WCHD Employee Newsletter Senior Management

February 2019

Upcoming EventsSee attached flyers

A quick reference guide for the emergency procedures regarding fire / emergency evacuation, shelter in place, and active assailant / lockdown has been distributed to all employees. If you have not receive this yellow paper, please see your division director. Please keep this document posted prominently in your office as a reminder of what to do in an emergency situation or drill. The full Emergency Procedures Manual can be viewed on the intranet at

Emergency Procedures Quick Reference

http://wchdnet.dhmh.maryland.gov/SitePages/emerge ncy-procedures.aspx There will be a shelter in place drill sometime inFebruary, so ensure you are familiar with the emergencyprocedures for your location.

Every Monday in the 2nd floor auditoriumcome join in 5 minutes of stretching and 5minutes of meditation during your lunch.See the WCHD Wellness section of thenewsletter for more information.

Lunchtime Stretching & MeditationMondays, 12:30pm

Starting January 10th, join WCHD Wellnessevery Thursday at 5:05pm in the 2nd floorauditorium for Fitness Fun at Five! Join inafter work and follow along with a 20-30minute walking exercise DVD for any levelof fitness! No sign up is needed; just showup!

Fitness Fun at Five

Thursdays,  5:05pm

The health department will be closedfor Presidents' Day.

Presidents' Day

Monday, February 18th

Employee of the Quarter

Susie Fisher is the Employee of the Quarter for the 1st quarter of 2019. Susie is a Fiscal Accounts Technician II with the Administration Division. She has been employed by the Washington County Health Department since November 1998. Congratulations, Susie! Please see the attached flyer.

1st Quarter 2019

Personnel

MSRP WorkshopsMark your calendars for the followingMSRP Workshops: March 21, 2019 - 9:30 am - 11:30 am To Roth or Not to Roth? ·      When to pay your taxes – now or later? ·      Why diversify “tax risk”? ·      Why can Roth be good for youngeremployees? June 26, 2019 - 9:30 am - 11:30 am Taming the Credit Monster ·      How do I pay off debt and build goodcredit? ·      How do I review my credit report andcredit score? ·      My credit needs HELP, how can I fix it? September 25, 2019  - 9:30 am - 11:30 amLife Happens: 10 Things you can do NOWto Prepare for the Unexpected • What can I do today to help me navigatelife’s speedbumps? • What challenges could possibly lieahead? • What are the best methods for absorbingthe shocks and overcoming financialstress? November 13, 2019 - 9:30 am - 11:30 am Did Someone Say "Taxes in Retirement?" ·      How can I minimize taxes inretirement? ·      How will Social Security be taxed? ·      What is the Maryland PensionExclusion? There will be an all staff email that comesout closer to the class date for employeesto register. As always, please make sure toget your supervisors’ approval beforeattending.  Please also see the attached schedules forretirement and financial seminars.

Personnel

There have been quite a few cases of individuals' leavedisappearing, annual and personal for merit employees,and all leave for contractual. After reviewing the caseswe were aware of MDH and DBM have gotten involvedand have corrected the issue. If you have any leaveissues at all, please contact Susie Hoffman or JessSchoppert. 

Leave

If you live in Pennsylvania (and have not already doneso), you are required to fill out an updated W-4 formeach year. If you do not complete an updated W-4 form,then your taxes will be held at a single rate throughMaryland (they are required by law to take themaximum taxes out of each pay if the forms are notupdated). Please contact Shirley or Jess to completethis process.

Pennsylvania Residents

New Hire

Damien McDowell - CSAP

On the first Wednesday of every month,check the refrigerator (main building 2ndfloor lobby, BHS, WIC kitchens) to find asample of the Fruit of the Month and try ataste of a fruit you may not have hadbefore. This month, on February 6th, cometry cotton candy grapes!

Fruit of the Month

WCHD Wellness

https://bit.ly/2RrgzDEHealth Bulletins

Please enjoy WELCOA's Health Bulletins inthe Healthy People Newsletter, linkedabove. Topics featured this month: -What You Need to Know about Anxiety -How to Instill Healthy Habits for YourChildren -Getting a Grip on Gum Disease -Fill Up on Some Fiber

Snack right. Bring almonds, fresh fruit orchopped veggies to work.

Wellness Tip

Check out the WCHD Wellness 2018 Year inReview for an overview of WCHD Wellnesslast year! The Year in Review along with the2018 evaluation and expenses were sent toall employees by email.

2018 Year in Review

Every Monday in the 2nd floor auditoriumcome join in 5 minutes of stretching and 5minutes of meditation during your lunch.Start off your week right by taking a shortstretching and/or meditation break duringyour lunch. Easy standing and chairstretches and guided meditations meanthat anyone can participate with noexperience required! Employees arewelcome to participate in just thestretching or just the meditation portions ifthey’d prefer. Meditation starts at 12:35pm.

Lunchtime Stretching & Meditation

Heart Month

February is Heart Month! Heart disease is a leadingcause of death in the United States. Most middle agedpeople (90 to 95 percent) and young adults (75 to 80percent) have one or more risk factors for heartdisease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or highblood cholesterol, or being a smoker or overweight.Having more than one risk factor increases your risk forheart disease much more than having just one. Makingthe following heart healthy lifestyle changes can helpimprove your heart health: -Get physically active. -Achieve a healthy weight and maintain it. -Eat heart healthy foods. -Quit smoking. Do something every day to improve your heart healththis month: https://bit.ly/2UsECUW

WCHD Wellness

Unplug and Unwind

Unplug and Unwind is a 2-week challenge to stop usingelectronic devices at least one hour before bed everyday for two weeks from February 4th through February17th. Check off each day you stop using electronicdevices at least one hour before bed on the trackingsheet. At the end of the 2 weeks, send your sheet toHannah Person in Health Planning and StrategicInitiatives by interdepartmental mail by Friday, February22nd. One raffle winner will be drawn from everyonewho successfully completed the 2 week challenge. Thewinner will receive a Himalayan salt lamp! Download the challenge tracking sheet athttps://bit.ly/2HESxpn

Tweaking Inspection SchedulesLearn more at: http://bit.ly/2yJnXpM A Harvard study on food safety inspectors’schedules found that tweaking inspectors’schedules could result in the discovery ofhundreds of thousands of violations thatare now being overlooked in the UnitedStates every year.

Environmental Health: Did You

Know?

Program Profile: Environmental Health

Artificial Sweeteners Reveal Septic

System Effluent in Rural Groundwater

As summarized, quoted, and described in a recentarticle from Science Daily: We often 'flush it and forget it' when it comes to wastefrom toilets and sinks. However, it's important to beable to track this wastewater to ensure it doesn't end upin unwanted places. Tracing where this water ends up ishard to measure: What's something found in allwastewater that will allow us to account for all of it?The answer, of all things, is artificial sweeteners. Thesehave several advantages over other compoundssometimes used to track wastewater in theenvironment. Although these sweeteners in groundwater themselvesmay not be a human health concern, the fact that theyare there means there is also wastewater, which maycontain other chemicals or bacteria of concern,"Spoelstra adds. "Groundwater often gets to streamsand lakes. Therefore the contamination of groundwatercan also affect surface water quality. We currently don'tknow the effects of artificial sweeteners on mostorganisms in the water. Septic systems are common outside of large cities.Waste from a household flows into the septic tankunderground where it is treated and broken down by amixture of bacteria. It's then released into the soil andmay be further filtered or treated there. Eventually, thewastewater may end up in local groundwater. Full article: https://bit.ly/2RnuI4Y

Air Pollution & Your HeartLearn more at: http://bit.ly/2Fbt5VW The EPA is raising awareness of theadverse health effects of air pollution onheart health through its Healthy HeartToolkit. The toolkit includes resources,news, videos, podcasts, and information.

Prepared for a Water Crisis?Learn more at: https://bit.ly/2RZn3yX Americans currently use about 100 gallonsof water per day per person. In Cape Town,South Africa, drought has limited residentsto 13 gallons per day.

Financial Physical Seminar February – April of 2019

To become financially fit you need to budget to save; save and invest; control debt; and protect the wealth you accumulate. This half-day seminar is based on Building Wealth: A Beginner’s Guide to Securing Your Financial Future, a comprehensive

workbook created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Come learn how you can set and meet your financial goals like putting away money for a rainy day, buying a home, and sending your child to college. Note that this seminar is a BASIC overview of these topics. We will provide websites and apps that will offer more in-depth information and tools to help you improve your financial fitness. Sign-in starts at 8:45 a.m. and the seminar will end at 12:30 p.m. Each session will be limited to 50 State employees. Spouses are welcome to attend, space permitting. Please obtain approval from your supervisor before registering. To complete your registration, simply click on the session you wish to attend. You will see an instant pop-up confirmation to confirm your registration was accepted. Seminar Dates/Locations:

If you cannot complete the registration form using the links above you may email your registration to reservations.MSRP@maryland.gov. If you do not have email you may fax your request to “Seminar Reservations” at 410-659-0349.

Please include in your email or fax: Your name, e-mail address, daytime phone number, date you plan to attend, agency you are employed by, if you require any special assistance for a disability, and if your spouse plans to attend. You will receive a confirmation email from our agency within 5 business days. If you do not hear back from us within that time frame, please contact MSRP at 410-767-8740 or 1-800-543-5605.

Maryland Teachers & State Employees Supplemental Retirement Plans William Donald Schaefer Tower - 6 St. Paul Street - Suite 200 - Baltimore, MD 21202

Tel: 410-767-8740 • Toll free: 1-800-543-5605 • Fax: 410-659-0349 Web Site: www.MSRP.maryland.gov

February 7, 2019 100 Community Place Crownsville, MD 21032 Conference Room -A Please Click Here to Register

February 12, 2019 Charles County Health Department 4545 Crain Highway White Plains, MD 20695 Conference Room-A Please Click Here To Register

February 27, 2019 State Center 201 W. Preston Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Lobby Level, L3 Conf. Room Please click here to register

March 13, 2019 Salisbury Fire Department 325 Cypress Street Salisbury, MD 21801 Please Click Here To Register

March 27, 2019 Frederick County Health Dept. 350 Montevue Lane Frederick, MD 21702 Auditorium- Entrance B Please Click Here To Register

April 4, 2019 Harford County DSS 2 S. Bond Street Bel Air, MD 21014 Conference Room Please Click Here To Register

THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY (CCBC)

STATE OF MARYLAND PRE-RETIREMENT PLANNING SEMINARS SPRING 2019

(For State Agency/State University Employees Only)

State employees within eight years of retirement and their spouses are eligible to attend the following one-day seminars which begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m.

For additional program information call Sarah Cullip at 443-840-1632 or email: scullip@ccbcmd.edu

Date Location Course Number

February 21 (Thursday) CCBC, Essex Campus – Essex 37417

February 27 (Wednesday) 300 W. Preston Street – Baltimore 37796

March 5 (Tuesday) Towson University – Towson 37673

March 8 (Friday) Salisbury University – Salisbury 37670

March 13 (Wednesday) WEBINAR (Must Pre-register) 37644

March 14 (Thursday) Anne Arundel Health Department – Annapolis 37781

March 15 (Friday) Howard Community College, Gateway Campus – Columbia 37790

March 21 (Thursday) CCBC, Catonsville Campus – Catonsville 37363

March 26 (Tuesday) Harford Community College – Bel Air 37754

April 5 (Friday) Maryland School for the Deaf – Columbia ASL Provided

37751

April 12 (Friday) Mt. Saint Mary’s University – Frederick 37750

April 17 (Wednesday) College of Southern Maryland – La Plata 37786

April 26 (Friday) CCBC, Owings Mills Center – Owings Mills 37647

May 2 (Thursday) University of Maryland, University College – Largo 37676

May 3 (Friday) Hagerstown Community College – Hagerstown (Correctional Officers Only)

37756

May 7 (Tuesday) 300 W. Preston Street – Baltimore 37797

May 8 (Wednesday) Frostburg State University – Frostburg 37755

May 10 (Friday) State Highway Administration – Hunt Valley 37631

May 13 (Monday) CCBC, Essex Campus – Essex 37421

May 15 (Wednesday) Queen Anne’s Health Department – Centreville 37799

May 16 (Thursday) Towson University – Towson 37675

May 20 (Monday) Anne Arundel Health Department – Annapolis 37782

May 22 (Wednesday) CCBC, Essex Campus – Essex (Law Enforcement Officers Only)

37471

May 29 (Wednesday) Eastern Shore Hospital Center – Cambridge 37788

May 30 (Thursday) MDOT Headquarters – Hanover 37605

June 7 (Friday) Hagerstown Community College – Hagerstown 37746

June 12 (Wednesday) 300 W. Preston Street – Baltimore 37798

June 18 (Tuesday) WEBINAR (Must Pre-register) 37645

Registration Options:

Call: 443-840-5059

Online: http://www.ccbcmd.edu/ceed-preretirement-state

THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY (CCBC)

STATE OF MARYLAND PRE-RETIREMENT PLANNING SEMINARS SPRING 2019

(For State Agency/State University Employees Only)

To Register Online:

1. Click on this link: http://www.ccbcmd.edu/ceed-preretirement-state

2. The list of seminars and dates are in the left-hand column; scroll down to locate the

preferred date and then drag that “course” to the schedule box on the right. You only need

to choose one.

3. Confirm the seminar selected is correct and click on

4. A login box will pop up, click on complete and click on

(Please note: if you receive a message that your information currently exists, this means

you have previously attended a Pre-Retirement Seminar or other course at CCBC and are

already in the system. Please call 443-840-5059 to complete your registration)

5. On the registration screen, click on , then

6. Print a confirmation for your records

7. You will receive an email confirmation of your registration within three business days

To Register By Phone: Call 443-840-5059

Don’t have time to go to the gym?

Fit in fitness and fun with this after-work workout!

Thursdays at 5:05pm in the

2nd floor auditorium

Join in after work and follow along with a 20-30 minute

walking exercise DVD for any level of fitness!

It is recommended that employees bring comfortable clothes and shoes to change

into for exercising.

2 Week Challenge

Unplug and Unwind

Stop electronic device use one hour prior to bedtime every day for two weeks

When was the last time you ended the day by not using electronics? If it seems like too long,

now is your chance to turn off the TV, phone, computer, e-reader, etc.

Check off each day you stop using electronic devices at least one hour before bed. At the end of

the 2 weeks, send your sheet to Hannah Person in Health Planning and Strategic Initiatives by

interdepartmental mail by Friday, February 22nd. One raffle winner will be drawn from everyone

who successfully completed the 2 week challenge. The winner will receive a Himalayan salt

lamp!

Mon. 2/4 Tue. 2/5 Wed. 2/6 Thu. 2/7 Fri. 2/8 Sat. 2/9 Sun. 2/10

Mon. 2/11 Tue. 2/12 Wed. 2/13 Thu. 2/14 Fri. 2/15 Sat. 2/16 Sun. 2/17