The County of San Bernardino has once again distinguished itself among the nation’s counties, winning 15 Achievement Awards for 2012 from the National Association of Counties.
Counties from 29 states were recognized nationally with only nine California counties receiving top honors, including Riverside County with two and Los Angeles and San Diego counties each with 39. The Board of Supervisors recognized and honored the people and departments responsible for the 2012 winning programs and services during a Special Presentation at Tuesday’s Board meeting. “It is a great source of pride to know that our San Bernardino County employees work so hard to create and deliver such exemplary services to our residents,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Josie Gonzales. “The people who work for the County of San Bernardino are the best of the best, and these awards prove it.”
The NACo Achievement Awards Program recognizes counties for improving the services they deliver to the public. The awards focus on innovation and the use of technology. The following are San Bernardino County’s 2012 winning programs:
CAL FRESH SENIOR OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP
A partnership between the departments of Transitional Assistance and Director of Aging & Adult Services, the CalFresh Senior Outreach Partnership provides dual services of education and nutrition application assistance to the senior population of our County. Aging and Adult staff visit Senior Centers, Assisted Living Facilities and Community Centers to assess needs, and to assist our senior citizens in completing CalFresh applications.
TECHNICAL EMPLOYMENT TRAINING (TET) PROGRAM
The Transitional Assistance Department developed a public-private partnership with Technical Employment Training Incorporated, to provide specialized technical training to recipients in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. This partnership has assisted clients in attaining unsubsidized employment – resulting a 41% post training employment rate.
DEVELOPMENT OF A MOBILE WEBSITE THAT INCREASES PUBLIC ACCESSIBILITY TO ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Environmental Health Services recognized an opportunity to increase instant accessibility. Department staff collaborated with the County’s Information Services Department to develop a mobile interface enabling Smartphone users immediate mobile access to: restaurant grades and locations, ability to register complaints, and information regarding food recalls and bulletins directly from their mobile devices.
iPad PROJECT
The Public Defender’s Office has 106 attorneys handling over 45,000 cases annually in 13 locations. The iPad Project was conceived to reengineer the department into a paperless system that reduces file searching, storage costs and employee costs. Public Defender staff can now create digital files, accessible from anywhere via the iPads, which have become the attorney’s “digital briefcase”.
GATEWAY PROGRAM
The Gateway Program is a secure treatment program designed to provide rehabilitation services for older male juvenile offenders who are working on re-socialization issues for transition back into the community.
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
The Performance Assessment System is a database designed by the Probation Department to continuously monitor and measure the quality of care and services delivered to juveniles detained in the Juvenile Detention and Assessment Centers.
EMPLOYEE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
The Employee Enrichment Program from the Department of Public Works couples the Division Spotlight Presentation with Employee Mentoring and is designed to “grow” personnel skills internally and help staff gain a better understanding of the varied services provided by the Department and why these services are vital to the communities they serve.
THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM
The Community Outreach Program from the Department of Public Works, has three main elements: Community Workshops, Educational Outreach, and Public Outreach. The overall program is designed to increase service, improve relations and help the community gain a better understanding of what the Department does and how it affects them.
FILE STORAGE GOES GREEN
The File Storage Goes Green Program from the Information Services Department streamlines document management by converting directly into PDF files. The documents are easily retrievable and are stored on inexpensive, but very reliable Network Attached Storage. The application saves over a million sheets a paper each year and has resulted in an overall savings to the County of approximately $132,000 annually.
Image by Brad.K (Creative Commons license)