Waypoint Podcast

Welcome back to Waypoint, an Oklahoma Human Services podcast intended to help you chart your course, by informing, educating and enhancing collaboration in service to Oklahomans.

In our 11th episode, we’re talking with Community Living, Aging and Protective Services director, Jeromy Buchanan, Shanika Lovett and Jayme Winkler, about Adult Protective Services (APS). APS helps adults who need help taking care of themselves, and who may be experiencing abuse, self-neglect or financial exploitation.

In SFY 2021, APS received over 24,000 reports of maltreatment of vulnerable adults and substantiated over 2,200 of those reports. They respect the autonomy of those they serve and seek community partners to provide resources and services that can help vulnerable adults improve their safety, health and independence and continue to live at home for as long as possible. This discussion will teach us the basics about APS, including some myth-busting about the program and how we, as a community, can prevent adult abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Buchanan, Lovett and Winkler have a shared passion to advocate for those our agency serves and their teams work each day to improve outcomes and provide hope for vulnerable adults. If you suspect a vulnerable adult is the victim of abuse, neglect or exploitation, please submit an online report at www.OKHotline.org.

We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. New episodes drop monthly, and will be available wherever you find your podcasts, like Anchor, Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify and many more. Please rate each episode and subscribe so you know when a new episode posts. And don’t forget to share to this podcast with your friends so we can take them on this journey with us together.

In our tenth episode, we’re talking with Adult and Family Services employees, Cari Crittenden and Amber Margarit, about SNAP Education and Training (SNAP E&T) or “OK SNAP Works,” farmer’s markets programs and SNAP as a whole. These programs are critical pieces of the social safety net and help families lift themselves out of poverty. This discussion will teach us the basics of OK SNAP Works and the SNAP program as a whole, including how to apply for or access services. We’ll also talk about how SNAP customers can get more out of their SNAP dollar through the Double-Up Oklahoma program by using their benefits at participating farmer’s markets, grocers or mobile markets.

Cari and Amber have been with the agency since 1998 and 2009 respectively and have served in many capacities throughout their time with the agency. They share a passion for creating pathways and removing barriers so our customers can reach their ultimate goals.

We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe, so you'll know when each new episode drops! To learn more about SNAP and the OK SNAP Works program, search for “SNAP” at okdhs.org. To make application for the SNAP program, visit OKDHSLive.org.

In our ninth episode, we’re talking with OKDHS Child Care Director, Brittany Lee to learn about the importance of early childhood education through quality, licensed child care. Through this discussion, we learn how Child Care Services focuses on safety and quality for every child and the critical part child care programs play in the lives of Oklahoma’s children and families. Brittany also discusses some exciting initiatives coming later this year for child care programs across the state!

Brittany was named the Director of Child Care Services in December of 2020 after nearly twenty years of professional experience in the early childhood sector. She has experience in everything from teaching in the classroom, directing a child care center and supervising operations for multiple early childhood education programs to facilitating professional development and mentoring young educators. Brittany is passionate and committed to enriching the lives of children and the child care professionals who work with them.

We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe, so you'll know when each new episode drops! To learn more about how to find quality child care in your area, visit the OKDHS Child Care Locator.

In our eighth episode, we learn about the Child Welfare Nursing program through a conversation with registered nurses and foster and adoptive mothers, Susan Oliver and Shelly Lee. This program supports child welfare workers by giving insight into complex medical conditions throughout the investigatory process to help staff make the best safety decisions possible. Nurses also support both biological and foster families with training and education related to the medical needs of children, increasing family stability and better long-term outcomes for the children involved.

Susan Oliver is a Registered Nurse and mother to eight children. She has worked for OKDHS for the last eleven years, and, since the recording of this podcast, was named the Nursing Programs Administrator. While working for OKDHS, Susan worked on a collaborative project with Johns Hopkins University that integrated trauma-informed practices into outpatient medical clinics. In her spare time, Susan volunteers at Special Care, a child care program that serves children who are medically-fragile or who have disabilities.

Shelly Lee is a Health Care Management Nurse III for Child Welfare Services, and assisted in developing the very program we’re discussing today, which integrated Registered Nurses into Child Welfare. She was the first nurse hired as part of the program. She has been a nurse for 22 years and has six children with her husband of 21 years. Her family began fostering through a kinship placement in 2012, and quickly found that this was their calling.

We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe, so you'll know when each new episode drops! To learn more about how you can support your community through fostering, visit OKFosters.org.

In our seventh episode, we continue our conversation with Dr. Deborah Shropshire, OKDHS’ Child Welfare Services (CWS) Director, and Patrick Klein, who retired as the OKDHS Adult and Family Services (AFS) Director after 31 years with OKDHS.

Dr. Shropshire and Patrick discuss the collaborative ways our agency works across programs and communities to meet families where they are and ensure they have what they need to be successful. In addition to the conversation featured in this episode, you can learn more about CWS and AFS in the recently released FY21 OKDHS Annual Report! https://www.ourokdhs.org/s/annual-report-2021/landing-page-home

We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe, so you'll know when each new episode drops! To learn more about how you can support your community through fostering, visit OKFosters.org. To apply for SNAP, Child Care Subsidy or any other services provided by Adult and Family Services, visit OKDHSLive.org.

In our sixth episode, we are speaking with Dr. Deborah Shropshire, OKDHS’ Child Welfare Services (CWS) Director, and Patrick Klein, who recently retired as the OKDHS Adult and Family Services (AFS) Director after 31 years with OKDHS. Our conversation with Dr. Deb and Patrick will continue with the future release of our seventh Waypoint episode, so stay tuned for even more.

CWS and AFS are the agency’s two largest divisions, and the heroes serving in these program areas go ‘upstream’ by working together to develop strategies and remove barriers to ensure families have what they need to be successful. In addition to the conversation featured in this episode, you can learn more about CWS and AFS in the recently released FY21 OKDHS Annual Report! 

We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe, so you'll know when each new episode drops! To learn more about how you can support your community through fostering, visit OKFosters.org. To apply for SNAP, Child Care Subsidy or any other services provided by Adult and Family Services, visit OKDHSLive.org.

In our fifth episode, we are speaking with attorneys Michael Figgins and Ron Baze about OKDHS’ family representation contract with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma.

Michael Figgins has spent 33 years in practice as an attorney providing legal services to vulnerable populations, and has been the Executive Director of Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma since March, 2012. In this role, he is responsible for developing staff, program and community resources.

Ron Baze has been practicing law for over 20 years and serves as the OKDHS General Counsel, supervising all day to day activities within the OKDHS Legal Division. This division’s primary mission is to serve as in-house counsel and legal representation for Oklahoma’s largest state agency.

The family representation contract helps individuals engaged with the child welfare system by providing support with legal matters that ultimately affect the safety of children. This contract helps families navigate difficult legal circumstances with the goal of safely preventing the need for children to come into state custody, or, if they are already in custody, help families work through any legal issues to reunify more quickly.

We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe, so you'll know when each new episode drops! If you’d like to learn more about Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, or to access services, visit legalaidok.org. To raise your hand to suggest even more ways we can work “upstream” to support preventative services for Oklahomans, visit ourOKDHS.org.

In our fourth episode, we are speaking with Marla Stripling and Tony Bryan about the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Council, or DEIB. Stripling has served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights since 2019, and Bryan is a 27-year OKDHS veteran who has been the Inspector General since 2011. 

The DEIB Council was formed in 2020 to ensure the agency’s work includes all voices that may be underrepresented. Council members were chosen through a survey process that removed all identifying information pertaining to gender, race and ethnicity. The chosen members represent an array of different job positions, geographic locations, program areas and demographic characteristics. As part of their work, the council seeks to provide DEIB training for all staff to create and provide a safe space where all people are welcome to discuss concerns, criticisms and experiences; offer equity support to determine where inequities and systemic biases may exist in each division and create a communications strategy to engage all staff and partners to assist in the creation and implementation of processes that are equitable and inclusive to all communities.  

We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe, so you'll know when each new episode drops! To learn more about the work of the DEIB Council, or raise your hand to suggest ways we can work together with our communities to be more inclusive, visit ourOKDHS.org. 

In our third episode, we are speaking with Dr. Chan Hellman about the Science of HOPE. Dr. Hellman is a professor of social work at the University of Oklahoma and Director of The Hope Research Center. He has written more than 150 scientific publications and has presented at numerous national and international conferences worldwide. Dr. Hellman’s research is focused on hope as a psychological strength helping children and adults overcome trauma and adversity. He is the co-author of the award winning book “Hope Rising:  How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life” with his co-author Casey Gwinn published by Morgan James. We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. If you’d like to find out your hope score, or learn how you can provide hope to others in your community, visit beaneighbor.ok.gov.

In this episode, we’re talking with Autumn Cooper who is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with the Carter County Health Department. She is a child guidance clinician, LPC supervisor, endorsed infant mental health clinician, play therapy supervisor and serves children and families both in and out of the Child Welfare system. Our discussion in this episode focuses on trauma and its causes, as well as opportunities for workers to support HOPE within families and for the families, themselves, to apply antidotes to trauma. We hope you’ll continue to join us on this podcast where we’ll explore topics that affect and uplift Oklahomans. If you’d like to raise your hand to partner with the agency as we address trauma and other issues facing Oklahomans, visit ourOKDHS.org. To find out how you can support foster care or become a foster parent, visit OKFosters.org.