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Home My WebLink About1993-06 -Th A Newsletter for Employees and Retirees of Tompkins County `' /: Jung 1993 TIC J Volume 6 Number 6 NEW NURSING HOME INSURANCE PROGRAM OFFERED IN NEW YORK By Marilyn Stnusberg As of April 1, 1993, New York State, in conjunction with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, began offering a new insurance program to help pay both nursing home care and long -term care at home. Under the program, New Yorkers' are now able to buy insurance policies A „ � n from private insurance companies that will cover them for at least $100 a day in nursing home costs for three years, or $50 a day in home care costs for six years, with more extensive coverage costing more in premiums. After a customer is admitted to a nursing home and the customer's insurance benefits are exhausted, the State Medicaid Program will pick y up the rest of the long -term care costs. The customer will still have to contribute some income but will not have to "spend down” their assets. "Spending down" is the practice by which people s mil, :410 either spend all their savings, including selling things like their house and car, or transfer their assets to children and other family members in FRED "ESCAPES" order to meet the State's Medicaid requirements. Fred Hoffman, who directed the County's Data Processing The program is intended to save New York State Department from 1974 through May of 1993, shows off the millions of dollars in Medicaid costs because No More Computers" cake shared with co- workers who commercial insurers, and not the state, will pay the initial costs of long-term care. The insurers, in gathered to say "HAPPY RETIREMENT' to him on May 28. turn, will reap premiums from people who buy the Good luck and good health, Fred! new policies and who otherwise would have relied "MAY YOUR DISK NEVER FRAGMENT!!" solely on Medicaid. Some advocates for the elderly, however, such as the American Association for Retired Persons TOMPKINS COUNTY GETS IN THE SWIM (AARP), are advising potential buyers to examine Do your children know how to swim? Drowning is the second their individual situations cautiously. According to leading cause of accidental death in young children. Two- thirds the AARP, some of the potential problems are of `those who drown do not know how to swim. Bring your children that the policies do not protect income from to the Red Cross "LEARN TO SWIM" program this summer and investments; that the policies are not portable, so "WATERPROOF" your family for safe summer fun. Classes in that if a customer moves to Florida, for example, water adjustment for infants and pre - schoolers will also be offered. the insurance plan no longer applies; and that the For enrollment information, please call THE AMERICAN RED policies offer no protection if the customer lets CROSS AT 273 them lapse. More information on the long -term care FREE TO GOOD HOMES insurance options in NY State is available through Three long- haired yellow Tiger kittens. the Office for the Aging at 274 -5482 and the Call Dianna at 387 - 6569 Senior Citizens Council at 273 -1511. A NEW FEATURE Brought to you by the Reward and Recognition Sub - Committee of the Employee Council The following is a list of employees celebrating anniversaries with Tompkins County during May and June. If you have any comments about this new feature or do not wish to have your name listed in your anniversary month, please contact Leighann Baldwin at 272 -9257. We hope you like this new addition to County Corridors. r ► MAY James R. Hill • t Richard D. Baker Anna Moses Hazel K. Eva ,��` Marion R. Knight Hiroshi Takashirna Todd Vanorman Arthur D. Dawson ; '"t,3" �C" John G. Maines' George F. LaFave Donna M. Whitaker Marilyn Strassberg 1 m.,)-• (� Roger E. Vargo i 1 Linda Eva i+ Kathleen Drew Janet Boyce �� Beth Jenkins Doreen L Lauper -,(- John R. Lampman Mary L Carnal ` - - • • Earl R. Mix Jennifer Luu L Christoph P. Marshall Barbara A. Eckstrom James R. Niemi Elaine Swan s .....0 Theodore H. Himlan Daniel C. Drew John E. Payne Gerd H. Aasen ( j., Janet A. Cramer Harold J. Herman Matthew D. Whittemore Sharon L Dean Todd Neumann Carole H. Ladd Deborah J. Cooper Christine K Decker Wendy S. Turo Beth Stanton Kenneth C. Frost Angel L Ecker Shelia J. Chace Christopher Ward Mary A. Rounds Marguerite M. Jones Phillip Chaffee Douglas E. Conover Ashley G. Westmiller Catherine Keleher Dwight E. Mengel Leighann Baldwin Sharon M. VanEtten Margaret Kopsa Diane E. Olden Ellis E. Grist Daniel R. Kramer Sharon Sorg JUNE -` Katherine Cornell Lucinda Rothschild Nancy Swoyer f, v Lois I. Hulburt Margaret E. Dyer Karen Bishop Barbara Wright f ) Marisa E. Rycroft Jo A. Hulslander Manuel Posso Lorraine Carvell Janis B. Avery Allison Kolins Jeanne C. Fenner Dale B. Gregrow 1 4 L Smith - Dunham _ Doris Selke Carolyn W. Hewitt Margaret Marks "4 Holly K. Stevenson James W. Strehle Bridie S. Hockenberry Jacqueline K. Yoder Autumn VanDeBogart Sharon Campbell Regina McGriff Elizabeth F. Shults Paul L Cowles Julia E. Ferris Stephan P. Nicholson Sara Hess Craig Fuller James T. Wilson Susanne Gaglie Chris Parker B. J. Ozminkowski Laura Bamhill Carol Mohler Frances S. Armstrong E licia J. Spencer Elizabeth W. Cree Yvonne M. McGinnis i k Barbara J. Mahony Michel C. Kelly Edward A. Kellogg Robert G. Albert P _ j Robert B. Babcock Sharon L Prezioso David A. Drumheller Janet D. Aneshansley Henry L Chan Deborah Kay Strite Natalie J. Miller Edwin A. Brown John Demenkoff Linda Gafford Marguerite A. Dean Robert W. Lauper �� Linda Heberle Joseph Stacy Robert Deputron Vicky Lynn Ahola Calvin B. Nobles, Jr. Elvin F. West Michael P Armstrong, Sr. Dennis M. Quinlan Yvonne M. Bartlett William C. George (If we have inadvertently omitted anyone, please call Leighann Baldwin at 272 -9257, and we will make sure they are properly recognized next month!) We thank you all for a job well done! EMPLOYEE COUNCIL CHAIR'S REPORT By Cheryl Nelson Once mission statements have been established, objectives can be What do these letters "TOM" stand for? It seems that it is difficult to pick determined. Quality improvement teams are then established_ These up any management trade magazine or seminar notification without seeing teams will receive training on how to establish and assess goals. The goals established will then be able to be evaluated by the team. This will these three letters. TQM is the abbreviation for Total Quality Management. Even though promote "ownership" for their job and functions. This type of employee there seems to be a "media blitz" on this subject, it does not seem to be involvement, communication and feedback was a top priority by the county a short lived "fad ". employees that completed the Recruitment and Retention survey in 1990 Total Quality Management is the way of doing business with emphasis This new approach to government management is not going to be easy, on input and rtici lion the roes involved or affected. This is a at first - no one ever said it would be. But, as the old saying goes, nothing very different approach to management from present and past practices. worth having ever Domes easy (or cheap)! In other Council business, there is a separate article in this edition of Corridors regarding Employee Council elections. If you are interested in I : serving on the Council be sure to read the article and complete the County Picnic >_a.� N candidate information. For those of you that read Oh?, the next edition �'• Details -Next Issue .\\., , w w ill be out b r , a . -.. y the end of June. . 1 1 "June 9, 1993 The following Letter was received by the Editorial Board of County Corridors. Louise McEwen The Board accepts no responsibility for content, factual information or Court House opinions stated. Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Louise; Yesterday, I received a letter from an employee at Biggs A asking about Sick Building Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitives. I believe that she has been effected by Biggs A also. Did you receive a copy of the Sick Building Survey Preliminary Stats? Why aren't the administrators educating the employees about the effects of this disease? This does permanent damage that can be avoided by getting out of the environment in time. Something needs to be done and it needs to be done now! Out of 242 employees 132 complain of headaches, 104 complain of eye irritation, 127 complain of sinus congestion, and 135 complain of fatigue /drowsiness. Half of the employees are showing symptoms. The administration has spread slot of rumors and made examples of people who come forward. These employees need to know the facts and that there really is an environmental problem in Biggs A. I know that there is only so much that you can do. I am asking you to please print the attached letter in the next County Corridors. I know that the administration will not approve and I may be made an example of again, but nothing they could do to me could hurt me as bad as the buildings effects on the quality of life that the employees who are still working at Biggs A will have when it's too late. I know I live with it everyday. I would appreciate anything that you could do to get this printed. Thank you again for understanding the human side. Sincerely yours, S/Yvonne Bartlett cc: Barbara Mink" "What you don't know may hurt you! I received a copy of the sick building survey preliminary report and it looks like approximately half of the employees are effected by Biggs Building A. More than half checked yes to headaches, sinus congestion, fatigue /drowsiness and that did not include the people who where already diagnosed and signed out of work. It does not say if it includes the administration. I do not think that the administration is taking this problem seriously. If they were it would have been investigated in 1986, and again in 1991 when (another employee) reopened her workers compensation claim. Instead more carpet is installed after doctors reports stated that the problem was most likely the carpets, adhesives, and inaduate ventilation. We have tried to access records from Tompkins County and it seems that the County has something to hide. We could disprove the rumors with these records, we have nothing to hide. There are some symptoms that we all are having at this time that are not listed on the survey. They include Back and neck ache, muscle aches, retention of fluid, and memory loss. Do you have a headache that is on your forehead, that feels like maybe you hit your head on something, like you should have a goose egg? Do you have a stiff neck? I have no quality of life even now after being out for over three months. I still visit the emergency room about every ten days. I have permanent airway damage done and the doctors cannot tell me at this time what other permanent damage may have occurred as a result of working at Biggs A. This is a serious Medical problem that causes permanent damage. It is an auto - immune disease and the administration should be making you aware of it. I may never work again because I stayed in the environment that made me sensitive to all buildings too long. Is it really worth it? The County is hiding something or else they would be turning over the records that we have requested. I never had an allergy in my life and I have never been as sick as Biggs A has made me. I may have two decent days a week and that is only after getting shots at the emergency room and not going anywhere including the grocery store. There's not alot to look forward to these days and our quality of life is gone, maybe it's not too late for you. Demand answers or get out!" PERSONNEL PERSONALS MORE CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS TO: KAREN and MIKE BARRY, on the birth of David Thomas, Belinda Malpert, Caseworker in Children's Services at DSS, gave birth May 30. Karen was a valued member of the CORRIDORS to Adele Victoria May 20. The staff at DSS would also like to staff - we wish them all well! congratulate Belinda on being chosen for the "Caseworker of the Year" MARGARET HARDING, Retired Director of Office for the award by the Foster Parents Association at the annual Foster Parent Aging, voted Senior Citizen of the Year by COFA's Recognition Dinner on May 25, 1993, at the Ramada Inn. Stephanie Advisory Committee. Delczeg, also a Caseworker in Children's Services, received an Honorable mention award at the dinner. LIZ CROOP, promoted from Account Clerk - Typist, Budget = _ Congratulations Belinda card Stephanie! & Finance, to Principal Account Clerk- Typist, Mental Health. t d� FRED HOFFMAN, who retired as Systems Analyst with the ti• County on May 31 after nineteen years of service. (See front ' 4.11, EMPLOYEE COUNCIL ELECTIONS page picture) Employee elections will be held in August. BYRON "Butch" VANZILE retiring July 1 with over 25 years This year's scheduled elections are primarily for the following of service with the Sheriff's Department. Best wishes for a long areas: Greater Downtown Complex, Biggs Building B, Public & happy retirement, Butch! Safety, and Biggs Building A (other than Social Services). Elections will also be held to fill vacancies that exist in the areas GET WELL WISHES TO: of Public Works, Mental Health and Social Servics. DIANNA CRANE recouperating at home after surgery. Any County employee interested in running for election to the We're thinking of you! Employee Council in any of the above areas is asked to complete SHERIFF EMERY GUEST, now home and recovering from the Candidate Information form below and return it to Pat a heart attack and subsequent surgery. Get well soon! Nowakowski in Data Processing no later than Tuesday, 7/06/93. Pat will send you a "receipt" when she receives your candidate DON FISHER, Public Works (Highway), who has been a information sheet. If you have not received your "receipt" by patient at Tompkins Community Hospital after suffering a heart attack. July 9, please call Pat at 274 - 5407. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! EMPLOYEE COUNCIL ELECTION WELCOME BACK TO: CANDIDATE INFORMATION MICHAEL MANICKHAM, who has returned to the County Clerk's office part -time after his Medical leave. Name TRANSFERS: Position JENNIFER LUU from Probation to Board of Representatives. Department Cards mean a lot ... take a minute to remember other County employees Years in current position who are in the hospital or at home recovering from an illness. Total years as a County employee Line staff ; Management Stag (check one) UNCLASSIFIEDS FOR SALE: I wish to be a candidate for the Employee Council because Red recliner chair with heat & massage - $75. Gas stove, good condition - $100. Lounge chair with matching footstool - $25. Call 387 -5288 after 6pm. I feel I can be effective on the Council because 1988 Mobile Home 14x50, 2 BR, attached porch, partially furnished. Must be moved. $7,500. Call 659 -7248 after 5pm. I feel the priorities of the Council should be Exercise bike - barely used $25. 273 -7583. 1977 Dodge Pickup, V8. $650 or best offer. Call after 5pm (607) 844 -3276. I feel the Council can be most effective by WANTED: Person to car pool with. Will share expenses. Need ride to Old Jail Building from Enfield area. Please callKathleen at 273 -5263. Signature/Date