Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As 2019 comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on my first year in office and the work my office has accomplished this year. During my campaign, I promised to focus on accountability, equity and community.
Accountability: I pledged to improve the process for following up on audits.
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Each audit report now establishes a timeline for audited programs to implement recommendations.
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Each new program we audit will be required to provide evidence of how they have implemented, or are working to implement, recommendations.
Equity: I pledged to include the perspectives of marginalized communities in our audits, and to highlight internal inequities within county government.
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With the county’s Office of Diversity and Equity, we developed an Equity and Empowerment Lens tool which will help us to include people affected by the issues and consider the kinds of power occurring with regard to a decision.
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I am requiring ongoing education for each person in my office - including me - on institutionalized racism, equity, and related topics.
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We’ve established a new risk assessment tool that calls out the potential risks to people’s health and safety.
Community: I pledged to connect with county communities.
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I held three listening sessions this year. We focused on making these events accessible; we held events at kid-friendly coffee houses and libraries, offered refreshments, and made sure people could request accommodations, if needed.
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My staff and I attended community meetings across the county - from the Coalition of Gresham Neighborhood Associations to the Coalition of Communities of Color’s annual soiree to the housewarming party for Unite Oregon, and lots in between.
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Created a social media presence for the office. You can now connect with us on Twitter (@MultAuditor) and Facebook (@AuditorJenniferMcGuirk).
I wish you and yours all the best this holiday season. I am proud of the work my office is doing on your behalf, and I am humbled and honored to serve you.
Best,
Integrated Clinical Services Audit
On December 19, principal auditors Fran Davison, Nicole Dewees, and I presented our Integrated Clinical Services Audit to the Board of County Commissioners. The focus of our audit was on the primary care clinics within the Community Health Center. In our interviews with patients, they praised the care they received. However, provider workload and turnover are uneven across the system, especially at the Mid County Health Center. Turnover should be addressed as it reduces patient access to providers, increases the workload on remaining providers, and is costly.
ICS also needs a high-level financial decision-maker as part of the leadership team to help make operational decisions that impact the system financially. You can read a summary of our findings and read the full audit here.
Connecting with Community
On December 5th, I attended the East County Issues Forum's monthly meeting. The Forum engages people and organizations committed to serving the needs of residents in East County. The December meeting showcased local partner resources and services. I enjoyed connecting with East County residents and community partners.
On December 18, I spent the evening at AFSCME Local 88's holiday party. It was a fun event, full of laughter and some really unique holiday sweaters. I really appreciated the opportunity to attend and join the members of Local 88 in their very well-deserved celebration. I had the chance to make some brief remarks, and used that time to thank the members for their exceptional work, and to let them know that my staff and I are inspired every day by their dedication to public service. We couldn't do our work without them.
