January, 2022 |  Vol. 7   No. 7

Deputy Director's Corner

Happy New Year!  Do you have any New Year’s resolutions you’d like to share?  If so, send them to Gail to post to the intranet.

Speaking of of the intranet, go to the MHD page, on the right side, you’ll see a link to the updated MHD hiring process.  I know that when MO Careers first came out, the rules and guidance changed a lot and it was hard to follow.  I think things have settled down, and our HR team put together the MHD hiring process information that you can find now on the intranet.  Please take a look and use this when you plan to fill a vacancy or a new position.  If you have any feedback on the materials, let me know.

What is NO Wrong Door? No Wrong Door is an effort underway to help streamline access to long term services and supports for our participants who are older or live with disabilities.  Hallie Malone represents MHD for the project in Missouri (thanks, Hallie!)  Their focus right now is on MOCOR.

Missouri Community Options and Resources (MOCOR) is a website with information about community based long term services and supports (LTSS) in Missouri for adults and children of all ages.  The goal of MOCOR is to make it easier for individuals and their families to learn about what services are available and to access the services they need.  MOCOR state partners include the Missouri Departments of Health & Senior Services, Mental Health, and Social Services. 

MOCOR provides information about services for children with special health care needs, individuals with developmental disabilities, adults with physical disabilities, adults with HIV/AIDS, adults with brain injuries, aging adults, and children and adults with mental illness and substance use disorders along with other statewide resources.

The partnering agencies meet quarterly with a No Wrong Door Project stakeholder group to discuss ways to better serve Missouri’s individuals seeking LTSS.  Missouri’s specific focus is to build a statewide network of front door entities that work together to support access to LTSS in the community.  The workgroup wants to promote and enhance the MOCOR website to be a one-stop-shop central entry point that connects individuals to all departments and community resources.

The link to the MOCOR website is https://mocor.mo.gov/

Did you and your team have any big or small milestones, achievements, accomplishments, good work, successes, or cross-training or team-building activities in December that you want to share?  Send them to me and we’ll highlight them in the February newsletter!

Do you have a favorite Valentine’s Day story?  Send those to me as well and those can go in the February newsletter, too.

In 2022 we are going to emphasize communication, feedback, and trust.  We are going to continue to do our very best to share information with you, and we are going to work hard to put more emphasis on receiving information and feedback from you.  Talk with each other about what kinds of ways you’d like to provide information to MHD leadership and let me know!  We also want to emphasize cross-training.  If you do not want to, you do not have to!  However, if you do, you should have the opportunity.  Do you want to job-shadow another area at MHD?  Or do you really want to take a little longer and learn a coworker’s job so you can be a back-up?  Please think about this and talk about this and share your ideas.

How can we build trust?  By being reliable, showing empathy (put yourself in their shoes), have integrity, and by being credible.  Being credible just means you can be believed, or what you plan to do is good enough to do the job effectively.  We also want to be sure we do our best to do away with barriers to trust and good communication, too.  It’s hard to trust someone who is never satisfied with you or only focuses on the negative, or someone who gets frustrated with you because you didn’t do something exactly like they would have. This can be a delicate balance at work when some things have to be done in a certain way, so it’s important to pick your battles, and to have good, open communication.  How can all of us help with this?  Well, we can all make sure we’re practicing honest communication.  Try to be open about your feelings or frustrations.  If something makes you unhappy, be sure to have a good talk during an Engage or other conversation.  If your concerns aren’t being heard, if you don’t hear feedback, escalate the conversation to the next level.  We should all feel comfortable to talk with one another!

We have the best team at MHD!  The other day I listened to a talk about, in general, being a good neighbor, and what that means.  It’s so easy to like people and help people who are “just like me.”  But we also need to treat people well, or help them if they need, even if we disagree with them or if they make it really hard.  I am so honored to work with such a great team at MHD.  You do a great job taking care of each other and showing recognition for one another, all while doing the honorable work of taking care of our participants and providers each day.

Here’s to a great New Year!

Jessie

-thank you Hallie for the No Wrong Door information

1/1: Emancipation Proclamation - Today we celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation! On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln declared that all persons held as slaves would be freed. While it’s an exciting day to remember in our country’s history, it’s just as important to remember that not all slaves were freed in the U.S. on this day. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865 (now celebrated as Juneteenth) that slavery was ended across the Confederacy as troops road into Galveston, Texas.

1/4: Louis Braille’s Birthday -  Louis Braille, a French educator, created a system of reading and writing for those who are visually impaired. Today, the system, known simply as “braille,” is the world’s most popular tactile reading and writing system. It’s largely the same today as it was when Louis Braille created it.

1/6: Feast of the Epiphany -  This Christian feast day celebrates the relevance of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. It is always celebrated on the 12^th day of Christmas, and it commemorates how the star led the three wise men to baby Jesus. Countries around the world will celebrate it by decorating floats and dressing up in costumes as the wise men.

1/14: Makar Sankranti -  Makar Sankranti is a Hindu festival that’s dedicated to the Hindu religious sun god Surya. It is often celebrated with morning prayer followed by kite games and competitions.

1/20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day -  Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrates one of the greatest American leaders of the civil rights movement. He was a Baptist minister and activist who helped to advocate for African Americans before he was assassinated. Celebrate this day by educating yourself on Black history or supporting Black-owned businesses and with online diversity training.

1/27: International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims of the Holocaust -  This day was created by the United Nations to remember the approximately 6 million Jewish men, women, and children murdered by the Nazis during World War II. Commemorating the war helps you to develop knowledge and awareness of genocide and war. Consider heading to your local library and picking out a book about the Holocaust on this day.

Staff News

• Nate Percy says: Cheers to Glenda Kremer at MHD! There have been a number of big tasks at MHD and Glenda always seems to be in the middle of them. She is a joy to work with and always approaches everything with a big smile!

Moving on up...

Congratulations go out to the following MHD members:

• Becky Carter was promoted to a Benefit Program Senior Specialist in the Pharmacy Rebate Unit.   Congratulations Becky!
• Lauren Slover was promoted to a Benefit Program Senior Specialist in TPL.  Congratulations Lauren!
• Heather Voegeli was promoted to a Benefit Program Specialist in TPL.   Congratulations Heather!
• Miranda Darnel was promoted to a Benefit Program Specialist in the Medicare Buy In Unit.  Congratulations Miranda!

Welcome Aboard

Marcie Duncan joined MHD in the Constituent Services Units as a Benefit Program Specialist on January 3.  She formerly worked in the Jefferson City Processing Center with FSD. Marcie attended school at Osage R-1 in Chamois, where she still lives today with her 2 kids Nathan and Raegan and their dog Titus. Marcie likes to shop and spend time with her family.

Carolyn Twardowski retired from MHD on December 31.   A reception was hosted on December 29 to celebrate her years of service with the state and MHD.    Congratulations Carolyn!!

After 23 years of state service Kathy Schroer retired effective 12/31/2021. She will be missed and we wish her the best in her new adventure. Congratulations Kathy!

This & That...and Holiday Fun

The Pharmacy Unit are the proud winners of the 1st Traveling Trophy for the 2021 Cube Decorating Contest.  Their decorating talents were displayed by their Home Alone winner.   Congratulations!

Mr. Jake Skelton (Darin Hackmann) paid a visit to MHD during our holiday cube decorating festivities.   He and his fellow crew did an awesome job with their Nightmare Before Christmas theme.   Well done guys!

Who are these masked beauties??   Why I think it's Stephanie Hunt and Bridgette Hicks taking advantage of the picture booth station during the holiday lunch.

Carolyn Twardowski spent some time "chilling with the penguins."

Katrina Falter's little guy Jameson looks like he was having fun.

Employment Opportunities

Do you have a friend or family member looking for a career change or job opportunity?   Are you looking for a career development/promotional opportunity?  Visit  MO Careers to view & apply for  current job openings.   Below are a few positions currently open:

• Auditor position at MHD in IRU.  Closes January 11.
• Program Coordinator in the Constituent Services Unit at Children's Division.  Closes January 11.
• Strategic Initiatives Coordinator at MHD in the Program Operations Unit.  Closes January 7.

MHD  Connection News

A big thank you to outgoing members Gail Luecke, Nanci Nikodym, Bridgette Hicks, Carolyn Twardowski and Sheana Wilcox.

The new committee members for 2022 are: Lori Parrish (chairman), Christina Jenks (treasurer), Jeff Terry, Brittany Goetz, William Morgan, Heather Voegeli, Lauren Slover, and Kodi Andrews, Pam Burris, Stephanie Hunt and Stacie Gibson. 

The team will be busy reorganizing the new team and working on ideas for 2022.   Please share your ideas/suggestions on things you might have regarding events, staff forum topics, etc.

What's Cooking at MHD?

Do you have a family recipe you'd like to share that we can post on the Recipe Corner on the intranet page or in the newsletter, etc.?  If would like to submit an item just email send an email to Gail.  Keep those recipes coming and enjoy these delicious treats!!  Here are a couple of those recipes featured on The Recipe Corner.  

MHD Calendar & Area Events

Visit our Calendar of Events page for WEBEX Meeting Info

• 1/01  New Years Day (Holiday observed 12/31)
• 1/11  Bagel Day
• 1/17  Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday

Hey! Stay outta my can, will ya?!!! The Howerton Building offers multiple recycling options: Paper — Large green Dumpster bins throughout the building for non-confidential paper; gray bins with slotted lids for confidential paper. Cans and Bottles — Containers in all galleys, including Center Court, for plastic bottles and aluminum and “tin” (soup) cans. Cardboard — Rolling bins just inside the dock area on the first floor for cardboard. Plastic Bags — A box in Center Court for clean plastic bags. Questions: Feel free to contact Jennifer Parker at 526-1165 jennifer.j.parker@dss.mo.gov  or John Mier at 751-7079 or John.R.Mier@dss.mo.gov “Trash cans are for icky stuff — which I love!” — Oscar

REMINDERS CONFERENCE ROOMS:  Please remove meetings from the conference room calendars if you know that staff will be attending your meeting remotely and you will not need the conference room.   Please refrain from reserving conference rooms for 2 or 3 people if there is an office available. KEEP YOUR OUTLOOK CALENDARS UPDATED PLEASE!   This includes scheduled days off, meetings, trainings, etc.  By doing this it will help immensely to ensure meetings are scheduled within your work hours and help staff working deadlines to be able to plan around planned absences or if they need to reach you.  Thank you.