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NEWS & ARTICLES
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Tri County Council for Southern Maryland
PO Box 745
Hughesville, MD 20637
301-274-1922
http://www.tccsmd.org/
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 2009
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Contact:
Michelle S. Francino
Program Assistant Southern Maryland Workforce Investment Board
301-274-1922, Email: mfrancino@tccsmd.org
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WIB Summer Youth Program
The Southern Maryland Workforce Investment Board (WIB) isn’t the only WIB that scrambled to launch a summer youth employment program for the first time in years. It is, however, the only WIB that was brand-new itself at the same time it was planning for a brand-new summer youth program.
After a dormant period, Southern Maryland re-established its WIB in December 2008; three months later, planning was underway for the new summer youth program, funded with $110,344 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“We’ve had our bumps in the road,” Program Assistant Michelle Francino admitted. “We’ve had some kids who’ve accepted jobs and then decide they didn’t want to go. Those people who have stayed longer than a week at a worksite have stayed, and are happy.”
Francino organized a successful orientation for prospective participants “where we got them networking with each other. We created a manual for the youth, and a manual for the worksites. We went through the manual, and had presentations on how to dress and how to present yourself at work. We did role-playing, and talked with the youth about what their expectations were. The goal was to hand out worksites to everybody.
Most of the young workers were out of school, and hoping that their summer jobs might turn into permanent positions. That dream came true for 18-year-old single mom Noel, who landed a job at the Cedar Point Federal Credit Union. “This opportunity has impacted my life a lot,” Noel reflected. “It has helped me get on my feet. I am able to pay my bills on time and support my daughter. I’ve got my life on track.
Although Noel got off to a bumpy start, the credit union supervisor agreed to give her a chance. The supervisor counseled her about dressing appropriately for work, and a WIB job coach took Noel shopping for clothes to augment the company-provided polo shirts. Once she started working, Noel was a model employee – she was never late, never took a sick day, and didn’t even miss work when she moved from the Three Oaks Women and children’s shelter into her own apartment. Now, Noel is beginning a permanent job with Cedar Point Federal Credit Union as a teller.
“The newly formed WIB Board was delighted with the strong interest and early success of this year’s summer youth employment program. From a personal standpoint, I am sure all participating employers join me in expressing their satisfaction with the program, and more importantly, the pride in taking a vital role in assisting a deserving young person in developing the skills they will need to be successful”, says Joe Slater, President & CEO of SMECO.
The WIB’s partnership with the Tri-County Council and the State Department of Labor Licensing, and Regulation enabled more than 30 young people to earn a paycheck over the summer, while learning new skills and gaining exposure to career possibilities. The WIB anticipates that area businesses and public agencies will provide even more job openings for the program next summer.
PRESS MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release:
September 30, 2009
For more information contact: Karen Everett
301-474-4200 ext. 1342
(Hughesville, MD) September 24, 2009 Southern Maryland’s 39,000 veterans now have a regional report which discusses the challenges and gaps that they encounter in obtaining Veteran Administration (VA) health care and other services. The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland has worked in partnership with non-VA healthcare, law enforcement, workforce development, and other community stakeholders to develop recommendations. The report asks federal, state and local leaders to implement short and long term solutions to resolve barriers to VA healthcare and other services in rural Southern Maryland.
All Veterans in Southern Maryland need and deserve expanded VA and integrated community-based healthcare services near where they live and work. Reservists, Guardsmen, Veterans, and active duty service members returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan require community-based services to make a healthy return to their families, to the workforce, and to our community.
“The report has been sent with our strongest recommendation for funding and program development to federal, state, local and private sector partners for their review and action. Our veterans need improved services within our rural region. We look to all our partners to become involved and pro-active in removing barriers to accessing the full spectrum of VA healthcare and other entitlements and benefits. ” stated Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly, Sr, Chairman of the Council’s Veteran’s Regional Advisory Committee.
The report identifies the top regional priority as the USVA’s expansion of its Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Charlotte Hall established in 1998; the Clinic’s offerings of out-patient care have not kept pace with population growth and Veterans’ changing needs. Transportation challenges continue to impede timely and sustainable access to VA Medical Centers in Washington DC and Baltimore. A fully resourced out-patient clinic serving Veterans in Southern Maryland is the most effective long term solution.
Charlotte Hall’s out-patient clinic is the responsibility of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs through its Veterans Health Administration. It requires the same degree of development, attention, and commitment that the State’s Charlotte Hall Veterans Home has been receiving for many years. VA healthcare leaders at the regional level, and at the VA Medical Center in Washington DC, are aware of the limitations of the VA’s out-patient clinic in Charlotte Hall. Earlier this year, they submitted to the VA’s Central Office, a federal grant proposal to address short term solutions over a period of two years. The VA’s Rural Health Initiative grant for Southern Maryland was not approved.
“Our report recommends revision and re-submission of the grant to make it a model for integrated VA and non-VA cooperation for a rural region of Maryland. Veterans of current and past wars deserve the best of care in fulfillment of our commitment to honor their service to our country. ” remarked Delegate Anthony J. 0’Donnell, Maryland legislative representative on the Committee.
The Counties law enforcement community has already begun addressing some of the solutions recommended in the report. “Training and communicating with the First Responder Community is very important. Such training will allow them to help de-escalate a situation instead of raising the stress level. Training will teach responders how to pick up on early warning signs and to give them tools to better communicate with the veteran who may be exhibiting symptoms associated with untreated post traumatic stress syndrome or traumatic brain injury. An integrated system of care will allow our first responders to link individuals in need to proper and timely care after the intervention period has passed, “stated Commissioner Sam Graves, who brings law enforcement and a veteran’s perspective to the Committee’s findings.
Southern Maryland has the greatest shortage of health care professionals of any rural region in the state. “We have a committed network of non-VA hospital and mental health service partners throughout the region who are ready to work with VA, Department of Defense, and other agency partners at the state and federal levels. Our report requests federal funding to develop and implement an integrated health care delivery action plan. The action plan will refine partnerships and solutions to make better use of existing services and programs in Southern Maryland. Non-VA providers will benefit from basic and specialized VA training. Other best practices must be adopted and implemented to address the challenges our returning veterans and their families are facing, ““said Commissioner Susan Shaw, whose professional mental health training informs the report’s findings.
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services acknowledge that Veterans in rural and frontier areas face significant challenges in accessing VA healthcare in a timely and consistent way. The challenges faced by Veterans in rural Southern Maryland are consistent with national studies and analyses. In the course of the Regional Veterans’ Advisory Committee’s work on this report and associated initiatives, the VA’s regional office for healthcare and the DC VA Medical Center acknowledged that outreach to Southern Maryland’s veterans, customer service, access to healthcare, and the timely delivery of other VA programs needs improvement.
“Steps are being taken to improve elements of the system – for example, the VA outpatient clinic now offers gynecology appointments one day a month. These measures should not be mistaken for long term solutions to healthcare and other programmatic gaps discussed in the report. The State of Maryland is navigating the worst economic climate that our nation has faced in decades. Now more than ever, Southern Maryland is looking to its elected and appointed leaders in Washington and in Annapolis to respond to this report and work with us to address the region’s top Veterans’ priority: expanding and resourcing a 21st century VA community based outpatient clinic that is capable of meeting the needs of Southern Maryland’s veterans where they work and live,” said Connie Walker, a retired Navy Captain and citizen advocate for improved veterans health care in the region.
The report “Veterans Integrated Healthcare Recommendations for Southern Maryland” is available on the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland web site at http://www.tccsmd.org/downloads/VACFinal-2FDrive.pdf
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