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Case Study Term Paper

Irene M. Lavant

Liberty University

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July 5, 2013

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Good afternoon. My name is Irene Lavant, grant manager for the local clinic project. It is

with terrible sadness and grief that I stand before you hear to today. With the recent jubilation

felt by this community over the imminent completion of the clinic, and because I am also a

resident of this county, I feel a huge sense of loss and responsibility for the devastation that

occurred to this clinic. Everyone associated with the clinic feels hurt and devastation.

My first order of business when I received notification of the destruction, from our clinic

director, Herman White, was to call the local hospital for reports of injuries. I was relieved to

find that no injuries occurred. Gratefully, I could continue to my next order of business, which

involved notifying Mayor Dale Swiftfire, at his home, using the Sheriff’s office about our lost

clinic. Next I called the insurance company. Because the insurance company closes on Friday, I

left a message for our agent, Sandra Quincy of Arizona General Insurance Company, to expect a

call from me early on Monday morning. My next order of business meant contacting the Federal

agency responsible for awarding the grant money for construction of the clinic. Because the

Federal government operates Monday through Friday, I sent a notification email to Franklin

Pearson, executor of the grant, revealing the clinic's fate. I also left a voice mail at his office

telling him to expect my call on Monday. Next I contacted our local foundation responsible for

grant award payments that support the staff of the clinic and its first five years of operation. The

executor over that grant award is Jim Crohn. I sent an email to his office and left a message on

his voice mail as well. I followed with a call and letter via email to various leaders. I began with

the office of Gilbert M. Orrantia, the Director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security

(AZDOHS.gov, 2012). I followed with a voice mail and email to the office of the Governor of

Arizona, Janice Brewer (azgovernor.gov, 2013). Subsequently, I called and emailed the offices

of Wendy Smith-Reeve, Director of the Arizona Division of Emergency Management and Karen

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Axsom, Director of the Arizona Labor Department. At noon, I received a call from Paula Perez,

our county manager, who requested this meeting we are attending presently.

The first thing I want to address as a grant manager is the funders who so graciously gave

money to help the people and migrant workers of this county. Although the insurance policy for

the building will help to rebuild the clinic, our organization owes our federal funder a report of

progress concerning the construction of the building. Our organization cannot have a conclusive

report because the building was demolished. My new objectives include my plan to report using

the records I kept up to the date of the clinic’s destruction. In addition, I plan to notify the federal

funder that reporting will resume at the beginning of new construction to the end of construction,

as agreed in the grant award agreement. As my final task, I hope to send the funder a new list of

objectives, activities, project budget, and Gantt chart once the insurance company provides the

funds to rebuild. These objectives stand if the grant maker agrees to new terms surrounding our

current grant award.

Our local funder provided money to support the incoming staff of the new clinic. We

received our first payment from the local funder on May 5, 2013. The money was placed

instantly into an escrow account. The clinic used none of the funds because the staff did not

begin their first day of work yet. With the clinic is destroyed, I will appeal to our funder that

some of these funds sustain our workers until the clinic is rebuilt. I intend to ask for an extended

award period of six years instead of five years. If the funder cannot afford to support these

workers or extend the grant award period, I must make other provisions. Regardless of the

foundation’s decision, it is my duty to return the funds to the grant maker. We hope that the grant

maker returns the pledged money to us as soon as the new clinic is constructed as agreed in the

current grant award agreement.

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I plan to appeal to Director Orrantia, Governor Brewer, Director Smith-Reeve, and

Director Axsom to help our community gain state and federal disaster status. Our Governor, in

particular, is the only person of the group who holds the power to ask President Barack Obama to

declare this area a federal disaster zone, which gives our community funds to help support these

workers, aid the community at large, and rebuild vital areas of our county. From information I

researched, I found that when seeking Federal funds for disaster, the government follows the

statutes set within The Stafford Act (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2013).

“The Stafford Act  requires that all requests for a declaration by the President that a major

disaster exists shall be made by the Governor of the affected State"( Federal Emergency

Management Agency, 2013, para. 1). The emails and voicemails I sent earlier requested a

meeting with these leaders as soon as Tuesday. FEMA offers a program called the Disaster

Unemployment Assistance program that provides funds and employment help to those who lost

jobs because of a disaster (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2013, Disaster

Unemployment Assistance). However, this program relies upon a Presidential disaster

declaration. In addition, I plan to contact The United States Army Corp of Engineers District

office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is our closest division, which uses its engineering and

contracting to support FEMA and other Federal, state, and local government agencies during

natural and man-made disasters (U.S. Army Corp f Engineers, n.d., para. 2). By helping to build

the clinic more expediently, the Army Corp of Engineers helps our workers to return to work

sooner, which lessens the financial burden that FEMA bears. The county and the clinic can

rebuild, heal, and once again become self-sufficient with the help of the Army Corp of

Engineers. Emails and calls I send Monday will request that these officials join the meeting I

anticipate with the Governor and others I previously mentioned.

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Until that time, the dedicated people who planned to gain employment at the clinic are

unemployed and facing an unsure future. In an effort to help these individuals, our organization

plans to contact the Grand Canyon Chapter of the American Red Cross, led by Interim Regional

Chief Executive Officer, Randy Weddle (The American Red Cross, 2013). This agency provides

food, clothing, and shelter for people in the aftermath of disasters. It is my hope that the Red

Cross provides provisions that help support our unfortunate workers. In addition to contacting

the Red Cross, I recommend contacting food banks, energy assistance programs, The Salvation

Army, and the local Department of Housing for assistance. Organizations like the Main Street

Baptist Church Food Bank and the Ridge Mission also help provide food and shelter relief for

the less fortunate. I recommend that we contact as many local aid programs as possible.

Stress management services for these employees is important as well. To keep our people

as stress-free as possible, I plan to contact local therapists, counselors, and clergy to help provide

support and consolation to those devastated by the loss of employment. I also intend to contact

our local health department and the Department of Health and Human Services to request

assistance in counseling our saddened employees. The development of a hotline and

informational website for the community and these grief-stricken employees is underway

through my office as we speak.

In closing, I want to review the steps I just spoke about and implement a plan of action

for early Monday morning:

At 7:30 a.m., I will mail out packets to our funders. These packets will contain pictures of

the demolished clinic, official disaster reports from the local fire and police departments, and

letters. These letters will request patience in the aftermath of our loss, a meeting with the

executors of our grants, suggestions, and additional funds.

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At 8:00 a.m., I want to form a call center and workshop in my office building. The

location is Solomon Concourse at 4858 Malabar Drive, Room 413. This room has a conference

table and small computer lab. I expect our county manager and staff to be present, along with the

clinic director, and volunteers from the clinic staff. We will organize tasks once everyone is

present.

By 8:30 a.m., I will send out half of the volunteering staff and workers from the county

manager’s office to post flyers and signs in town displaying the hotline number and

informational website address. The other half stays in the call center to set up the call center,

answer hotline calls, gather caller information, direct callers to the informational website, and

send out pre-written emails and letters to our concerned citizens and employees

By 9:00 a.m., I need to begin making follow-up calls and emails to the insurance

company, the Federal funder, the local foundation, the Governor’s office, and all the Federal and

state agencies that may give us assistance. In addition, I ask that the county manager’s office and

the clinic director assist me by calling local agencies and others implicated in the care of our

clinic employees. From this point in the day, we will work all day calling for disaster assistance,

reaching out to our funders, and assisting our community and employees.

At 3:30 p.m., I need staff and volunteers to present hotline feedback, including names,

concerns, and suggestions to me.

At 4:00 p.m., I will call a meeting to share progress with the county manager and the

clinic director. I intend to discuss feedback received on the hotline and determine the best short-

term and long-term ways to assist the clinic employees.

At 5:00 p.m., I want to meet personally with the employees of the clinic to discuss their

concerns and share what plans we implemented to help their plight. This meeting will last as long

as the employees need us to be there.

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In the days that follow, I want to gather resolutions to the management dilemma

surrounding the destruction of the clinic so that I can send out definitive solutions to our funders.

With concrete plans of action, our funders are more likely to recognize that our organization

wishes to remain as compliant as ever, even in a tragic situation. Our objective is to maintain the

integrity and reputation of our organization. By maintaining a good image, our organization

stands to gain future funding from our current funders and hopefully, other grant makers.

Until the meeting on Monday, I will spend the rest of the weekend devising literature,

flyers, and posters for our community and employees. I will also write the letters I will send out

to our funders. I pledge to complete this task even if I have to work into the night. I recommend

that everyone get as much rest as possible today and tomorrow because we have a big Monday

ahead of us. I am encouraged vast resources I was able to find today concerning rebuilding our

clinic and helping to sustain the unemployed. Through collaboration, I am hopeful that improved

solutions are possible.

Before we adjourn, I need to take a moment to acknowledge and thank our police

department, fire department, and other emergency responders who came directly to the clinic to

move debris and search for injured citizens. To our luck, no one suffered any injuries in the

destruction of the clinic. I thank Director White, who heads our future clinic, for his prompt

notification of the tragedy. I also thank him for his patience and understanding as I attempt to

reach our funders, file a claim with our insurance company, and attempt to form resolutions for

the clinic and its staff. I wish to acknowledge and thank our county manager and her staff for

volunteering to aid the clinic in the aftermath of the tornado.

May I remind everyone to meet at the Solomon Concourse at 8:00 a.m. on Monday. On

the table in front of you, I place my business card that provides my office number and cell phone

number in case of emergency. My final request is that we all say prayers for strength, resiliency,

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and positive outcomes for the clinic and its workers. We all need to give God praise for

protecting all of the county’s citizens from injury and giving us an opportunity to try again.

Thank you for your patience and dedication to our clinic. Meeting adjourned.

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Dear Federal Agency Officials, On your voice mail and in your email inbox, you will find a message concerning

the status of our new clinic. In the message, I notified you of a disaster that struck our nearly completed clinic. At 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, a tornado touched down in our county and destroyed the construction area, including the clinic, which was completely obliterated. Because the clinic no longer exists, the terms of our grant agreement need augmentation. Although the insurance on the clinic stands to pay for new construction, the former timeline for completion of the clinic is obsolete. Currently, the clinic director and I joined forces to find the fastest way to rebuild. In addition, our clinic employees, who anticipated gainful employment at the clinic, do not have the means to support themselves. For these reasons, I humbly request an extension for the final grant report or any other grant reporting. I also request a time when your grant maker and I discuss the clinic’s future and how our organization can stay compliant despite our county’s tragedy. As more details become available, I will report them to you promptly.

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Resources

AZDOHS.gov. (2012). Arizona Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved on July 1, 2013 from http://www.azdohs.gov/

AZGOVERNOR.GOV. (2013). Contact Governor Janice K. Brewer. Retrieved on July 1, 2013 from http://www.azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp

Arizona Division of Emergency Management. (2003). Director’s office. Retrienved on July 1, 2013 from http://www.dem.azdema.gov/director/index.html

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2012). Additional Assistance. Retrieved on July 3,

2013 from http://www.fema.gov/additional-assistance#1

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2012). The Declaration Process. Retrieved on July 3, 2013 from http://www.fema.gov/declaration-process

The American Red Cross. (2013). Leadership. Retrieved on July 2, 2013 from http://www.redcross.org/az/phoenix/about-us/leadership

The American Red Cross. (2013). Programs and Services. Retrieved on July 2, 2013 from http://www.redcross.org/az/phoenix/programs-services

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (n.d.). Contracting in disasters. Retrieved on July 2, 2013 from http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/EmergencyOperations/ContractinginDisasters.aspx