Seasons of change, reflection

Mission: To promote, protect,

and improve the health and safety of all Hoosiers.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Ndhlovu releases second poetry book

2

DNPA works to keep Hoosier kids healthy

3

Strike teams mobilize 4

Shield spotlight 5

HIV fun committee 6

Look who I met

on the elevator 7

Staffing updates 7

Public Health Laboratory Appreciation Month

8

Digital transformation 9

FUN FACT

Want a quick mood boost? Just

say “thank you!” Mental health

experts and scientists believe

expressing gratitude helps peo-

ple recognize the good things

in life — and that can go a long

way in making you happier

overall.

September 2021

Just as the leaves will soon begin to change

colors, this is a change of seasons for public

health. We have seen it play out at IDOH as we

have ramped up our testing operation once

again to meet the demand created by the on-

going COVID surge fueled by the Delta vari-

ant. We have seen key staff members move on

to new careers outside IDOH. These are hard

transitions at times. But they are part of life,

and we continue to adapt.

As we think about all that public health has

faced over the last year and a half, it’s im-

portant to take stock of that journey and its

impact on us, both personally and profession-

ally. That’s why I encourage every staff mem-

ber to participate in the PH-Wins survey. This

year’s survey includes questions about the

impact of the pandemic, about racial equity, and about employee retention, among many

others. The results of the survey can help us

better understand where we are as an agency,

but we only get our data if more than half of

our agency completes it. So please complete

this anonymous survey. As we noted last week,

we will award a free jeans week to the entire

agency if we achieve this participation goal.

I’ve heard from some staff who have com-

pleted the survey already who described it as

depressing to acknowledge the impact of the

pandemic. Many of us in public health are

struggling with our mental health. We are

tired, both physically and men-

tally. I want to point you to a

recent session held during the

National Conference on Health

Communication, Marketing and

Media that might be helpful. The

session focused on the impact

the pandemic has had on public

health professionals and was led

by a California psychologist

whose husband is a public infor-

mation officer for a local health department.

Her personal and professional perspectives

provide welcome insight into the struggles

many of us are facing. The recording of the

session is available at no cost at https://

www.nchcmm.org/.

Another sign of change in public health seasons was last week’s inaugural meeting of

the Governor’s Public Health Commission. It

was heartening to see the incredibly busy peo-

ple representing public health, local govern-

ment and health-related associations who

have taken time out of their schedules to com-

mit to the important task of improving our

public health system so that all Hoosiers have

equal access to health care.

I am grateful to all who continue to serve

Hoosiers and look forward to the next season.

Yours in health,

Kris

Kris Box,

MD, FACOG

Support IDOH

in Lip Sync contest!

If you haven’t seen our

IDOH Dreamgirls in the

SECC Lip Sync competi-

tion, check them out

and vote for them! You

can watch their perfor-

mance here and can

donate here. Support

the team AND a good

cause! Voting ends Fri-

day!

Page 2 Pulse | September 2021

Spotlight

HIV division’s Ndhlovu releases second poetry book

Noah Ndhlovu believes poems are

“snapshots of our thoughts in real time.”

They are ideas, thoughts and feelings

collected in a modicum of words that, de-

spite their inherent brevity, still have much

to say. Ndhlovu, who works as manager of

the Indiana Department of Health’s (IDOH)

HIV/STD/Hepatitis C division’s PrEP (pre-

exposure prophylaxis) program, made sev-

eral of those thoughts and feelings public

when he released his debut poetry book,

Psalms of Noah, in 2019.

Ndhlovu is following up that work with

a second volume of poetry that goes to

some unique places while retaining the

same heart.

“My first book was a collection of works

under a Christian theme, or what you

might call ‘faith-based poems,’” he said. “In

my new publication, Voices of Noah: The

Formative Years, there is a little of every-

thing, from love, humor, death, politics,

etc.”

This new anthology is available now

digitally and in paperback. It’s the product

of years of following a dream that began

when Ndhlovu finished high school and

started writing “as a creative way to pass

time.” His poetry helped prepare him for

future chapters in his life, helping guide

him to where he is today – both as an au-

thor and as manager of a vital health de-

partment program, among numerous oth-

er pursuits.

Ndhlovu’s literary undertaking was also

begun to fill a noticeable void at the

bookstore. A dearth of Christian poetry

books led him to self-publish Psalms,

which he described as “a sign of goodwill

on my writing journey.” He also hoped the

poems, which bear the name of a book of

the Bible’s Old Testament, would help

readers look inward and learn about them-

selves.

“In my first publication, I centered the

poems on faith to inspire, motivate and

encourage people to align themselves with

their inner being and source,” he said.

For his sophomore effort, Ndhlovu is tak-

ing readers on a new journey, though his

latest batch of poems may inspire readers

in much the same way as his first collec-

tion. Ndhlovu describes the poems as

“lyrical and narrative” works that vocalize “whispers from the depths of your heart.”

With a pair of poetry books already to

his name, Ndhlovu has his sights set on a

third that he plans to release later.

“Yes, I have a collection of poems under

the umbrella of love and romance which I

hope to publish before long,” he said.

“These poems are already written and

ready to be sent for publication as soon as

I identify a suitable publisher. I am also

looking into self-publication.”

Following that, Ndhlovu is planning to

put out his first non-poetry work, a psy-

chological exploration of aspects of human

behavior.

Ndhlovu has accumulated an impres-

sive catalog of writing already, much of

which he worked on before beginning his

career with IDOH. The normal bustle of

everyday life is sometimes a bit of a barrier

for Ndhlovu’s creative endeavors, but he’s

learned how to dedicate an appropriate

amount of time to all of life’s responsibili-

ties to keep it all in balance. Right now,

he’s writing on the weekends and during

some evenings as he finishes up his next

poetry project.

Ndhlovu is working to make a positive

impact not only in the lives of his readers,

but also for Hoosiers living with serious

illnesses. His work as PrEP project manager

is personally fulfilling for him and im-

portant in helping people with HIV experi-

ence a high quality of life.

“I enjoy my work because I can directly

influence the lives of those people living

with HIV to thrive by helping to end the

stigma and narrative about HIV and AIDS,”

he said. “In my new role as the PrEP pro-

gram manager, I am working to help pro-

mote the use of PrEP, which is a daily regi-

men for those at a higher risk of acquiring

HIV. Using PrEP, antiretroviral therapy, and

encouraging HIV testing, we will align the

state and other jurisdictions to ending the

HIV epidemic.”

Prior to July 1, Ndhlovu was HIV testing

program manager. He began his career

with IDOH as an HIV prevention specialist

in October 2017.

Ndhlovu’s second career draws influ-ence from a variety of sources, including

19th century British poet Robert Browning

and Mutabaruka, a Jamaican poet, musi-

cian and actor. Other inspiration comes

from Allan Watts, an English philosopher

and prolific author of religious and philo-

sophical articles and books, and Dr. Amos

Wilson, a professor and psychologist.

Ndhlovu is a native of Zambia, Africa,

and he previously served as president of

the Indiana chapter of the Zambian Associ-

ation, which he also founded. He cites

iconic civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr. and Malcolm X, among others, as

inspiration in his life. Ndhlovu also manag-

es the 501 (c) (3) charitable organization

Zamaritan. A portmanteau of “Zambia” and

“Samaritan,” the nonprofit seeks to pro-

mote volunteerism in Zambia. Ndhlovu

said he hopes to add three more advisory

board members who “have a passion to

help the less privileged.” Send questions to

Ndhlovu directly at non-

dhlovu@isdh.in.gov. Applications can be

requested at info@zamaritan.org.

Learn more about Ndhlovu and his many endeavors at his website.

Noah Ndhlovu recently published his

second book of poems. Voices of

Noah: The Formative Years is availa-

ble now.

Volume 7 Page 3 Pulse | September 2021 Page 3

Division of Nutrition & Physical Activity works to keep Hoosiers kids at healthy weight National Childhood Obesity Awareness

Month is observed each September, allow-

ing for an opportunity to explore how the

Indiana Department of Health is working

to keep Hoosier children at a healthy

weight.

Lindsey Bouza, director of the Division

of Nutrition and Physical Activity (DNPA),

recently took time to discuss her division’s

work, which involves helping kids get ac-

cess to nutritious foods and stay active.

“In the DNPA, we focus on increasing

access to and consumption of nutritious

foods and beverages and engagement in

physical activity through policy, system

and environmental change,” Bouza ex-

plained. “During my time in the DNPA, I

have focused on assisting schools [with

strengthening] their school wellness poli-

cies and assisting a variety of workplaces

establish wellness programs and make

changes to their environments.”

Additionally, the DNPA director has

worked on facilitating “active living work-

shops” in numerous Hoosier communities.

She also sets the direction for DNPA on

programs such as SNAP-Ed, breastfeeding,

early care and education, school and workplace wellness, and the built environ-

ment.

Bouza began work-

ing for the state of In-

diana in 2008, with five

years spent as a con-

tractor and eight as a

state employee. She

joined the DNPA in

2012 and worked as

wellness and physical

activity coordinator

before becoming di-

rector. Read on to

learn how Bouza and

the DNPA are positively impacting the

health and wellness of kids throughout

Indiana. Pulse: What types of programs does your

division offer to help prevent and/or man-

age obesity in children?

Bouza: Our division provides guidance

and technical assistance with early care

and education (ECE) providers and school

leaders. In the ECE setting, we provide

professional development to providers on

increasing physical activity, wellness poli-

cies, the importance of using the Child and

Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and

Farm to ECE. We have also provided mini-

grants to establish gardens onsite at child

care providers’ locations. We participate

on various advisory boards that work to

integrate better nutrition standards and

increased physical standards in the ECE setting.

In the school setting, we provide profes-

sional development and grants to schools

and after-school providers to increase

physical activity in children and adoles-

cents. We also provide grants to schools

to implement wellness initiatives, promote

the CDC’s WSCC (Whole School, Whole

Community, Whole Child) model, train

schools in the Comprehensive School

Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) and

create resources for schools (IN Healthy

Schools Toolkit) to implement their well-

ness policies. We also are recipients of a

USDA Farm to School grant in which we

provide guidance, funding and recognition

to schools that participate in Farm to

School initiatives.

Pulse: Is there data available on the num-

ber of children who are helped by these

programs? How can parents/guardians/

caregivers learn more?

Bouza: The data that we collect on what

we offer includes number of children

reached, number of school professionals

or ECE professionals trained, number of

schools participating in Farm to School,

number of schools strengthening their

wellness policies, etc. We do also track the

obesity, overweight, physical activity and

nutrition data on children and adolescents

through the Youth Risk Behavior Survey

(YRBS) and and the National Survey of

Children’s Health. Parents/guardians/

caregivers can learn more by visiting our

website at https://www.in.gov/health/

dnpa/. Also, I would suggest parents/

guardians/caregivers to get involved with

the wellness committee at their school or

ask their child care provider if they have a

wellness policy or what they do to encour-

age physical activity or enhance food of-

ferings.

Pulse: How does the Division of Nutrition

and Physical Activity come to partner with

other agencies and outside organizations

to share information about its programs?

Bouza: The DNPA partners with the IDOE when it comes to disseminating grant or professional development opportunities. The DNPA hopes to have an increased partnership with FSSA and IDOE in the near future to collaborate on projects and grant opportunities, but also to discuss the WSCC model and how we can encourage schools to follow that model. The DNPA also partners with many other stakehold-ers, such as Health by Design, JumpIN for Healthy Kids, the Indiana Grown for Schools Network, and Top 10, just a name a few. We rely on our partners to help us disseminate information, but also because we cannot do this work alone. It takes many organizations and sectors to work together, using collective impact, to change the trajectory of health and well-ness in Indiana. Pulse: What are some of the challenges your division currently faces as you work to help Hoosier kids maintain a healthy weight? Bouza: The challenges are numerous. One is funding – neither us nor our partners have much in the way of funding when it comes to creating healthy environments and policies that would make an impact for children. The abundance of “fast food”, non-nutritious, calorie-dense, processed foods at every corner of the grocery store. The convenience and low cost of non-nutritious foods are a challenge. The lack of sidewalks in every neighborhood or safe biking routes makes it challenging for someone to choose walking or bicycling for everyday activities. School leaders of-ten don’t see wellness as a priority and don’t see the connection between a healthy child and academics. The ECE envi-ronment also has competing priorities and not a lot of time or energy to complete paperwork for the CACFP or to allow staff to attend professional development.

DNPA Director

Lindsey Bouza

Pulse | September 2021 Page 4

Strike teams mobilize amid Delta variant surge

Keep going on your ActiveHealth activities!

With the Sept. 30 deadline fast approaching, make sure you and your spouse (if applicable) complete your chosen ActiveHealth activity on time to earn your 2022 Premium Discount.

Check your progress in the ActiveHealth Rewards Center to see how far you’ve come – and how close you are to reaching your goal! Don’t forget: if your spouse is covered by your health plan, they will also have to complete an activity by the Sept. 30 deadline.

Also, did you know you (and covered spouses) can earn up to $125 in gift cards just by completing two important health-related tasks? Here’s the rundown: • How do you complete a health assessment? Log in to the ActiveHealth por-

tal and click the link

• When is the deadline? Nov. 30, 2021

• What do you get? A $25 gift card and an easy-to-understand summary of your current health

• How do you complete a wellness visit? View the Wellness Visit Guide for complete details.

• When is the deadline? Nov. 30, 2021

• What do you get out of it? A $100 gift card and specific details of your cur-rent health along with help understanding your measurements

The Indiana Department of Health has been front and center since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

The response has included health department employees, National Guard members and others who’ve volunteered their time to help inform Hoosiers about the COVID-19 vaccines, test for infection and do their part to help keep their fellow Hoosiers healthy and safe.

To that end, COVID-19 strike teams have been in action throughout the state and have increased their presence as the Delta variant fuels a rise in cases. Throughout much of that time, Brandon Halleck has been on those front lines.

Halleck first joined the strike teams early in the pandemic in

the spring of 2020, just as the need for that type of response

became clear. He has worked on the strike teams in multiple

capacities, crisscrossing much of the state, from South Bend to

Gary, Tell City to Warsaw, and just about everywhere in between.

He was on his way to Parke County earlier this month when

he took time to talk about his strike team participation, which

most recently has seen him work in a supervisory or coordinator

role. That work – a departure from his regular duties as a linkage

to care coordinator for people living with HIV – usually involves

talking with the public as well as the strike team, answering

questions and ensuring enough supplies are available for the

current mission. The latter task requires coordination with the

Indiana National Guard.

Halleck’s conversations with the public have helped people

make informed decisions about whether they should take a

COVID-19 vaccine and have helped clear up misconceptions

about the virus, testing and vaccinations.

He said he has spoken to at least two individuals who opted

to get a COVID-19 vaccine after learning more about it. Medical experts continue to stress that the COVID-19 vaccine is the best

protection against becoming seriously ill from the virus.

As the pandemic stretched well into its 18th month, however,

Halleck acknowledged that, for all they’ve accomplished and all

the good they’ve done, the strike team members are “tired and

burned out.” They’re no less committed than they were on Day

One, but some new recruits could be a big help to the strike

team members by boosting morale and bringing what Halleck

called “a fresh perspective” to the teams.

“It sounds like a cliché, but we’re all in this together,” he said.

“You can really make a significant difference in people’s lives.”

Halleck said volunteering for even a single day could have a positive impact.

SHA/SHIP Update: Where are we now?

The State Health Assessment and State Health Improvement Plan Committee is continuing to collect qualitative data on the identified indicators to be highlighted within the plan. The committee is in the process of reviewing the data sets and assess-ments that have been collect-ed thus far, but there is still plenty to be synthesized. Key data indicators include but are not limited to income, race, ethnici-ty, education, housing and more. Additionally, this committee will be looking at specific populations, infant mor-tality, substance use, chronic dis-ease, mental health and other issues. The committee came back together from 11 a.m. to noon Sept. 12 to review this data and identify what priorities should be found within the State Health Improve-ment Plan.

Brandon Halleck (front row, in blue shirt) worked with a COVID-19 strike team of Indiana National Guard members at the Parke County Fairgrounds Sept. 8. INNG members are (left to right) Cpl. Pugh, Sgt. Bell, Cpl. Lee, Spc. Laney, Pfc Jenkins, and Sgt. Cooper.

Pulse | September 2021 Page 5

Naima Gardner-Rice of the Division of Nutrition and

Physical Activity and Andrew Pappas of the Division of Envi-

ronmental Public Health are this month’s Shield Spotlight

nominees.

Naima was nominated for the Award of Excellence by

Lindsey Bouza.

“Naima has made outstanding contributions to the

agency's Health Equity Council and has recently become co-

chair, which is not part of her original job description,” Bou-

za said. “She is personally passionate about the topic and

about integrating equity into all of our programs that she

brings this passion to the workplace.”

Gardner-Rice is also “thoughtful and thorough” during health equity discussions, and she’s always ready to aim

higher.

“She is not satisfied with status quo and isn't afraid to

challenge her fellow council members,” Bouza said.

She noted that Naima accomplishes these tasks while

also handling additional responsibilities related to work in

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) educa-

tion and the Farm to School program, resulting from the

ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response.

“She does this all with a smile and without complaint,”

said Bouza. “She is a true public health warrior.”

Andrew was nominated for the Team Player Award by

Michael Haddon.

“Andrew manages a team of nine inspectors with read-

ing compliance reports from our staff that inspect mobile

home communities, RV campgrounds, youth camps, agri-

cultural migrant workers housing and pools,” said Haddon,

who described Pappas as “an excellent team leader.”

“Andrew worked a COVID-19 strike team and traveled

the state to do whatever he was asked to do,” Haddon con-

tinued, noting that Pappas “should be recognized for all of

the sleepless nights being away from his family to do his part [for] public health.”

“Andrew is a huge asset to IDOH with his knowledge and

personality,” Haddon said.

Do you know someone who deserves special recogni-tion? Head to the Shield Spotlight form and nominate someone today! You can nominate an individual or a team for any of the following honors: Award of Excellence, Team Player Award, Personal Achievement Award, Customer Ser-vice Award, or a Workplace Milestone.

Shield Spotlight: Naima Gardner-Rice and Andrew Pappas

Pulse | September 2021 Page 6

Let’s-a-go! ‘Fun Committee’ brings smiles with ice cream social, Mario Kart tournament

Anyone who’s ever rounded the final turn on Rainbow Road

in first place only to meet the business end of the dreaded (and

highly explosive) blue Koopa shell knows well the joy (and hilar-

ious frustration) that is Mario Kart.

But the Indiana Department of Health’s HIV, STD, and Viral

Hepatitis division is more than willing to risk spinning out on a

banana peel or accidentally driving a go-kart off the side of a

candy-coated mountain if it means employees can have a little

fun together.

Division Director Jeremy Turner said his team’s “Fun Com-

mittee” is getting ready to host an October tournament that

will pit employees kart-to-kart (or kart-to-motorcycle, or kart-to

-baby buggy, et al) in a winner-take-all Mario Kart extravagan-

za. Match-ups for the double-elimination

tournament are determined by a random

drawing.

Turner said the employees will be playing

on Nintendo Switch, which likely means Mario

Kart 8 Deluxe will be the version of choice.

The megahit game stars dozens of characters

from Nintendo’s beloved Mario series, includ-

ing Mario’s brother Luigi, the evil King Bow-

ser, a kaleidoscope of Yoshis (Mario’s dino-

saur steed), and of course, the mustachioed mascot himself.

There are also characters representing other Nintendo games,

like Link from The Legend of Zelda and Isabelle from the wildly

popular Animal Crossing. Players race on tracks that vary from

seemingly ordinary city streets to outer space to dairy farms where cows routinely wander onto the course, just waiting to

cause the next inopportune kart crash.

Of course, it’s all in good fun, and with this event, fun is the

name of the game.

“Our Fun Committee is comprised of a staff representative

from every program area,” Turner explained. “They think of

activities we can do during our quarterly full-staff meeting as

well as intermittent things we can do to make the workplace

more enjoyable.”

First on the agenda was an ice cream social, which took

place at the end of August.

“We will be having people sign their names to big poster-

boards that align with their favorite toppings,” Turner said in

advance of the event, noting that the social followed the quar-

terly staff meeting. The meeting was streamed on Microsoft

Teams, but the in-person event following it took place out-

doors.

The ice cream social and Mario Kart race are just two exam-

ples of the division’s work to put smiles on employees’ faces.

But events like these also allow workers of larger divisions an

opportunity to interact with colleagues they may not see on a

regular basis – if at all.

“We try to do events that help our team

get to know each other outside of their daily

activities,” Turner said. “In a division our size,

it is easy for people in different program are-

as never to cross paths.”

Crossing paths is something that happens

frequently on the Mario Kart circuit, though

those interactions typically include power

sliding through a haunted mansion or jump-

ing through rings of fire en route to a podium

finish.

Well, unless that pesky blue shell shows up.

Turner is prepared for the competition and said he plans to

get behind the virtual wheel as Princess Peach. The Mushroom

Kingdom monarch, who is perhaps best known for being habit-ually kidnapped (she should probably hire better security), is

one of the faster characters in the game, however, so the direc-

tor may end up taking the gold trophy ahead of his teammates

after all.

Playing in the tournament is open to every team member,

including those who work outside of 2 North.

“We have invited everyone in the division as well as execu-

tive staff,” Turner said.

What fun activities is your division cooking up? Let us know by emailing Brent Brown, internal communications specialist with the Office of Public Affairs, at brebrown@isdh.in.gov.

Squad goals The IDOH HIV/STD/Viral Hepatitis di-

vision recently enjoyed an ice cream

social and soon will follow that up with

a Mario Kart tournament. Seen here

are Darin Foltz, Noah Ndhlovu, Jeremy

Townsend, Erika Chapman, Brandon

Halleck, Gurpreet Dhillon, Daniel Ster-

ling, Deb Nichols, Larry Stribling, Nic

Love, Pam Pontones, Jeremy Turner,

Shere Brooks, Kayla Bates, Thomas

Haney, Dustin Williams, Deidre Bush,

Mark Schwering, Kyra Kofodimos,

Kiera Schultz, Jamie Black, Connor Tif-

fany, Aziza Mazitova, Tracy Grimme,

Josh Dowell, Jenna Rasor, Cam Wells,

Camille Singhe and John Nichols.

Title: produce safety supervisor, Food Protection division

Brief job description: I oversee the implementation of the Indi-

ana Produce Safety Program at the Food Protection division and

manage a team of very talented produce inspectors. Produce

safety inspection is a relatively new federal regulation, and we

started inspecting fruit and vegetable farms in 2019. In addition

to conducting inspections, the team also provides one-on-one

food safety education to growers and attends conferences to

help the farm community understand the ins-and-outs of the new

regulation. So, in brief, my job is to provide support to the team

so all Hoosiers can consume safe fruits and vegetables. Time at IDOH: I was hired as the produce safety grant coordina-

tor in October 2018 and recently was promoted to the supervisor

position in March 2021. Oh wow, I have been with IDOH for al-

most three full years. Time flies! What do you like most about working at IDOH? It is a great

honor to have the opportunity to work with food safety experts,

educators and growers to build the Indiana Produce Safety pro-

gram together. I enjoy growing fruits and vegetables, so being

“told” to go visit farms is a big bonus to my personal growth. I

learn so much from everyone while at the same time protecting

public health.

Other information: I live in Kokomo, and I love camping with my 1982 VW Westfalia camper on weekends (#VanLife). I also love to go kayaking and traveling, and I’ve visited close to 40 states and nine countries. I really want to visit Alaska soon!

Anthem EAP is here to help

Access your Anthem EAP online resources at www.AnthemEAP.com and click the Members Login button. The next page will ask you to enter your company name, State of Indiana. Click “Log In” to view available services. Connect with a trained EAP representative by phone at 1-800-223-7723 (select option 1). The representative will help you find a therapist who fits your situation, and will even as-sist you in scheduling your initial appointment.

Staffing updates

‐ Jada Burton—intern, Naloxone program

‐ Joel Bazzell—HIV/STD/Viral Hepatitis

‐ Andrew Derry—Tobacco Prevention

‐ Leighe Disbro—Emergency Preparedness

‐ Eric Shelley—Emergency Preparedness

‐ Mary Owen—HIV/STD/Viral Hepatitis

‐ Vinootna Kakarla—HIV/STD/Viral Hepatitis

‐ Krystle Bradford—Acute Care

‐ Funmilayo Olaitan—public health nurse surveyor, Long-

term Care

‐ Emily Verbrugge—microbiologist, Laboratories

‐ LaDonna McChristian—administrative assistant, Children’s

Special Health Care

‐ Laura Parks—attorney, Legal Affairs

‐ Sara Rivera—drug overdose prevention intern, Trauma and

Injury Prevention

‐ Lucretia Thurman—Children’s Special Health Care

‐ Matthew Simmons—Data Analytics

‐ Rosalind Gamble—Acute Care

‐ Matthew Paarlberg—medical surveyor, Acute Care

‐ Caulin McGraw—attorney, Legal Affairs

Page 7 Pulse | August 2021

Vivien McCurdy

The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) participates in a national program called the Public Health Digital Li-brary (PHDL). The PHDL is affiliated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and managed by the Network of the National Library of Medicine’s Public Health Coordination Office. IDOH collabo-rates with several state health departments to fund the pro-gram and obtain favorable pricing. As a result, IDOH staff has unlimited access to a wide array of current, evidence-based and industry-specific e-journals, e-books, databases, research and mapping tools. There is no need to pay additional fees for your research because many of the publications and books you use are freely accessible to you from the PHDL. The Office of Public Health Performance Management in-vites you to review the site and to stay current with im-portant information, research and data that is relevant to your work. By doing so, IDOH can best advance public health in Indiana. Access the PHDL website here. Want a sneak peek? Check out this article from the Journal of the American Medical Informatics (January 2021) that can be accessed on the PHDL. The article highlights the efforts of IDOH, local health departments, health systems and the Indiana Health Information Exchange to support public health surveillance and response to COVID-19.

Free digital library can help you stay current

The Governor’s Public Health Commission held its first

meeting Sept. 16 as it embarks on an effort to improve Indi-

ana’s public health system. Learn more at www.in.gov/gphc.

Page 8 Pulse | September 2021

Lab set to celebrate PHL Appreciation Month September is Public Health Laboratory Appre-

ciation Month, and the Indiana Department of

Health Laboratory will celebrate with a cookout.

The IDOH Lab is located at 550 W. 16th St., in a

building that was completed in 2007. In this state-

of-the-art facility, around 100 employees, contrac-

tors and interns worked diligently throughout the

past year to receive, test and report results of

more than 285,000 samples for more than 375,000

different tests.

The lab performs clinical testing for diseases

such as COVID-19, influenza, herpes, HIV, hepatitis

A, B, and C, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoeae, TB, CRE, E. coli, sal-

monella and more. The primary public health laboratory for Indi-

ana also tests public water supplies, surface waters throughout

Indiana, pool water, meat packing plant samples, dairy product

samples, food samples, rabies samples and well

water samples for private citizens.

The lab provides results to physicians, hospi-

tals, clinics, local health departments, reference

labs, Indiana Department of Environmental Man-

agement, Board of Animal Health, private citizens,

veterinary clinics, the USDA, the FDA and the

CDC.

Public health laboratory staff members have worked hard to provide quality, timely results to customers even through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have an opportunity to speak

with public health laboratory professionals this month, be sure to let them know you appreciate their efforts and the great job they are doing! Give them a shout-out on Twitter, too, with the hashtag #ThanksPHLabs.

Jaxon Pridgen and Marvin Coombs work on sequencing COVID-19 strains, left. Ryan Gentry grills out during a previous celebration.

Have you met Flat Labby?

We’ve all heard of Flat Stanley and the adventures he has. Well, not

to be outdone, the Association of Public Health Laboratories has creat-

ed Flat Labby. The teal blob-like creature comes with coloring pages

and cutouts, complete with costumes, to help celebrate the adventures

of public health laboratorians. The next time you want to recognize our

incredibly dedicated IDOH lab staff, consider bringing Flat Labby along

for the party.

You can find the Flat Labby cutout here:

https://www.aphl.org/Materials/Flat_Labby_Cool_Cutout.pdf

For coloring pages to inspire the next generation of public health

laboratorians, go to https://www.aphl.org/Materials/PHLAM/Flat-

Labby-Coloring-Pages.pdf.

Page 9 Pulse | September 2021

Data G o vern an ce Spo tlight

As part of the overall Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) rebranding efforts begun last year, the state Health Department, with the assistance of the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT), will be undergoing an initiative to change the email address format from ISDH.in.gov to HEALTH.in.gov.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

Why is the domain name changing?

The purpose of this change is to align the communication tools with the agency’s new branding and provide a clear domain to all users, internal and external. As you recall, our URL has changed to www.health.in.gov. This will bring our emails into alignment.

Why is the agency engaging in a pilot project?

As this is a large-scale project with many potential implica-

tions, a pilot project will be conducted using a small number of

volunteers from various areas in IDOH. The purpose of this pilot

is to identify and address challenges presented by this change,

such as maintaining your mailbox and streamlining access to the

applications you use in your daily work activities, and to shorten

the timeline of organization-wide implementation.

Thirty-four IDOH employees volunteered for the pilot. Six members will be included at the start, and more will be added based on the project’s progression. Following this pilot, IDOH

hopes to assess the user and performance impact in real-world experiments, improve and validate roll-out plans prior to the organization-wide launch and provide frequently asked ques-tions and Knowledgebase resources to empower all users. What does this mean for me?

If you are not a part of the pilot program, you will not see any impact in the immediate term. Following the pilot, the health department will have a better idea of the roll-out plan and will provide communication on the plan, timing and any relevant impact to employees.

Share your thoughts on the Digital

Transformation Initiative!

The Digital Transformation Initiative team wants to hear

from you! You can share your thoughts at the Digital

Transformation Initiative Suggestion eBox.

If you would like to reach out directly to the team,

please feel free to contact Bob Davis at

rodavis@isdh.in.gov and/or Mohan Ambaty at

mambaty@isdh.in.gov.

Digital Transformation

Email domain change pilot readies for take-off

In this course, learn why being positive at work is so bene-

ficial and explore practical strategies for increasing posi-

tivity and dealing with difficult situations. Brenda Bailey-

Hughes shares techniques for stopping negative thought

patterns and cultivating positive environments,

relationships and habits. Plus, she explains how to remain

authentically positive when responding to negative peo-

ple and situations.

Time: 34 minutes

Click here to watch!

Being positive at work

‘Seven Hats’ program explores critical thinking

Creative thinking and critical think-

ing are both important aspects of prob-

lem solving.

The “Seven Hats” exercise provides a

framework for individuals to practice

both.

Seven Thinking Hats is a technique developed by Edward de

Bono. de Bono was a physician, philosopher, author and consult-

ant known for originating a technique known as “lateral think-

ing.” Lateral thinking calls for finding creative solutions for solv-

ing problems, often by looking beyond what might be a more

obvious solution.

This parallel thinking technique provides a structure for indi-

viduals to explore seven complex issues or scenarios. The group

exercise can be adapted to many disciplines.

Don’t miss “The Seven Hats” conducted by Indiana State Per-

sonnel Department Learning & Development consultant Cody

Miles, taking place virtually from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept.

23.

Sign up here for this program presented through Microsoft

Teams.