Director's Message

June 30, 2006

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, DHS Director

Maybe the greatest challenge now is to find a way to keep independence while also committing ourselves to the ties that bind people, families and ultimately societies together.
~Jane O'Reilly

As we approach Independence Day next week, it's appropriate to take a few moments to think about what the concept of independence means.

Tuesday's Fourth of July holiday celebrates our nation's independence, but I suspect that many of us also relate to the concept of independence on a personal level. In my family, I am helping my teenage children learn how to live independently in the world outside our home while at the same assisting my parents to remain as independent as possible despite their increasing disabilities. And, at DHS, helping people live independently is at the core of our mission.

The concept of independence is woven across much of the tapestry that is DHS. In many ways large and small, we strive to take our personal concepts of independence and share them with the people we serve as we work to enable them to enjoy everything that living independently can mean. Our work makes independent living possible for families, seniors, those with mental illnesses, youths, individuals with disabilities and the many other Oregonians whose lives we touch every day.

One of the numerous programs within DHS that promote independence is the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. OVRS Administrator Stephaine Parrish Taylor leads approximately 200 employees in working with a multitude of public, private and nonprofit partners, as well as with program staff in other areas of DHS, to bring independence each year to thousands of Oregonians whose impairments are severe enough to create barriers to their ability to find and keep jobs.

The numbers are impressive. Since the beginning of this year alone, OVRS programs have put 1,900 individuals to work in competitive employment, helped 37 people become self-employed, and provided a variety of important services to 15,000 people. On average, those who have found employment through OVRS programs earn $10.14 an hour and work an average of 30 hours a week.

And not only do these clients benefit, so does all of Oregon. Employed persons generally experience increased spending ability, which helps support local businesses. Employed individuals also pay taxes, which benefits the overall economy. National studies have shown that for every $1 invested in vocational rehabilitation programs, up to $25 accrues in economic benefits. This is an impressive outcome that affects many Oregonians throughout all walks of life.

For our OVRS clients, employment buys independence, and independence makes possible a life they otherwise might not have been able to achieve. The same is true for participants in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and in so many other programs and services we provide to Oregonians every day.

One such group of services, which coincidentally has received a great deal of attention as we approach Independence Day, is the package of Medicaid-funded programs that require recipients to be citizens or legal residents. Many of those programs also are geared toward promoting independence.

As we develop and roll out procedures for implementing the new federal requirements during the next few weeks, the concept of independence becomes even more personal. Many vulnerable individuals depend on these health care programs to maintain a level of independence that otherwise would be impossible. We must do our best as an agency to help see to it that those citizens whose financial, physical or mental limitations impair their ability to gather appropriate documents are not inadvertently denied essential services.

Citizenship, independence, rights, responsibilities and barriers -- all are concepts that can be both large and personal, and all are concepts that we address in real ways every day in the work that we do as DHS employees.

Taken as a large concept, the drive for independence created a country. Taken as a personal concept, a youth, a senior, a family or a person with a disability found a job, grew in self-esteem, became engaged in the world around us and made a contribution.

As a DHS employee, you help make personal independence possible for others. As you celebrate Independence Day this year, think about the concept of independence, what it means to you and how you help grant it to others. The work you do makes an important difference in people's lives.

Happy Fourth of July.