November 5,
2004
Topics in today’s issue of Extension Update:
INCREASING STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT
IN WATERSHED RESTORATION
Watershed protection planning, restoration
and TMDL implementation are community endeavors. A free satellite/videostream
conference
November 16th - 9:00 to 11:30 am will share successful strategies
employed by community groups across the Pacific Northwest. WSU
Extension is offering the program on November 16, 2004, 8:45 to
11:30 am at several Extension offices through-out the state.
Videotaped visits in three watersheds across the PNW will feature
community members sharing their experiences and successful strategies
for attracting and sustaining local involvement in natural resource
protection. Appearing live on camera, representatives from the
watersheds will answer phoned, faxed, or e-mailed questions. Discussion
by Extension Specialists who have partnered with watershed groups
over the last decade will offer a range of strategies available
for increasing stakeholder involvement.
To sign up, contact your nearest WSU Extension or contact Jan
Seago
509.865.8655
AHEC helps battle Washington state’s health care
personnel shortage
Washington State is facing a severe shortage of health
care workers that is causing people to be turned away from emergency
rooms and
refused health care simply because there are not enough health
care workers to treat them. Washington State University Extension’s
Eastern Washington Area
Health Education Center
(AHEC) at WSU Spokane is doing its part to lessen the shortage
by providing technical assistance to the Health Skill Panels established
by the Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating
Board.
In 2002, the Washington legislature established a Health Care
Personnel Shortage Task Force to address the state’s extreme
shortage of health care workers. From this task force, 12 Workforce
Skills Panels were developed. Workforce Skill Panels are organized
by region and each panel has representatives from the health care
industry, higher education, K-12 education, organized labor, and
community development. Panels focus on a variety of issues surrounding
the shortage of health care workers, including expanding enrollment
capacity in health science programs, incumbent worker retention,
youth and adult recruitment into health professions, and improved
utilization of clinical training sites.
Because funding and resources are slim for the panels, community
resources must be used to accomplish the panel’s goals. The
AHEC serves as a valuable resource to the various panels and assists
them in a variety of ways. The AHEC’s connections with local
health care providers and community organizations enable local
health care providers and the Workforce Skill Panels to better
collaborate on identified strategies – some local, some set
forth by the Task Force reports.
Another valuable service that the AHEC provides to the panels
is a semi-annual workshop for all the skill panel coordinators.
These workshops provide opportunity for coordinators to share their
panel’s goals and strategies and to combine efforts when
possible. The next conference is scheduled for November 8 as a
precursor to the Workforce Training Board’s statewide conference
in Tacoma, entitled “Workforce Strategies 2004: Leading in
a Global Economy.” See more information on this November
9-10 event.
Each Health Skill Panel focuses on separate issues related to
the health care personnel shortage in their region. Some panels
focus on increasing the knowledge of health care related professions
in students ranging from grades K- 12 in order to boost the influx
of students into health care industries after high school, while
others focus on creating more clinical sites and making more faculty
available for nursing schools so that enrollment can grow.
The local Spokane Health Skill Panel is currently working on adopting
coordination software that would allow more efficient coordination
of clinical education sites for the university and community college
nursing students in the Spokane area. Spokane is also exploring
expansion in our area of training for Clinical Research Coordinators.
Panels individually determine ways that they can work to lessen
the healthcare shortage and then they use local resources and the
AHEC to accomplish their goals. For more information: Bettie
Rundlett,
509-358-7646.
OCTOBER FUN PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
The winner of the October Fun
Photo Contest is Susie Hauck, senior secretary of the Food $ense
CHANGE Program in King County. She
submitted a photo of two young people demonstrating how to prepare
a tomato and cucumber salad using farm fresh foods at Seattle's
Pike Place Market.
The theme for the November contest is "Fairs, exhibits, pets,
animals, 4-H members having fun, anything related to 4-H." I
hope we get a lot of entries. Contest
rules.
Please remind readers that this contest is open to paid employees
and volunteers of WSU Extension and 4-H youth.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION COUNTY AGRICULTURAL AGENTS AWARDS
Congratulations
to the following award recipients who received awards at the NACAA
Annual Meeting/Professional Improvement Conference
in Orlando Florida.
Program Recognition Council Winners:
Distinguished Service Award: Jay Jenkins
Achievement Award: Michael
Bush
Regional Winner: Janet Schmidt, Applied Research Poster
Professional
Improvement Council Winners
Presentations:
- Susan Kerr, The National 4-H Cooperative Curriculum, Animal Science
- Tipton Hudson, Animal Science Tour
- Susan Kerr, Animal Science Tour
WSU NUTRITION EDUCATION IN
SPOKANE COUNTY FEATURED
Spokane County's Food Sense and EFNRP program
work with the Food Bank is featured in today's SpokesmanReview.com.
Click on this
link to view the story: Not
Quite Gourmet.
Note: If you are not already registered with SpokesmanReview.com,
you will be prompted to do so when you click on the above link.
ACCOUNTABILITY, INFORMATION, AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
(AICS) INPUT
Faculty
and Administrative/Professionals who use the Accountability, Information,
and Communication System (AICS) for your annual review,
your AICS report is due on January 15, 2005. This date is approaching
quickly and many of you have not started entering your report.
Do not wait until the January 15 deadline.
The AICS Web page is: http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/accountability/
We are in the process of adapting AICS as a University-wide system.
The new system should be available for testing on the Vancouver
campus for the 2005 reporting year. In the meantime, CAHNRS and
Extension faculty and APs will continue to use the current version
of AICS.
Content questions should be directed to your department chair
or district director. If you have problems with the program itself,
you can contact Kathleen Duncan) or by phone 360-546-9107
(WSU Vancouver, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, Vancouver) (6-9107
if you have 5-digit dialing).
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DEPENDENTS OF WSU FACULTY AND STAFF
As high school seniors are getting ready to apply for college,
this is a reminder about the $1,000 scholarship available to
dependents of qualifying faculty and staff. This scholarship
is also available to qualifying county-paid Extension staff and
qualifying USDA ARS employees.
These scholarships are for entering, full-time, undergraduate
students who have not exceeded age 25. Spouses are not eligible.
The awards are renewable for a second year if the student is making
satisfactory progress towards a degree and has a cumulative GPA
of 2.75 or above at WSU.
Only dependents of the following are eligible:
WSU classified staff members holding half time or greater appointments
and having permanent status or on trial service.
Faculty and A/P employees holding half time or greater appointments.
County-paid staff members having permanent status and working half
time or more for WSU Extension.
USDA ARS paid employees having permanent status and working half
time or more.
Application for this should be made at the same time as application
for admission. Applications must be made on the WSU
Application for Academic Scholarships form. This is also available
from the
Applications menu on the financial
aid web page. This
application covers a long list of scholarships, and all students
interested in scholarship support should submit it each year. This
year’s deadline for the 2005-2006 Academic Scholarship Application
is January 31, 2005, which is the same as the admissions priority
deadline. If you have questions contact the Office of Scholarship
Services (509) 335-1059.
On the application the question "Do you have a parent who
works for Washington State University?" requires a yes answer
as well as the name and department of the qualifying parent.
County-paid employees with dependents applying for this scholarship
must apply for "public affiliate status" with the university.
Contact Rebecca Armstrong at
(509) 335-2822 for that.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR NOVEMBER 8 - BENEFITS
FAIR
On
the WSU Pullman campus, the annual Benefits Fair will be taking
place on November 8 form 10:00 3:00 on the 2nd floor concourse
of the French Administration and Lighty buildings. This is your
opportunity to speak with representatives from all the medical
and dental plans available in the Pullman area. Representatives
from the Health Care Authority, Standard Insurance Company, Liberty
Mutual and Pemco Insurance, Washington School Employees Credit
Union, Washington State Employees Credit Union, as well as local
physician offices will also be available. Don't let this opportunity
to speak face to face with this individuals pass you by!
For the urban campuses:
- WSU Tri-Cities: November 10, 2004, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Red
Lion Hotel, Olympic Room, Pasco
- WSU Vancouver: November 10, 2004, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lower
Columbia Community College, Student Center, Longview Additional
Benefit Fairs will be taking place across the state.
For more information contact Jamilee
Gecas of WSU Benefit Services
via email.
TRAVEL RATES UPDATED IN BPPM 95.19
Effective October 1, 2004,
the maximum non-high cost lodging rate in the continental U.S.
is increased from $55 per night to $60
per night, in accordance with OFM regulations. The Business
Policies and Procedures Manual (BPPM) is available on the Web.
SAFETY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL (SPPM) UPDATES
The following
two sections of the SPPM were revised October 25, 2004.
- Requirements for Passengers and Drivers S35.10
A van driver training course completion card is now valid for
a period increased from two years to three years or until new
van
driver training course requirements are announced.
- Respiratory Protection Program S80.80
This revision updates University requirements for ensuring
respiratory protection.
The full
SPPM is available on the Web.
PERSONNEL
New Hires:
April Busch, Extension Coordinator, Connecting Schools and Community
Project, Whatcom County
Funding: 100% Extension (Grant Funds)
Status: Administrative Professional
Effective November 8, 2004
Caitlin Blethen, Extension Coordinator, Clark County
Funding: 100% Extension (Grand Funds)
Status: Administrative Professional
Effective October 1, 2004
Emily Piper, Extension Coordinator, Mason County
Funding: 100% Extension (Grant Funds)
Status: Administrative Professional
Effective October 1, 2004
Appointments Complete:
Kathleen Churchill, Extension Coordinator,
King County
Funding: 100% Extension
Status: Administrative Professional
Effective October 31, 2004
Dolores Eberspecher, Public Relations/Comm Coordinator, Spokane
County
Funding: 100% Extension
Status: Administrative Professional
Effective September 14, 2004
SCHEDULE
Next week Linda will be on the West side the
entire week, attending the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and
Natural Resources
Advisory
Council meeting in Ellensburg and then on to the A Team meeting
in Puyallup, the 4-H Operation Military Kids training, and meetings
at University of Washington College of Forest Resources. Next week
Ed will be at his office in Spokane next week. Thursday, November
11, Veteran's Day, is a WSU Holiday.
Linda Kirk Fox, PhD
Interim Dean and Director
Washington State University Extension
411 Hulbert Hall
PO Box 646230
Pullman, WA 99164-6230
509-335-2933 Office
509-335-9223 Desk/Voicemail
509-335-2926 FAX
lkfox@wsu.edu
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