 2011 Governor's Awards for Public Service - Recipients |
Agency "Star"
Many DCE students come to the youth prison system with weak educational backgrounds and enormous learning gaps. Still more have been truant or were long ago expelled from their community schools. These challenges make Mr. McLaurin’s success all the more remarkable. He juggles a job that is divided geographically between two high schools, one in Chesterfield and one in Hanover County. Despite the distance, he manages two sets of students, two sets of faculty, and two sets of teaching responsibilities, and does so with ease. Mr. McLaurin’s new students are excited to take history with him. Why? Quite simply, because he can teach. His record shows two consecutive years of 100 percent SOL pass rates in spite of working in two locations. Anthony McLaurin commands immediate attention and respect in the classroom. His appearance is immaculate. Polished, precise, punctual, and quietly unassuming, he comes to his students ready to work. He expects success in his classroom without demanding it. He sets limits through example, not enforcement. He manages classroom behavior by showing involvement, investment, and genuine interest in his students. Most importantly, he motivates by painting pictures of the past and visions of the future. Each child who is fortunate enough to have shared a classroom with this man leaves as a stronger student and better person. He goes above and beyond for his students. They know this. They respond to this. And they learn. Career Achievement
He has been a faithful employee of the Commonwealth for nearly 4 decades. Beginning his career in 1972 in the Smith Mountain Lake area of Franklin County, Sgt. Martin has spent most of his time in a supervisory capacity and now serves as a district supervisor over 22 counties. Although he could have easily applied for promotion and been transferred to another area of Virginia, Sgt. Martin chose to stay in his current role supervising operations on and around Smith Mountain Lake, where he continues to recruit, mentor, and groom new CPOs for leadership roles within the agency. As a prime example of his mentoring and teaching skills, two of Sgt. Martin’s protégées were just promoted to the ranks of Captain and Major. Sgt. Martin has donated literally thousands of hours of his own time to get the job done while faithfully serving the citizens of the Commonwealth. He has instructed over 10,000 students in Virginia Hunter Education courses and has impacted tens of thousands of Virginia citizens with almost forty years worth of civic and youth group presentations; numerous radio, television, and newspaper articles; and stories promoting safe boating, safe hunting, and enforcement education. As a DCJS instructor, he has taught hundreds of DGIF law enforcement personnel and employees from other agencies in the areas of boating under the influence, boating and hunting accident investigation, interview and interrogation techniques, and wildlife law enforcement techniques. Never complaining about long hours or heavy workloads, Sgt. Martin leads his troops by example and takes exceptional pride in his work. Among his many career accolades, Sgt. Martin has been formally recognized by:
If you ask Sgt. Martin about his greatest career accomplishments, he might refer you to helping pass 1982 legislation that classified game wardens as law enforcement officers or 1988 “implied consent” legislation for people who are arrested while driving boats under the influence. Most likely though, he will simply smile and tell you what a great job he has, and how proud he is of officers who have been under his command. I am proud to present the Governor’s Career Achievement Award to Sgt. Karl P. Martin. Community Service and
Volunteerism
Anne earned her “First Class Scout” award in high school. As a young adult, she co-chaired a major fund-raising event for Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Williamsburg. When her daughter was old enough to be a Brownie Girl Scout, Anne stepped up to become her Girl Scout Leader, and took on a total of 23 young girls who had been waiting to be placed in a troop. Her tenure as a Girl Scout Leader lasted 12 years and she still serves as a Girl Scout volunteer. She has been a trainer instructor to more than 2,000 volunteers, and created and directed the first Day Camp unit for girls with special needs. She has served as a National Delegate. Believe it or not, somehow Anne also found time to be on the Board of Directors of the Colonial Coast Girl Scout Council. The American Red Cross is Anne’s other passion. She has been an instructor for 27 years in health and safety classes such as CPR and First Aid. She has instructed other trainers, certified more than 600 new volunteers, mentored new instructors, and served an 18-month term on a national team to re-evaluate the science and delivery behind Red Cross CPR and health and safety courses. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Colonial Virginia Red Cross Chapter and currently serves as an advisor to the board. A philosophy of giving back has carried over to Anne’s career. As statewide manager of the Commonwealth of Virginia campaign for the last seven years, she has brought to state employees her vast knowledge of volunteering and non-profit organizations. Through her direction and a network of 300 volunteers across the state, the CVC campaign has raised more than $27 million since 2005. Under her leadership, the Virginia State Employee Assistance Fund, designated by employees to help their colleagues, awarded 58 grants last year totaling $29,000. Anne was also instrumental in developing the Virginia State Employee Loan Program funded by the Virginia Credit Union, which has loaned $5 million to state employees since 2009. Her volunteerism expertise has been recognized outside of DHRM. Anne served as contact point and coordinator of volunteers for Governor McDonnell’s inauguration and the visit of Queen Elizabeth to Virginia. She managed over 200 volunteers for the unveiling of the Civil Rights Memorial on Capitol Square in 2009. And her years with the American Red Cross were invaluable in quickly developing state employee relief fund campaigns for international and local disasters, from the Pacific Tsunami in 2005 to Katrina on the Gulf Coast, to the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, and hurricanes across Virginia earlier this year. The campaign for Katrina alone raised $400,000 for the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, while the drives for Haiti and Japan totaled more than $15,000. For her colleagues at DHRM, Anne is the epitome of what it means to be a volunteer, and to serve others willingly with a glad heart. With pride, I present the Governor’s Award for Community Service and Volunteerism to Anne Dinterman. Customer Service
Arriving at the Wytheville office of the VEC at noon on a Friday after the Pulaski Tornadoes, a homeless veteran was seeking temporary living arrangements. The local shelter was closed and there appeared to be no other options available for housing. The VEC employee took action immediately to find shelter for the military veteran. Working with the Veterans Administration and TAP staff in Roanoke and Salem, Mike coordinated the production of a DD214 (Military Paperwork required for Veterans Services). Since the customer no longer had a mailing address – he no longer had a home – Mike arranged for the paperwork to be expedited and sent to his VEC office so that longer term housing could be made available. Meanwhile, the veteran needed a place to sleep that night. Taking immediate action, Mike drove the man to a Day Mission facility in Roanoke where lodging had been secured. When the DD214 paperwork arrived at the VEC office, Mike worked with the Veterans Administration to place the man in the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP). The veteran’s family had relocated to Arizona, where he was able to find a job and join his family. The story does not end there for Mike Frye. He continued to monitor the veteran and his progress in the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program, long past his official obligation to provide service to his customer. Mike Frye is a shining example of the exceptional customer service provided to our citizens across the Commonwealth. The Governor’s Award for Customer Service goes to Mike Frye of Wytheville. Innovation
Fortunately for its patients and the Commonwealth, the Department of Pharmacy Services at UVA Medical Center does just that. It has closely watched prescribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring of drugs. And because of that, the department saw that the old, standard process of doing things could become much better. So it decided to make change happen. The old model was simply outdated. Doctors had to enter orders for prescriptions. Drugs were dispensed manually in carts on nursing units with the potential for medication errors when given to patients. And the information technology structure was so undeveloped that pharmacists remotely monitored medications from the basement of the hospital! Enter the new, innovative model that uses the latest technology. The current system has an electronic medical record for each patient. Drugs prescribed by the doctor are part of the record, as are the patient’s lab, radiology tests and other health information. The hospital has automated drug dispensing, and dispensing and inventory data are integrated with the electronic medical record. Medication data is updated every 12 hours. To administer a drug, the nurse scans both the patient’s wristband, as a patient identifier, and the drug. The software then searches the electronic medical record to ensure the patient has an active order for that drug. If not, the nurse is alerted that an incorrect medication is about to be administered. Finally, medication monitoring has moved up from the basement. Pharmacists are now on the nursing units, and can recommend more effective and/or less expensive drugs to prescribing physicians. They can also provide nursing and patient education. The innovation of the Pharmacy Services Department has paid off in many ways. Here are the results:
The Governor’s Award for Innovation goes to the University of Virginia Medical Center, Pharmacy Services Department. Teamwork
Many of the staff members of the Mt. Rogers Health Department were a part of the community hit that day. The storm was devastating. There were four fatalities, dozens of injuries, and multiple dwellings and businesses were destroyed. Mt. Rogers health department staff members mobilized at once, putting the lives and well being of others over their own situations at home. Because of the selfless teamwork and dedication of the Mt. Rogers health department, citizens in the Glade Spring community impacted by the storm received prompt medical care. Public health messages helped the community prevent post-storm disease and infection. Using the district’s mobile clinic unit, public health nurses and ancillary staff administered first aid, and gave more than 900 tetanus shots to injured residents and to first responders brought in to help with clean-up and restoration. Teams went door-to-door giving vaccinations and providing public health disaster information. Environmental health staff inspected restaurants and communicated to food handlers about proper food storage. For the Mt. Rogers health department, the community simply came first on April 28 and in the weeks afterward. During that crucial time, these 30 public health nurses and ancillary staff members went above and beyond their normal work to support their community. The Governor’s Award for Teamwork goes to the Mt. Rogers Health District Tornado Response team. Workplace Safety and Health
In February, a viral gastrointestinal virus struck five patients in one ward of the Southwest Virginia Mental Health Institute. Cindy Jones, a nurse and infection prevention and control expert decided this was no small coincidence. She examined staff attendance records for the previous three days and discovered 12 employees had reported similar symptoms when calling in sick. Infectious diseases can spread rapidly in any closed system such as a hospital. Cindy led a team to implement immediate measure to fight the spread of this virus. Isolation of wards with multiple patients with the virus, increasing the frequency of hand washing, ward restrictions, disinfection of the environment, and curtailing visitation from family members. Employees with newly developing symptoms were asked to stay home and all employees were notified of the typical warning signs preceding another bout of the virus. Because she used her expert knowledge in infection control and epidemiology, Cindy kept the number of patients and staff experiencing symptoms to about 10% of the population, a significantly low number in this type of situation. No patients required hospitalization at an acute care medical hospital for norovirus. During this same period, the community outside the center suffered so many cases of the virus that schools were closed and other health care facilities had a much higher incidence of the disease. Cindy’s persistent efforts to make her facility a much safer place from infectious disease have resulted in a 13% increase in the number of employees receiving influenza vaccinations; employee hand washing increased to 85% from the 2009 level of 77%. The Joint Commission on disease control announced that Cindy’s procedures are evidence of “best practices” and obtained copies of her procedures for distribution to similar hospitals. Her dedication to improving workplace health at SWVMHI includes surveillance of 100% of all geriatric units to prevent outbreaks of MRSA, a faster process for communicating single incidents of infectious disease to other units at the hospital, and creating an infection control internet website. She prepares brochures for continuous employee education including her innovative newsletter, “The Porcelain Post” to be read by staff in the restrooms. Cindy Jones, RN, CIC has made a difference in the health of SWVMHI and the benefits of her efforts will long be reaped throughout her facility. The Governor’s Award for Workplace Health and Safety for 2011 goes to Cindy Jones. |
Anthony McLaurin embodies the spirit of a true teacher. As a high school history instructor, he lives the Department of Correctional Education’s motto daily. He is “Fighting Crime Through Education” by introducing the minds of incarcerated young men to the joys of his personal passion, history.
Veteran Virginia Conservation Police Officer (CPO) Sergeant Karl P. Martin of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is a special breed of public servant. For the past 39 years, Sgt. Martin’s extraordinary work performance on behalf of Virginia’s citizens has been the palpable heartbeat of DGIF’s Law Enforcement Division. His professionalism is beyond reproach and his work ethic has yet to be duplicated.
When she was 11 years old, Anne Dinterman walked with her mother door-to-door to collect donations for the March of Dimes. That was the beginning of a life commitment to service and volunteering in the community.
This year’s recipient of the Customer Service Award is always going the extra mile to provide service far beyond the expectations of his customers. In his role of Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Representative at the Virginia Employment Commission, he frequently works with our military veterans.
Millions of people take prescription drugs every day. And most of us never think about the process behind bringing us our blood pressure or cholesterol pills. We certainly rarely consider the cost, dispensing turnaround time and safety of drugs given at a hospital such as the University of Virginia Medical Center.
In the early morning hours of April 28, 2011, an F-3 tornado with up to 130-mile-per-hour winds cut a devastating swath through the small southwest Virginia town of Glade Spring. Anyone who has survived a tornado will tell you that the storm leaves in its wake a sense of helplessness and shock felt by the entire community. That includes those responding to the disaster who may have experience personal loss themselves.
When you hear about epidemics and fast-spreading viruses, you usually picture a small village in a third-world country where there are limited supplies of fresh drinking water and poor sanitation systems.