Shasta County is fortunate to have many exemplary employees. On a daily basis, their dedication, integrity, creativity, and professionalism are called upon to maintain the high quality of local public services enjoyed by the citizens of Shasta County. Their jobs are becoming more challenging as public expectations of service and demands for increased efficiency escalate. In this environment, it is important that we recognize those employees who set the standard of excellence and dedication for the entire organization. Their contribution deserves the thanks and appreciation of the entire County family and the citizens of the community.
In this spirit, the Board is being asked to recognize the Employee of the Month, who has been nominated by the Employee Recognition Committee. This nomination is based on a review of all nominations using the selection criteria provided for in the Employee Recognition Policy. It is the recommendation of the Employee Recognition Committee that Heidi Vert, Public Health Program and Policy Analyst, of the Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Department be recognized as the May 2017 Employee of the Month.
Ms. Vert has used her decades of public health experience and her passion for prevention to build solid and long lasting relationships with community partners. These relationships allow strengthening and expansion of important public health prevention activities with which Ms. Vert is involved. She is a point of contact for many programs and always provides exemplary customer service. This is particularly evident in Ms. Vert's role as the Healthcare Preparedness Coordinator, the liaison for the Homeland Security Grant, and as the point of contact for the Syringe Exchange Program. Ms. Vert is always thinking of inventive ways to improve the quality of services provided to the community.
Ms. Vert manages the Homeland Security Grant, which involves coordination with Fire and Law Enforcement entities and Public Health Emergency Planning, which work in close coordination with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and many regional partners. Ms. Vert leads two large groups encompassing the majority of our health facilities in the county; the Healthcare Preparedness Program (HPP) and the Reproductive Health Collaborative. Heidi's professional style easily morphs from that of a casual and personal interaction required for conducting sensitive interviews with STD/HIV clients, to that of a seasoned presenter for a group of community professionals.
Ms. Vert and a coworker collaborated to bring two important prevention programs together: HIV and STD. This innovative proposal was well thought out and well-presented and is in the process of being implemented. The forging of these two programs will enhance the important prevention work that is done in these fields as well as combat the growing STD epidemic in Shasta County.
Ms. Vert's 27 years of experience in the Public Health field along with her astute intelligence and strong work ethic make her an invaluable member of the Public Health Department's team.