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS second floor where the COFA office is lo-
423 W. State Street cated.
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The following list is just a sampling of the
(NOTE: This location has steep steps) many booklets available:
THURSDAY VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS
423 W. State Street • Long -Term Care Services in Tompkins
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. County
(NOTE: This location has steep steps) • Specialized Health Programs in
FRIDAY SENIOR CITIZEN'S CENTER Tompkins County
213 S. Geneva Street • Housing for Seniors in
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tompkins County
SATURDAY TOMPKINS COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
312 N. Cayuga Street • Medicare Supplement Insurance in
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. New York State
• Long Term Care Insurance in
FOR QUESTIONS AND VISITS TO THE HOMEBOUND New York State
CALL RSVP AT 277 -4545 • Legal Services Project for Tompkins
you the most effectively, please bring a copy of your last year's return County Seniors
In order to assist
Y Y� P 8 PY Y Y For information over the phone, please
and all wage statements, W -2's, 1099's plus any other statements of income. call COFA at 277- 0148.
frxi
vance and assistance in material selection.
` For more information call 564 -9244 even- SAVINGS BOND
ings and weekends.
PROGRAM BEING
Landscape artist Fred Woodland is show- FO R SALE: GIFT BASKETS for CONSIDERED
ing his paintings currently at Ithacare and everyone on your list... New Executive,
McGraw House. Viewers are invited to stop Writer's Retreat, English Afternoon Tea,
in and check out the work. Woodland has Ale House, Lovers, New Homeowners, and by L. McEwen, Benefits Manager
been on the Ithaca scene for years, working more. THE MARKET SQUARE - 277 -
at the Community School of Music and Arts 2090. The County is looking at the possibility of
and GADABOUT. instituting a payroll deduction program for
SAVE A BUNDLE!!! Tri- County Skirt- the purchase of U.S. Savings Bonds. Before
FOR SALE: 3 year old bay Purebred ing Associates. New and Used Installation. we proceed it would be helpful to have
Arabian filly, 589 -6453. Additional Weatherization Available. Call: employee input to determine the feasibility
Roger at 844 -8537 or Wayne at 844 -3305. of programming the payroll system to ac-
FOR SALE: 1987 Chevy Sprint. New commodate this new deduction.
tires, new breaks, new clutch and pressure Would you kindly take a minute to drop
plate. Five speed, good motor, inspected in Corrections Personnel a note and advise whether or not
December. $2,000 or best offer. For more in- In the January Issue of County Corridors: in the you're interested. This would be a great
Cans for Kids/Wrapping It Up article, Denise
formation call 387 -6569 after 5:30 p.m. Green's name was misspelled; in the "Employee help. Lack of response will probably mean
of the Month" article, Doug Henrie's name was no further consideration of this program at
NEED A SPRING OR SUMMER misspelled. County Corridors regrets these errors. this time.
GETAWAY? Plan for a day's charter on the
"Trophy Dancer ", a 28 -foot Carver, for high- FREE U N C LAS S I F I E D S
tech fishing or simple cruising on Cayuga
Lake. Contact Captain Bob Dutcher (607- Classified ads up to 25 words in length are free to County employees, retirees and their im-
mediate families. Ads may be for any purpose except no personal ads will be accepted. No
257 -2025) for more information and prices. County addresses or telephone numbers may be listed in the ads. Use this coupon to send
Makes a great gift, too! your ad to Corridors c/o Central Services.
Experienced seamstress will create •
women's and children's fashions, custom
made especially for you by TYNYK
ORIGINALS, from your pattern and
material. Reasonable price quotes in ad-