CHFS Community Podcast

Early childhood development is an issue that touches everyone in Kentucky, including at-risk families, children with special needs, working parents and businesses that rely on dependable employees. From First Steps to Head Start, to after-school programs, there is an ongoing need for early childhood programs in our state. Join me as I discuss this important issue with Dr. Sarah Taylor Vanover, director of the division of child care at DCBS. Sarah began her career as a daycare infant room assistant and went on to work in preschool, public school, and Head Start in support and management roles. She brings her vast knowledge and experience to the cabinet as an accomplished leader, author and advocate for children across the Commonwealth.

David Knapp is the Kentucky Training Finder Real-time Affiliate Integrated Network (TRAIN) Administrator and Special Projects Manager in the Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Branch. He was born in Pasadena, California and lived a number of places before landing in Louisville, Kentucky as a teenager.

As a University of Louisville graduate in biology, David has a lifelong interest in science. His job at EWD is a combination of science, technology, and workforce development. David and I discuss the evolution of the TRAIN Learning Management system, which is a multifunctional web-based training system tailored to public health organizations.  It is made available to our cabinet, state government, hospitals, EMS, Universities and other public and private sector partners.  The training is available 24 hours a day and has gone from one learner in 2003 to three million users as of February 2021, with over 50,000 courses available for free continuing education.

David is also a recipient of the 2020 Ted Ervin Award in recognition of this outstanding service and contributions to the field of public health. He has assisted federal, state, and local health agencies throughout the country in improving their workforce development activities. Sometimes we don’t understand the magnitude of our impact as CHFS employees, and because of this, I want to thank David personally for his selfless dedication, creative vision, and outstanding leadership at DPH.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, I had a conversation with Edward Clark, Branch Manager for Aging Services in the Department for Aging and Independent Living (DAIL). We marveled at how DAIL has successfully managed to feed senior Kentuckians since the March 13, 2020 closure of senior centers due to COVID-19, when meals went from group dining in senior centers to drive-through and home-delivered. DAIL and its partners went above the call of duty and through hard work and creativity managed to provide over one-and-a-half million more meals than the previous year.

Isolation has been a problem for most people during the pandemic, especially for seniors. Edward provides advice about how CHFS employees can better help seniors as they struggle with isolation --starting with one’s own family. Edward is not just an advocate for the elderly, however, he is also a champion for kids as a parent of five adopted children ages six to twelve. Edward shares how he balances a large family and three dogs with his important work responsibilities – hint, he wakes up early. Like many CHFS employees, Edward gives back to the community at every opportunity and we are proud to share his life and story with you.

The Kentucky Employee Assistance Program (KEAP) provides a tremendous service for CHFS employees with personal and work-related concerns. These services are free and open to state employees and their dependents. On this week’s episode of CHFS Community, Benefits Branch Manager Trina Wilkins Koontz and I have a conversation about the importance of being trauma informed as a cabinet, and making sure CHFS employees are aware of resources that can improve their mental health and well-being.

KEAP can assist with:

• Stress, anxiety, depression
• Mental health concerns
• Marital, parenting, eldercare issues
• Substance abuse
• Work-related stress
• Financial concerns
• Grief and loss
• Home or workplace violence
• Crisis response
• Management consultation

Trina dispels the notion that KEAP is the place to go after things get really bad, and encourages employees to make a phone call when problems first arise. The call is 100% confidential and employees do not have to use their names.

Trina and her colleagues are licensed or certified by the Kentucky Board of Psychology and experienced in assisting those with personal and work-related issues. To schedule an appointment or workshop, call KEAP: 502-564-5788 or 800-445-5327. 

Today’s guest is Katie Marks, Ph.D, Project Director for the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort (KORE), which includes the SAMHSA-funded State Opioid Response grants awarded to the CHFS Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities.

Dr. Marks was raised on a farm in Jefferson County and attended Murray State for her undergraduate degree. After completing her Master’s degree at American University, she returned to the commonwealth to obtain her Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Marks’ utilizes her research background in substance use disorder treatment and behavioral health recovery to guide KORE. She shares a passion for data, implementation science, and community engagement with her many collaborators in the Cabinet. We wholeheartedly agree that treatment works, and recovery is possible.

If you or someone you know needs information about recovery, go to findhelpnow.org or call 1-800-854-6813.

Today’s guest is Ivy Alexander, Executive Director of the Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs (OCSHCN). This is a position I once held that is very near and dear to my heart. Ivy comes from a family of scientists and engineers, and graduated with a BS in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on rehabilitation. Part of her education was to design devices and systems that make children’s lives easier. She is now responsible for policymaking and the administration of all programs related to specialty medical and therapeutic services for children with special health care needs.

OCSHCN has 11 offices across the state and has made every effort to be involved in local communities over the years, from community baby showers to booths in county fairs. This advocacy has increased awareness and access to health care in smaller towns where traveling teams of doctors see children and families. Ivy’s office was on the cutting edge of telehealth with OCSHCN's autism and neurology program even before COVID-19. Building on this, a grant was recently received to allow families to consult with physicians from their homes. Ivy has some exciting goals for 2021 to further support and provide health care access to children across the commonwealth.

I miss working directly with children at OCSHCN, but I am grateful for exemplary leaders like Director Alexander who enhance the quality of life for Kentucky’s children with special health care needs.

As we continue talking to team members across the cabinet, we are delighted to share a recent conversation with IT Specialist Chad Heilig. His CHFS career began about 15 years ago as an IT Contractor. One year later he was offered a full time job at CHFS. His current area is SharePoint applications. SharePoint allows employees to create websites, and provides a secure place to consolidate, organize, and access information from any device. The collaboration platform has been crucial during COVID-19 because it allows people to approve and resubmit important documents remotely. I am personally in awe of how quickly our IT staff pulled it together during the early days of the pandemic. Every computer specialist at CHFS should be proud of your contributions. Although most IT professionals prefer to remain in the background, we can all agree that their work is essential for every member of the cabinet. After all, someone has to keep all of this software and hardware working correctly.

New year, new music, and new guests. We start off 2021 with a fascinating conversation with Lynn Gillis, Assistant Director of the Division of HR Administration with OHRM. Her division makes sure you get your paycheck, while maintaining employment actions and administering benefit information --along with many other behind-the-scenes responsibilities.

Lynn marvels at how much training HR has been able to accomplish during COVID-19, as they have gotten used to using Teams and ZOOM conferencing. She says telecommuting has been a challenge, but presents better opportunities for work-life balance in the future. We both agree that the most important skills CHFS employees can master in 2021 includes a strong work ethic, a desire to succeed, and the ability to work as a team.

Throughout this pandemic we have indeed worked hard and supported each other. As a result we have lifted individuals, responded to emergencies, and provided lifesaving services to Kentuckians across the commonwealth. Whether up front or behind-the-scenes, each one of you have contributed in your own way to a better tomorrow in 2021. Please know your efforts are deeply, deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

Secretary Eric Friedlander

In the spirit of introducing folks across the cabinet, this week’s CHFS Community conversation is with Heather Morris, Administrative Specialist with the Clinical Services Branch at BHDID. She has been with BHDID since 2001 and her main job is keeping Kentuckians with intellectual/developmental disabilities safe.

We discuss how COVID-19 has changed the way we work and how we communicate. Evolving to meet technological challenges has become extremely important this year at CHFS. Heather credits her success to fellow employees who, “pull together, step up, and make sure things get done.”

I am proud to say that Heather is one of many CHFS employees who volunteer, in addition to their full-time jobs helping people. For the past 15 years, BHDID has provided Christmas gifts to children and families receiving services through The Sunshine Center in Frankfort. The Sunshine Center provides services for survivors and families who have experienced abuse or neglect. They also provide counseling, therapies, and supervised visitation. Heather won a Governor’s Service Award 10 years ago for her service.

This week’s discussion with Rashaad Abdur-Rahman is about leadership and cabinet-wide unity. Rashaad brings a rich background to BHDID as an individual and family therapist who assisted those who experienced abuse and trauma. From there, his managerial opportunities led him to the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods with Louisville Metro Government, where we worked together. Last Spring, he accepted a job with CHFS as an Executive Advisor for BHDID.

In this episode, we discuss our common goal to develop a cabinet that is unified in addressing racial disparities across the department and state behavioral health systems. We agree that this needs to start from the ground up as individuals and families receive the assistance they need with an extra dose of humanity and compassion.