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Our country is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. The crisis isn’t just affecting adults, its devastating young people, and people from every background are impacted.
President Biden is committed to addressing the nation’s mental health crisis. The Administration has made important progress on expanding access to mental health services, and invested billions of dollars through the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proud to help lead the response to this crisis. HHS launched 988, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, expanded mental health services in schools, advanced a center for excellence on social media and mental health, and launched the HHS Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration.
In addition, HHS has helped states establish Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics which provide behavioral health care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, because mental health crises don’t just happen during business hours. The clinics provide hundreds of millions of dollars to programs like Project AWARE, Mental Health Awareness Training, and the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, that help reach families and youth where they are, including at schools and in the community.
*Source: U.S. Health and Human Services
TM Joins in Gleaning Event for Feds Feed Families
by Transportation and Marketing Program Staff
Photo l to r: Manuel Colon, Jenna Segal, Betsy Rakola, Karl Hacker, Kamran Zendehdel , Megan Haidet, Adam Sparger.
Members of the Transportation and Marketing Program joined D.C. Central Kitchen staff on August 1 for a gleaning event for the Franciscan Monastery in Northeast, D.C. The urban farm is run by a non-profit organization called the Garden Guild. During the gleaning event, staff removed weeds from the fields and harvested roughly 50 pounds of potatoes for Feds Feed Families. D.C. Central Kitchen gleaning events support local farms and help prevent food waste by picking fresh produce that they otherwise could not harvest or sell. Visit the DC Central Kitchen website to learn more about future gleaning events.
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NOP Welcomes Two Students in Summer 2023
by National Organic Program Staff
Photos l to r: Sophie Werner takes in the sights on a frozen lake and Morris Patrick and his fur friend, Paddy.
The National Organic Program (NOP) aims to cultivate a diverse workforce, and its internship programs offer special hiring opportunities for student candidates considering a job with NOP. Through these partnerships, students develop skills, assist their respective teams in advancing the mission of the program, and often bring a fresh perspective to how work is done. This summer, NOP welcomed Sophie Werner to the Accreditation Division and Morris Patrick to the Compliance & Enforcement Division.
Sophie joined NOP through the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program, which recruits students for opportunities with federal agencies and has placed more than 13,000 students to date. Sophie is a Biology major at Loyola University who is active on campus in peer tutoring, Improv Club, and the Outdoor Adventure Program. She enjoys playing piano, watching horror movies, and reading.
Morris is a senior majoring in Government at Gallaudet University, an institution focused on helping deaf and hard of hearing students achieve their educational goals. AMS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Gallaudet in early 2023, giving students access to internships and employment opportunities. In his free time, Morris enjoys reading, hiking, and visiting California beaches.
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Last month was National Disability Pride Month, which honors the establishment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. The act prohibited discrimination against persons with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government programs and services.
Improving the awareness and understanding of disability issues is an important topic that deserves attention beyond a single month. The AMS OCDIO will be launching a DEIA Corner series focused on providing insight into the many aspects of living life with a disability.
Despite the ADA, challenges for individuals with disabilities remain. According to a 2023 Economic News Release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2022, 21.3% of persons with disabilities were employed, up around 2% from 2021. The report highlighted that the unemployment rate for persons with disabilities in 2022 was about twice as high as the rate for those with no disability. In addition, 30% of workers with disabilities employed part-time, compared with 16% for those with no disability.
AMS continues to strive toward creating an equitable environment for persons with disabilities. Continuous conversations that bring awareness to persons with disabilities is an integral part of creating an inclusive environment.
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To further the importance of recognition, AMS is excited to announce the launch of a new Administrator’s Award category that will recognize individuals and/or teams for their contributions to the advancement of AMS DEIA strategic goals.
Do you have any tips of your own? We’d love to hear about them! Send your thoughts on how you would like to be recognized or how best to recognize your colleagues to AMS-CDIO.Staff@usda.gov and we’ll highlight them in a future article.
AMS Women’s Equality Day Program
August 22, from 1:30pm - 2:30pm ET
The AMS Office of Civil Rights will host a virtual panel discussion in honor of Women’s Equality Day on Tuesday, August 22, from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm ET. The panel will discuss women in leadership, pay equity, and professional challenges and accomplishments across USDA. The panel includes Janel Barsi, AMS Dairy Program Operations and Accountability Division; Michon Oubichon, APHIS Associate Deputy Administrator; Cortney Burgess, FSIS Program and Management Analyst; Brittany Dorsey, AMS Equal Employment Specialist; and Adrienne Burch, AMS Equal Employment Specialist.
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Or use: H.323/SIP room system: H.323: 161.199.138.10 (US West) or 161.199.136.10 (US East) Meeting ID: 160 522 8877 SIP: 1605228877@sip.zoomgov.com
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Feds Feed Families (FFF) Upcoming Event
USDA is hosting a National Day of Giving Stuff-the-Truck. There will be multiple Truck locations. Everyone is welcome!
When: September 26, 2023; 10am - 2pm local time
Where: Multiple Locations and Ways to Participate
- USDA employees may make donations or volunteer at local food banks and pantriesand are encouraged to record their donationon the FFF Hub website .
- Find collection trucks and volunteers at multiple locations from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM local time:
- APHIS Riverdale Hub--4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD
- APHIS Raleigh Hub--920 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, NC
- APHIS Fort Collins Hub--2150 Centre Avenue, Building B, Fort Collins, CO
- APHIS Minneapolis Hub---Marquette Plaza, 250 Marquette Ave. Suite 410, Minneapolis, MN
- APHIS PPQ Edinburg--22675 N Moore Field Road, Bldg. #6017, Edinburg, TX
- APHIS PPQ/SITC Houston--19581 Lee Rd, Humble, TX
- APHIS/VS Ames—1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA
- APHIS/PPQ Newnan—360 International Park, Newnan, GA
- USDA, Whitten Building, Lot 9 Corner of Independence Ave. & 12th St, Wash. DC 20250
Contacts: APHIS FFF Chair, Michell Long, michell.j.long@usda.gov; USDA Co-chair Julie Henderson, usdafedsfeedfamilies@usda.gov
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 The USDA Farmers Market is open each Friday from 10am ET to 2pm ET in a new location on 14th Street and Independence Ave, S.W. The market features more than 20 vendors who provide lots of great options to choose from. Come out and grab lunch and a few items to take home to the family. Visit the Farmers Market website for more information.
Each week you can expect special guests, tasty VegU demonstrations, program highlights in the Fresh This Week tent and Produce Pals-Kids' Corner with fun weekly activities for the little ones. This week the market will feature corn.
*NEW - Telework/Remote Work Agreement Submission Requirement Deadline and Instructions
By August 27, 2023 (or sooner if directed by your program), all Telework and Remote Work Agreements must be submitted and completed within the Employee Performance Management Application (ePMA) system and discussed with employees during their quarterly performance conversations. The change was effective July 7, 2023, to coincide with the Quarter 4 performance conversation cycle.
Mandatory Training Information:
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Farmer Seed Liaison Initiative Project Manager GS-13/14
Following the publication of the report entitled “More and Better Choices for Farmers: Promoting Fair Competition and Innovation in Seeds and Other Agricultural Inputs”, USDA moved quickly to execute the report’s top recommendation: to establish a “Farmer Seed Liaison” within the Agricultural Marketing Service. The central mission of the Farmer Seed Liaison is to enhance transparency, promote farmer’s voice in the patent process, enhance researcher access to seeds, and otherwise help farmers, small and mid-sized seed businesses and plant breeders successfully navigate a complex seed system. Among its responsibilities are to facilitate communication between farmers, plant breeders, and relevant agencies that touch on the IP system, more generally coordinate implementation of the recommendations described in the report, and otherwise promote fair competition in the seed industry. The responsibilities are being carried out through a cooperative agreement.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is seeking an experienced project manager to coordinate the work and interaction of the multiple parties involved in this high-level initiative, including agreement cooperators, USDA agencies, and other federal agencies. The announcement closes tomorrow, August 18, 2023.
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Worklife and Wellness Webinars for August
The APHIS Human Resources Division, Workplace Resolutions and Wellness Branch, in partnership with the Rural Development (RD), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), will be offering the following courses during the month of August.
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Virtual Flash Mentoring - Today, Thursday, August 17, from 11am to 3pm ET
The APHIS, Work/Life and Wellness Program, the Federally Employed Women New Horizons Chapter and the Women in Ag, cordially invite you to participate in a virtual Flash Mentoring event today, Thursday, August 17, 2023, from 11am to 3pm ET, in observance of Women’s Equality Day.
This year’s theme is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.” Please see attached event flyer(s) below. This event will be part of a larger conference, in partnership with Women in Ag, through August 18, 2023.
Flash mentoring provides discussion and networking opportunities for individuals to learn and seek guidance from a more experienced professional who can pass on relevant knowledge. This time-efficient method will enable participants to hear from and ask questions to several USDA senior-level leaders in a short timeframe. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to have candid conversations with several mentors.
If you’re interested in serving as a participant, please click here to register for the event. SPACE IS LIMITED, reserve your spot today! For more information, please contact Lisa M. Mason at LisaM.Mason@usda.gov or Sheila McKie at Sheila.McKie@usda.gov.
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All About Insurance - Wednesday, August 23, from Noon to 1pm ET
We will review basic types of insurance policies and review what is critical and what is not needed. FEHB basics will be covered as well as car/accident, homeowner, long-term care, disability, and life insurance. We will examine a variety of strategies where life insurance can be of use including for estate planning, tax saving, and pension maximization.
Join Webinar:
All About Insurance
NOTE: If you have any questions about these courses, please contact: Lisa M. Mason via email at lisam.mason@usda.gov
2023 USDA Blacks in Government (BIG) Forum
The USDA George Washington Carver Chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG) is having a USDA forum on August 29, from 1pm - 3pm ET. This event will be held in-person at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center at the National Harbor in Maryland. A registration fee is required for this part of the conference so you must register to attend. For more information contact: gwcchapter@gmail.com.
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Save the Date: USDA Section 508 Awareness Event
The USDA Section 508 Program in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) will host a free one-day 2023 Section 508 Awareness Event. The event will be available via Zoom for Government to promote Advancing Access and Equity in conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This event is a great opportunity for federal employees and contractors within the U.S. government, accessibility professionals, people with disabilities, and IT Leadership to come together and gain insight on how accessibility enhances everything we do in Elevating Equity in Section 508.
Where: Virtual Registration and Attendance via ZoomGov
When: October 19, 2023, from 10am - 4pm ET
Event Registration Information: The registration link will be provided in a separate announcement.
Reasonable Accommodations: USDA is committed to ensuring equal access to all event participants. Live captioning and ASL interpreters will be provided.
If you have any questions regarding this event, please email Section508-OCIO@usda.gov.
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Center for Training and Organization Development (CTOD) Workshops
AMS has a new line up of exciting training workshops. There are both in-person and virtual trainings that will help you excel in your leadership, communication, and team development both on and off the clock. It’s not too late to register for one or more of these live trainings provided by the Center for Training and Organization Development (CTOD)! Information on all courses through September is provided through the link below.
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*Submissions for The Voice are due by COB Monday in order to publish the same week. All submissions should be sent to AMSVoice@usda.gov for consideration. To sign up, select the "Subscribe" link below.
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