  
Schwartz Rounds
EDIA Calendar of Events
DHS is proud to have officially launched our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism initiative Strategic Plan!
We invite you to join us at the launch of this journey by also participating in the EDIA Dare We Say Love events happening across DHS facilities over the next couple of weeks.
The events include virtual panels, workshops, food trucks and even free paletas! Check out the full listing of events here: EDIA Strategic Plan Launch Events. New event information is being added this week, please make sure to visit again for the most updated information.
Together we can – and we will - build a more just environment for everyone at LA Health Services.
This week the EDIA Initiative is hosting the virtual panel “Health Equity for Transgender People in Incarceration.”
Hear from featured panelists listed above about how DHS can continue to improve health equity and care for justice-involved transgender people. Click on the images above to listen to the panel.
JUST CULTURE PATIENT SAFETY REFRESHER COURSE – From Dr. Christina Ghaly
Patient Safety is a top priority at DHS, and part of ensuring the safety of our patients involves building and maintaining a Just Culture. Just Culture is a concept that promotes shared accountability in a fair and just manner. DHS leadership is committed to fostering a Just Culture across all DHS facilities as a tool to improve patient safety and empower staff to feel secure about the decisions they make and the care they deliver on a daily basis.
With this in mind, I am pleased to announce the re-launch of the Just Culture Introduction/Refresher Course. This web-based course replaces the previous Just Culture Basics training which was retired mid-2021, and is mandatory for all employees hired after July 1, 2021 and to those who did not complete the previous course. For workforce members who completed the previous Just Culture Basics course, this updated course is highly recommended as a great way to brush up on why and how Just Culture plays an essential role for organizations committed to improving patient safety.
The Just Culture Introduction/Refresher Course is now available on-demand in the Learning Link. The contents include key definition of Just Culture, other types of cultures in a workplace, core pillars of Just Culture, DHS Just Culture tools and resources, specific roles and responsibilities of a frontline staff and manager/leadership in achieving just culture and various sample scenarios. It can be completed in 60 minutes or less. The training will be automatically assigned to all employees in the Learning Link. Each workforce member will receive an email notification with instructions on how to access the course via Learning Link. The nurses (RNs and LVNs) will be awarded with 1 HR CEU credit upon completion of the course and its evaluation.
Click on the graphic above to watch Dr. Ghaly’s Video about the Patient Safety program.
Should you have any questions, please contact Dr. Arun Patel, MD Director of Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety at 213-288-8283 or by email at APatel3@dhs.lacounty.gov or justculture@dhs.lacounty.gov.
Finally, please visit the “We want to hear from you” section in the Director’s Beat SharePoint to submit your questions. We will gather questions over the next couple of weeks and will host a special Town Hall in August with a Patient Safety panel that will directly answer your questions.
Thank you and I look forward to working with you all in transforming and improving the DHS wide safety and organization culture.
Video: Minute for Medicine – The Value of Checklists
 In a high stakes environment, checklists can make a world of difference when it comes to preventing errors and improving patient safety and safety. The value of checklists in patient care is outlined in this short, engaging video. To watch the video, click on the image above.
Employee Notice New LACERA Retirement Contribution Rates
 Attention all Employees.
Beginning with the July 29, 2022 payday, employees in Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PERA) General Plan G and Safety Plan C will see fluctuations in their retirement contribution rate.
There is no impact to employees in the contributory General Retirement Plans A, B, C, and D; Safety Plans A and B; or non-contributory Plan E.
Please see new rates below:
CONGRATULATIONS! One Degree Champions
After a month of signups, DHS Workforce members signed up 547 individuals for One Degree!
That’s amazing work to help our patients connect with a free provider that lists all the government, non-profit, and legal services in LA County. Thanks again to everyone and every medical center and clinic that participated!
In terms of the competition, here are the winners:
Group Winner
The High Desert Regional Health Center won the group competition with 181 referrals and will receive a celebration party in the coming months. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center earned second place with 90 signups.
 Individual Champion
Areli Vasquez won the individual competition with 105 referrals! Areli, who works at High Desert Regional Health Center, accounted for 58 percent of the signups at her worksite! Second place, in the individual competition, went to Julianne Lucia with 75 signups, who accounted for 83 percent of the referrals for her work location of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
 Special thanks to Areli and Julianne as an example of how one DHS Workforce Member can make a huge difference for a community and for their teams. Just imagine our successes when all of us make a small effort to help each other a little more.
Although the competition is over, the ultimate winners are our patients. They can now help themselves with durable solutions to all their challenges. Please refer them to the One Degree website when they ask for advice on their various needs.
USC Discounted Tickets
 Benefiting the 2022 Charitable Giving Campaign!
USC FOOTBALL TICKETS
Your participation in Charitable Giving Campaign fundraisers supports our Charity partners and their missions to strengthen our communities and improve the quality of life of others.
To learn more about the Charitable Giving Campaign and our partners, please visit https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/charitable-giving-2/
LIMITED AMOUNT OF TICKETS AVAILABLE
DEADLINE TO ORDER: TWO WEEKS BEFORE GAME
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
Update for Employees Temporarily Reassigned
As a reminder, as part of our compliance with State Health Orders and County Executive Orders, all DHS workforce members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, unless they have been granted an exemption.
DHS employees had an opportunity to request an exemption from the County’s Policy and the CDPH order on the following grounds:
- A medical condition or disability that does not allow them to get vaccinated against COVID-19; or
- A sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance that prohibits the employee from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Please NOTE: social, political, or economic philosophies, as well as personal preferences, are not sufficient justification for granting an exemption.
Each request for an exemption underwent an extensive and independent review.
DHS employees who were pending an exemption were temporarily reassigned from clinical settings. Beginning August 1, 2022, those employees who appropriately followed the County’s exemption process and who have been granted an exemption will begin returning to their original assignment.
It is important to underscore that the decision to return this small group of employees with approved exemptions to their original assignment was carefully reviewed by DHS, including a thorough evaluation of the current scientific data and research available on COVID-19 transmissibility. The safety and wellbeing of patients and all staff continue to be a priority for DHS.
As such, exempted employees who will be returning to their original assignment will be required to undergo COVID-19 testing 1-2 times per week. Exempted staff returning to their original assignment are also required to wear all appropriate PPE as outlined in our expected practices.
The County is still reviewing exemption requests and DHS employees who have not received a notice of an approved exemption will remain in temporary reassignments until further notice.
Additionally, should the current understanding of COVID-19 transmissibility change or should a new variant come into existence that changes current understanding and transmissibility risk, DHS will adjust assignments as needed to ensure best practices to protect the safety of our patients and staff.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be unpredictable, and DHS will continue to adjust as needed to meet each moment with the safety of our patients and staff leading the way.
We thank you in advance for your understanding and flexibility.
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