CFO-ADMIN NEWS YOU CAN USE

A Monthly Newsletter from the

Office of the Chief Financial Officer and

 Director of Administration

September 18, 2009

 

Message from the CFO

 

In this issue of CFO-Admin News You Can Use we focus on worksite wellness in the Federal government.  Worksite wellness products, services and programs are designed to empower people with the information, tools and support they need to take charge of their health.

The health management resources and tools within the Federal Government help people address a wide spectrum of needs across the health continuum.  Resources range from broad-based health awareness and education tools to highly targeted and personalized programs for those who have health risks, are managing chronic conditions or and are facing important health decisions.

With the elevated risk of contracting the H1N1 flu virus this year, it is important for all of us to be especially diligent.  I hope you find these articles to be useful.

 

Expanding Federal Worksite Wellness Programs

 

As the country is considering healthcare reform, the Federal government is taking a closer look at Worksite Wellness programs throughout its agencies.  Such programs

help employees take personal responsibility for their mind/body health.  Wellness programs, which include health education and access to supportive social and physical environments, are viewed as avenues to improve employees’ health, enhance recruitment and retention, and ultimately reduce the rising rate of health care spending.

 

This summer, President Obama met with a group of employers, including Johnson & Johnson and Pitney Bowes, who have created exemplary workplace wellness programs.  The President has asked the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in coordination with other agencies, to study effective employer wellness and prevention programs, and to explore the possibility of developing such a plan for civil servants. 

 

OPM recently asked all heads of Departments and Agencies to report on existing programs and policies that enhance health and wellness in the workplace.  OPM is providing an on-line tool, “WellCheck,” for Agencies to provide data on services, policies, costs and metrics (within its organization).   The Department of Commerce (DOC) is responding to the OPM inventory and will use the results to establish wellness goals and objectives.  A July 14, 2009 memo from OPM Director John Berry states that the Office of Management of Budget (OMB) and OPM will use these inventories to collect and encourage best practices in Federal employee wellness.

 

Currently, there is a renewed opportunity to define “wellness,” which falls under “work-life” balance programs and, at times, has a broad description.  It can include the following: physical exercise, nutrition, quality sleep, stress management, and even ergonomics.  The key to wellness is maintaining a healthy lifestyle overall.  All interviewed agree that a “holistic approach” to wellness is necessary.  

 

Nancy McWilliams, CSP, ARM, Director of Commerce’s Office of Occupational Safety and Health (OOSH), says the Department wants all employees to stay well while they are at work.  This means that supervisors must take actions to ensure that their employees perform their work safely.   This also means that employees have a responsibility to come to work healthy, follow safety guidelines, and wear personal protective equipment if it is required.  

 

Sarah Bullard Steck, LICSW, CEAP, Director of Commerce’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), says that “work-life issues, wellness, health promotion and prevention are increasingly recognized as essential components of employee productivity and retention.”  Addressing the behavioral, emotional, physical, and family side of employees is now viewed as “an underpinning of employees and groups working together effectively and productively.”  Organizations are valuing “the people side of the business as well as the business side,” says Steck.  EAP and the HCHB Health Unit work closely together to attend to DOC employees’ mind/body health and to promote prevention techniques.  

 

This fall, as we face the seasonal influenza as well as the H1N1 pandemic influenza  OOSH recently posted a DOC-wide broadcast email with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations to help employees stay well and reduce their chances of getting any type of influenza:

 

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

• Put used tissues in a waste basket.

• Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve if you don't have a tissue.

• Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing. Use soap and water or alcohol-based cleaner.

• Stay at home if you are sick. (This doesn’t mean go to the store, etc. It means stay home!)

• It is always a good idea to practice good health habits:  eat a balanced diet, exercise on a regular basis, and get plenty of rest.

 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer a wealth of information on their websites that you and your family can use to stay well. For additional information you can go to www.hhs.gov and www.cdc.gov.  The government’s pandemic influenza website also provides actions you and your family can take to stay well at www.flu.gov.

 

HCHB Health Unit registered nurses Andra Matthews, RN, BSN, COHN and Jane Ovedovitz, RN, FNP are planning new activities, which include “Walking for Life & Health,” a blood pressure program and a diabetic program.  Walking group participants are encouraged to have goals.  “What do you want to accomplish?  Come in here and let us see where you are,” urges Matthews. 

 

The nurses stress the importance of evaluating one’s wellbeing.  The health unit, therefore, provides health testing and weekly check-ups to help participants reach their goals.  The group exercise program “will have a holistic flair,” and even include herbal tea, says Matthews. 

 

The DOC HCHB Health Unit has provided health awareness workshops on such topics as smoking cessation and weight reduction.  DOC has also worked with FOH to bring in speakers to address a wide variety of health and wellness topics such as nutritional health and stress management.

 

Stress management is a topic EAP regularly addresses among other work-life issues such as childcare and eldercare.  EAP provides tailored individual and group counseling as well as screenings.  Her stress management workshops have come out of a need that Steck sees in people who seek her services.  “People are over-stressed, on deadlines, and feel great pressure to achieve,” Steck says.  She often looks at organizational issues, and also ways in which each person can manage stress better.  Via counseling, training and resources, says Steck, EAP “will enable employees to devote themselves to work while they are at work so they can perform work well.”

 

Stress Management Tip:  Say Cheese.  Smiling is a two way mechanism.   We do it when we're relaxed and happy, but  doing it can also make us feel relaxed and happy.  Smiling transmits nerve impulses from the facial muscles to the limbic system, a key emotional center in the brain, tilting the neurochemical balance toward calm.  Go ahead and grin.  Don't you feel better already?   

 

For more information go to https://www2.healthcalc.net/guest/doclib/2QQ0RZERO.pdf.

 

DOC and other agencies will be shaping their worksite wellness programs according to guidelines OPM will provide.  in the meantime, DOC employees are encouraged to take advantage of existing wellness and work-life balance opportunities.

 

 

If you have questions please contact Helen Eliassian at (202) 482-2262.

 

Health and Nutrition

 

Sitting down with the nurses of HCHB’s Health Unit to discuss health and nutrition is a mind-opening experience.  As I enter the Health Unit’s waiting area on HCHB’s sixth floor, there are educational materials, including a DVD playing in the background.  Inspirational messages surround me, adding to a welcoming feeling as I walk through the well-lit corridor. 

 

A note on the importance of gratitude and colorful pictures in the office of Nurse Coordinator, Andra Matthews, RN, BSN, COHN, catch my eyes.  In the office where Jane Ovedovitz, RN, FNP works, I see a note suggesting one can replace the traditional “To-Do-List” with a novel “To-Be-List.”  It has this quotation by Albert Einstein: “Try not to become a man of success but rather become a man of value.”

 

I sit down and ask the nurses questions about health and wellness.  They tell me about the importance of education on such critical topics.  “A lot of people don’t know,” says Matthews, “and should take the initiative to educate themselves.”  Better choices stem from having adequate knowledge.  “You start with yourself first,” says Ovedovitz, “and recognize that nothing else can happen” unless one is healthy. 

 

Nutrition is an important component of health.  “You are what you eat,” Matthews tells me.  I decide not to think about the chocolate bar of earlier.  “You need to make sound decisions, to put in your body what is supposed to be there,” emphasizes Matthews.  She tells me that earlier in the day she shared carrot juice with a patient whom she reminded of the vital role of nutrition in overall wellbeing.

 

In general, the nurses prescribe long term lifestyle changes versus short-lived diets.  If your goal is to lose weight, you should take on the “slow and gradual” approach, since diets don’t work in the long run, notes Ovedovitz.  Eating well is “preventative health,” Matthews says.

 

A key to forming a healthy eating habit is moderation.  The strategy of not eating in order to lose weight means starving one’s body of the nutrients in needs for sustenance.  As a result, the body starts to break down sugar it stores in the liver, elevating blood sugar levels.  Elevated fasting glucose (sugar) is viewed as a risk factor for the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  Overeating also puts stress on one’s body.  To keep blood sugar levels in balance, the pancreas has to work extra hard to secrete insulin.  There’s a reason why medium is often preceded by the word happy.  Savoring a small piece of dark chocolate a few times per week is a wiser and happier choice in the long-run, I remind myself.   

 

Ideally, we should be striving toward a life style that is healthy and positive, that incorporates healthy eating habits plus exercise.  The nurses also highlight the role of managing stress and maintaining a positive outlook.  Emotional wellbeing, while often overlooked, is an important component of wellness. People under chronic stress can experience negative impacts on their physical/emotional health and overall wellbeing, Ovedovitz says.

 

We discuss the importance of distinguishing between the things we can’t change and those things we do have the power to alter, including our attitude.  Studies in positive psychology show the positive impact of gratitude on one’s happiness.  A miniature sculpture on my desk of two hands coming together in thanks serves as a reminder to count my blessings.

 

Talking to Matthews and Ovedovits offers wonderful reminders and useful information on living healthier that we can all apply to our daily lives for that, I’m thankful.  Below is nurses’ nutrition prescription. 

 

Tips on Healthy Eating

 

To start: “know your numbers,” which refers to blood pressure, cholesterol level and blood sugar.  

 

Cut back on sugar.  Instead, have healthier, fiber-filled snacks on hand such as fruit, nuts and cut veggies.  Oatmeal and legumes are also great sources of fiber, which keeps one’s blood sugar in check.

 

Try to eat lots of fruit and vegetables in your diet, in addition to whole grains.

 

Limit your intake of caffeine, which is a stimulant and alters the body’s chemistry.  You should be particularly careful if you suffer from high blood pressure.  (The Health Unit itself is caffeine-free.)

 

After a meal, wait some time, and then drink juice or water so that the digestive enzymes in the body don’t become diluted.  If thirsty, a glass of water prior to any meal is fine.  Keeping your body hydrated is always a good idea!

 

Frequent meals throughout the day, which are smaller in size, serve as healthier alternatives to three large meals.  Note: not eating in the hope of losing weight or, conversely, having large meals put stress on the body.

 

• Breakfast: start the day on the right foot and don’t skip this meal, which should ideally include fiber

•  Lunch: should ideally consist of the three S’s: soup, salad and sandwich (all three in proportion)

• Dinner: should consist of a very light meal (since it takes meat 6-12 hours to digest) 

 

Counting calories is important, yet each person’s calorie needs vary depending on his/her frame and activity level.  Also, it is vitally important to know where the calories come from.  Reading labels helps.  Typically, an adult male requires about 2,000 calories and an adult female requires about 1,500 calories. 

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"Other News"

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Audio and Web Conferencing

 

Did you know that ITA has audio and web conferencing services available just by making a phone call?  Audio conferencing is a cost effective way to conduct meetings with colleagues and customers who can connect from virtually any location and can handle any size meeting, from 3 to 3,000.  Web conferencing (also known as WebEx) allows your audience to view materials or presentations over the internet while listening to the audio portion over the telephone.  Participants only need to have a telephone and a computer with browser capability.  ITA uses VerizonBusiness for audio and web conferencing services.  Here are instructions for how to set up audio and web conferences and some tips to help make your conference more successful.

 

Audio Conferencing:

Here is what you need to do to reserve an audio conference call:

 

1. Dial VerizonBusiness at 1-877-855-4797.
2. Press option 1 for audio conferencing.
3. Enter the appropriate authorization code:

·         OUS- 5887083V

·         CFO/Admin- 6722692V

·         IA - 4951404V

·         MAC - 1413276V

·         MAS - 4951504V

·         OCIO - 5887183V

·         USFCS - 2455663V 

 

Tips for a Successful Audio Conference:

1. Conduct a roll call.
2. Remind participants to identify themselves by name and location when speaking.
3. Address individuals by name when speaking.
4. Encourage participation and stimulate discussion.
5. Remind participants to please not put the conference call on hold as all of the other participants will be subjected to listening to their “hold” music.
6. Press *0 at any time for conference coordinator assistance.
7. If you get disconnected, simply re-dial the conference phone number and enter the passcode. If the conference coordinator dialed out to you and placed you into the call, he or she will reconnect you.
8. To ensure the sound quality of your call is clear: 

• Speak clearly and avoid side conversations and background noise.
• Try to avoid using a speakerphone. However, if it is necessary, be sure to use the mute button/feature when not speaking.
• If your meeting has many participants but few speakers, increase the sound quality of your call by asking your reservationist to place participants in "listen-only" mode until it is time for them to speak.

 

If you have issues with your conference call, please contact Emily Waldron from VerizonBusiness at 703-886-7007 or via email at Emily.Waldron@verizonbusiness.com.

 

Web Conferencing:

To reserve a web conference or to receive training, contact Emily Waldron from VerizonBusiness at 703-886-7007 or via email at Emily.Waldron@verizonbusiness.com.

 

Tips for a Successful Web Conference:

1. Allow a few minutes for participants to connect before beginning the meeting.
2. Use at least a 20-point font size for presentations.
3. Prior to the meeting, become familiar with the features and functionality.
4. Close all other active applications.

 

If you have any questions about audio or web conferencing, please contact Jeff Scherr at (202)482-3266 or via email at Jeffrey.Scherr@mail.doc.gov or Kelli Walters at (202)482-3265 or via email at Kelli.Walters@mail.doc.gov in the Office of Management and Operations.

 

What’s happening with the Common Data Platform (CDP) ?

 

The Common Data Platform (Ourplace.ita.doc.gov) is continually improving to help meet the data and information needs of ITA staff. Following increased outreach efforts and comments received back from users.   In order to improve the system- we are currently in the process of making layout changes to our Training and News Resources tabs, and we are also planning to add additional features to the CDP in the coming months. 

The CDP recently purchased several new resources from the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA), including the International Trade Reporter, the Environment Reporter, the World Intellectual Property Reporter, and the Product Safety and Liability Reporter. These new products can now be accessed through CDP and if requested alerts for these are available by email.

 

The CDP will soon be purchasing products from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and Business Monitor International (BMI).

ITA staff worldwide will soon have access to EIU’s China Regional Forecasting Service, Country Data, Country Commerce Reports and Country Forecasts.  The CDP currently provides access to the EIU Country Reports (found under Country Information).

 

Industry information will soon be available from (BMI ).  This source offers global and country specific data on 24 important industries. As always, the CDP team welcomes any feedback.  Please forward any questions or ideas to the project managers:  Julie Al-Saadawi (IA),  (202) 482-1930 or Wassel Mashagbeh (MAS), (202) 482-4691.

 

Working Under a Continuing Resolution

Even though the fiscal year starts on October 1^st, it is normal now to begin the year without the budget that we presented to the Congress but rather a temporary budget called a continuing resolution.  For those who are new to government service (and there are a fair number of you out there) Wikipedia describes a continuing resolution as: a type of appropriations legislation used by the United States Congress to fund government agencies if a formal appropriations bill has not been signed into law by the end of the Congressional fiscal year. The legislation takes the form of a joint resolution, and provides funding for existing federal programs at current or reduced levels.

There are a few fine points that the Wikipedia folks left out but generally speaking their definition is quite useful.  When explaining the key aspects of a continuing resolution, commonly called a CR, to International Trade Administration staff we like to highlight the following three features:

 

1.   When the CR says that it provides funding for existing federal programs at current or reduced levels it means that you may not stop a program that was running at the end of the year and you may not start any new program that was included in the new budget as a start-up.

 

2.   When the CR says current or reduced levels it means that generally you will have less money than you did during the same time frame last year.  The general rule of thumb is that we are to operate with in the limits of the lesser of;  a) The House report on our appropriation (if there is one); b) The Senate report on our appropriation 9if there is one); or c) prior years amounts, In most cases, we will be operating with no more than we had in the previous year.

 

3.   Procurement actions that are effective during the period of the CR are frequently impacted by the fact that funds are only available during the period of the CR, even if the contract period of performance extends beyond the CR – this requires that fund availability beyond the term of the CR is annotated with the phrase “subject to the availability of funds” which occasionally causes processing delays with procurement staff and the vendors.

 

The best thing to do if you have a question about how a CR may impact your specific program is to call your Resource Coordinator or budget analyst listed below:

 

Program	Resource Coordinator	Budget Analyst
Manufacturing and Services	Robert Pearson (202) 482-4921	Paula Dawson (202) 482-0813
Market Access and Compliance	Tyler Shields (202) 482-3544	Peggy Fouts (202) 482-1952
Import Administration	Robert Goodyear (202) 482-5194	Peggy Fouts (202) 482-1952
U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service	Steve Wilson (202) 482-1573	Clarance Burden (202) 482-4285
Executive Administration	Towanda Carey (202) 482-5856	Toni Persaud (202) 482-5581

 

 

 

ITA Rotation and Intern Programs Prove Highly Successful

 

The Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) benefitted greatly from the formal ITA Rotation and Internship programs implemented by the International Trade Administration this summer.  OTTI offered several rotation opportunities which garnered the talents of two Commercial Service staff members who tackled projects OTTI had not been able accomplish.

 

In addition, OTTI received invaluable assistance from the efforts of four college interns who have brought a broad cross-section of backgrounds and talents with them to the Department of Commerce.

 

These six temporary employees generated tremendous work products in the short time they worked with OTTI, As such, Office Director Helen Marano thought it would be beneficial for other supervisors and the Office of Strategic Resources staff responsible for both the rotation and internships programs to have a first-hand look at their work.  OTTI convened a presentation meeting on July 29^th that showcased their individual successes.

 

Sean Timmins and Jennifer Kirsch each had 4-month stays with OTTI.  Kirsch, on rotation from the U.S. Commercial Service’s Office of Marketing and Communications, said, "The rotation program has given me an opportunity for professional growth that I wouldn't have had otherwise - providing me with insight into a different unit of ITA, specific industry knowledge, and a chance to focus on policy-related work."

 

Timmins, on rotation from the U.S. Commercial Service’s Office of Trade Missions, said, “I have gained a great deal from this experience - I have learned about a dynamic and fascinating industry sector, I have utilized different skill sets and I have learned about a different business unit.  This was a great opportunity for me to learn and grow, all in a friendly and stimulating environment.”

 

While the interns had different starting and ending dates, their periods of stay with OTTI were about three months each.  The Interns’ backgrounds were varied:  Three attend school in the Midwest, while one is studying for an M.B.A. at Georgetown University.

Erica Robinson, an intern from Northwestern University, said, “My internship at the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries has simultaneously provided an opportunity to apply my background in Economics and Chinese as well as an opportunity to learn the workings of a unique government sector.”

“Working with and working under people who have such passion for their careers has been an invaluable experience,” Jim Schweiker, intern from the University of Kansas, said.  “My bosses have taught me so much here—I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to reciprocate the wisdom they’ve shared with me.”

Catie Vandervoort, a graduate student at Georgetown University, said of her internship, “It has been an absolute pleasure working with OTTI's top-notch team that is successful, knowledgeable, and approachable.”

 

 “Seeing and understanding the impact that the travel and tourism industries have on the U.S. economy has been an eye-opening experience,” Sean Bert, intern from the Ohio State University, said.

 

Helen Marano, Director, OTTI, strongly supports both the rotation and internship programs and has volunteered to speak to other office directors within ITA who may be considering participation in these programs.

For more information on ITA internship programs go to http://www.ita.doc.gov/hrm/documents/ita_rotations.pdf or contact Lesley Nichols on (202) 482-3504.

 

Termination Of The STU III Secure Phone Program

 

Did you know that effective December 31, 2009, the National Security Agency (NSA) will no longer support the STU III program?  All STU III phones and KOV-14 encryption cards will become obsolete, therefore all who will require secure communications will have to upgrade to the new digital Security Terminal Equipment (STE).  In addition, units will have to purchase the new KSV-21 encryption cards in order for the STE device to operate in secure mode.

 

STEs and KSV-21 cards may be ordered on NSA’s master contract by submitting a purchase order via normal procurement channels.  The cost for a STE phone is $2814.00 and $300.00 for a KSV-21 card.

 

During the transition period, the ITA security staff will ensure that the SIPRNET room is equipped for anyone needing to make a secure phone call. 

For STE and all other security related questions, please call Dana Ervin on (202) 482-1205 or Monica Hill on (202) 482-3349.

Send your suggestions or comments about this newsletter to Nina.Harris@mail.doc.gov