  
MANDATORY FY 22-23 PAYROLL PAYOFF AUDIT DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 28
 This will take few seconds to complete
To comply with County Fiscal Manual, Section 3.1.12, Warrant Distribution Controls, a Payroll Payoff audit must be conducted to ensure that all employees receiving pay or benefits are bona fide. To accomplish this, DHS employees are required to complete the electronic Payroll Payment Reconciliation Payoff Form. Please click on the link below to access the form. The form has only seven simple questions and it will take few seconds to complete (see below screenshot).
Action Requested:
-
All DHS employees receiving pay or benefits from the County are required to complete the electronic form and must type their name under Electronic Signature for their submissions to be valid. The form must be completed and submitted no later than 2/28/2023.
- Below is the link to the 2023 Payroll Payment Reconciliation Payoff Audit form.
https://forms.office.com/g/SWnFR86NN1
This requires your timely and accurate response. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Should you have questions, or need additional assistance in submission or approval, please email your department’s coordinator listed below:
  
Schwartz Rounds - Managing Complex Care Dynamics
***Sick Buy Back Forms - Extension***
 The deadline to submit the sick buy back forms has been extended to Friday, February 10, 2023.
Attached are the sick buy back forms to request reimbursement for eligible employees that did not use sick leave from July 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. Please submit to payroll at dhssickbuyback@dhs.lacounty.gov, by 2/10/23.
For questions, please send your inquiries to dhspayroll@dhs.lacounty.gov.
County Code allows temporary employees and full-time permanent employees, which includes physicians, may be paid for up to 24 hours of unused sick-leave if they adhered to the certain requirements.
If you are a full-time permanent employee or Physician Post Graduate Employee, you must meet the following requirements:
- Employee used no sick leave for any reason, including personal leave, from July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.
- Employee has completed at least 12 consecutive months of continuous County service by December 31, 2022
If you are an F Item employee, the requirements are:
- Employee used no Sick Personal Leave days for any reason from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022; and
- Employee does not hold a Relief Physician (5473) or Relief Nurse (5261) under the “F” Item (employees holding these classifications are not eligible to be paid for Sick Personal Leave pursuant to their respective MOUs)
Employees who meet the above criteria and elect to receive cash reimbursement must complete, sign the appropriate form, and submit the completed form no later than Monday, January 30, 2023, to:
DHS Human Resources, Payroll Services
5555 Ferguson Drive, Suite 200-01
Commerce, CA 90022
OR
Scan and send via email:
dhssickbuyback@dhs.lacounty.gov
Physician Post Graduate Employees should click here for your form.
Full-Time Permanent Employees, click on this URL for your form.
F Item Employees, click here for your form.
Timesheet adjustments will not be accepted for purpose of qualifying an
employee for this reimbursement. MegaFlex participants are not eligible for
cash reimbursement of unused sick leave.
Election forms received by Payroll Services after January 30, 2023, will be
returned to the employee without action. If you have any questions, please
contact the Payroll Mainline at (323) 914-8383 and you will be directed to the
appropriate Payroll staff.
Loan Repayment Programs for Healthcare Providers
 DHS is providing Loan Repayment Programs, to our nurses, physicians, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners, to strengthen our workforce, improve work environments, and continue to provide high-quality healthcare to LA County residents.
The loan repayment programs can provide up to $120,000 for qualifying nursing school debt and up to $300,000 for physicians’ educational debt.
Scan the QR codes above or click here to learn more about the DHS Loan Repayment programs.
County Workplace Survey – Deadline Feb. 28
 Creating a culture of belonging, inclusion, and acceptance in LA County is a high priority. And DHS shares a commitment to find ways that make everyone feel valued in Southern California. To support these efforts, DHS is partnering with the County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative to gather confidential and anonymous information about your experiences in the workplace through the new Workplace Climate Employee Survey.
Communication about and a link to the new Workplace Climate Employee Survey was released on Dec. 15. You can access the survey here. We ask that everyone participate by completing the survey and hope that the information shared will build upon our organizational strengths and address areas of need.
Ultimately, the survey results will help us develop and implement equity action plans aimed at enhancing employee well-being and improving our readiness to advance racial equity and reduce racial disparities as a department.
As shared by ARDI, this survey is voluntary and confidential. Identifying information will not be connected to individual survey responses and all personal statements will be anonymous. The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete. Managers and supervisors have been asked to allow everyone the time needed to participate. Please use that time to complete the survey by Feb. 28. Your participation is important to LA County!
For more information about the survey, review the FAQ here. If you have questions about the survey, please contact the ARDI Initiative via email at race-equity@ceo.lacounty.gov.
Accreditation Review for the LA County College of Nursing and Allied Health
 The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) will visit The Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health to begin accreditation of the college’s Associate Degree in Nursing program.
Health care professionals and the public are invited to meet with ACEN and share comments about the program at a meeting on March 16, 2023, 2:00 to 2:30 pm, in Room 111 of the Admin Building at 1237 N. Mission Rd., Los Angeles, CA.
The public community college supports the educational needs of the Los Angeles County + University of Southern California (LAC+USC) Medical Center, Health Services, and the LA County healthcare community by providing learning-centered educational programs and career development opportunities for healthcare students.
DHS has partnered with the college to secure nursing placements within our medical centers and clinics prior to graduation dates to fulfill our growing need for nurses.
Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted directly to:
Dr. Nell Ard, Interim Chief Executive Officer Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing 3390 Peachtree Road Northeast, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326 Or email: nard@acenursing.org
All written comments should be received by the ACEN by February 22, 2023.
Save the Date – Feb. 19, Earvin Magic Johnson Community Center
 Save the date on Feb. 19, from 12-4 pm, for A Healing Space by the LA County Justice, Care, and Opportunities Department at Earvin Magic Johnson Community Center.
DHS is a proud partner of this engaging community event that aims to heal and connect while honoring Black History Month collectively.
There will be live DJs, interactive art, programming for kids and teens, writing/poetry workshops, pet therapy, mobile animal clinic, pet adoptions, STEAM, healing circles, classes for yoga, meditation, and dance.
Find mental health support, trauma care, expungement clinics, health screenings, voter registration, vaccinations, employment linkages for youth and adults, benefits establishment, and immigration resources.
Free food and so much more!
Minute for Medicine – Transparency
 Minute for Medicine calls for greater transparency in healthcare. This includes transparency in outcomes, cases, cost, and communication. Health care organizations must embrace transparency through an open book policy. The policy leads to trust-based patient partnerships, informed choices, and cost transparency. Honest communication leads to lasting relationships and improves the delivery of safe, high-quality care, restoring joy in the healthcare workplace.
Black History Month – Creating an Equal and Just Environment for Everyone
 It is vital to remember that Black History is American History and that much more work is needed to achieve our community goals.
DHS recognizes that systemic and historic racism affects the lives of Black Americans every day. It is important, during Black History Month, to learn lessons from the past, evaluate the present and identify the actions to inspire change that is needed now.
The brutal death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tenn., earlier this year is a reminder that that our efforts have only begun.
DHS condemns police violence and brutality. Black Americans are vital to the culture and vibrance of life in Southern California and more work is needed to overcome prejudice and discrimination.
That is why DHS launched our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Initiative (EDIA) after the brutal events against George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020. Our goal is to create a welcoming environment for everyone working or receiving care at DHS facilities, regardless of race, ethnicity, immigration status, or gender.
LA County also responded to the events by creating the Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative (ARDI) to create a similar standard for all county departments.
February, Black History Month, is a time to reflect on those who came before us, but also a reminder that we have much more work to do as we move towards our collective community goals on justice and equality.
The LAC+USC Medical Center Recognizes Staff Member for Dedication to Patients
 LAC+USC Medical Center would like to recognize Mr. Darwin Givens, a Medical Case Worker since 2012. His work focuses with patients who require complex medical and psychiatric care through the Consult and Liaison Psychiatry Service. Many of Mr. Givens’ patients are homeless and under Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS) conservatorships by the Mental Health Court, requires that him to frequently consider complex legal ramifications when evaluating patients’ discharge plans and placement.
Mr. Givens, with the help of the multidisciplinary team at LAC+USC Medical Center, successfully coordinated the discharges of three long-term patients, two had been hospitalized and waiting for placement for a year, and a third patient who had been hospitalized and waiting for placement for almost three years.
"Darwin's work for coordinating care planning is a great example of how the social work discipline is a vital component in the continuum of care and advocacy for integration of service delivery systems needed for these extremely vulnerable patients," stated Leticia C. Lara, LCSW, Director of Social Work Department.
Over the years, Mr. Givens put in a lot of effort to find these patients safe and suitable placements, collaborated with a variety of outside organizations involved in health delivery, including but not limited to the Department of Mental Health, the Offices of the Public Guardian in both Los Angeles and Orange County, Housing for Health, a huge number of skilled nursing facilities, and of course, the patients and their families. The goal for patients under these circumstances is to successfully transition them to the least restrictive environment in the community to achieve wellness.
Mr. Givens’ high-need patients required strong advocacy and navigation skills to access services within and outside of the hospital and the department. This was required to gain acceptance as a transfer to another care facility for continued care and supervision.
LAC+USC leadership noted that through advocacy and commitment for patient care, Mr. Givens upholds the mission to provide world class care and educates the community about the breadth of services needed internal and external to the hospital.
A special thank you to Kelly K. Garcia, LCSW, Assistant Chief, Psychiatric Social Work, LAC+USC Medical Center for drafting this message.
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