Director's Message

Jan. 19, 2007

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, M.D., Director

"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color."

~Maya Angelou

This week the weather forced us to cancel a Tuesday facilitated conversation for 90 participants who included all of our division heads, their senior staff, my staff and me. The purpose of the workshop was to review and ensure that our actions and programs remain consistent with our agency's core values, and to develop and discuss methods for fostering diversity and cultural competency throughout the agency. 

This is an important conversation and one that will be rescheduled as soon as possible. However, I wanted to talk about it today because it also is a conversation I want to see held by managers and staff at all levels and in all programs throughout DHS. This kind of open discussion and planning will help ensure that we continue to lead the state in having a diverse workforce and in providing culturally competent services to our clients and partners. 

Within DHS right now, women make up 67.8 percent of employees at salary range 24 and above, compared with 44.5 percent for the rest of state government. Persons of color make up 12.6 percent of DHS employees at those salary ranges, compared to 9.7 percent for the rest of state government. And persons with disabilities account for 3.7 percent of DHS employees at salary ranges 24 and above, compared with 2.7 percent for the rest of state government. These are just some of our statistics. You can find more details at http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/aboutdhs/diversity/affirm_action/0709paritycompare.pdf. You will see that we are doing well, but we can do better.

As our client population increases in diversity we must match that trend by becoming a more multicultural workplace. We can do that by improving our recruitment and hiring practices to promote workplace diversity, increasing the training we provide existing staff to improve cultural competency, and building more appropriate and effective service delivery systems that eliminate service disparities among client groups.

These are just some of the tactics and actions that are laid out in our updated Affirmative Action Plan and our Diversity Strategic Plan, both of which recently were released by the Office of Human Resources. You can find links to these plans from www.oregon.gov/DHS/aboutdhs/diversity/. I am committed to making these plans a reality, and to encouraging everyone throughout the agency to help us achieve more progress toward becoming a truly multicultural agency. 

Our commitment to diversity is guided by our agency's core values -- integrity, stewardship, responsibility, respect and professionalism. Our respect for the dignity and the diversity of our colleagues, communities and the people we assist is integral to what we do and to the services we provide. As the largest state agency and one that touches the life of every Oregonian, it is up to all of us to demonstrate that our commitment to diversity is sincere and ongoing. Ensuring that all of our senior staff are similarly engaged and dedicated to supporting our values is a demonstration of that commitment.

I urge you to hold conversations in your workplaces about how we can better respect and encourage diversity throughout our workforce. It is through these ongoing discussions and actions that we can improve our understanding of others and grow as human beings. And it is through greater diversity in the workplace that we can better serve all Oregonians.

We are doing well, but we can do better. I ask you to be part of that effort.

To provide feedback email: DHS.Directorsoffice@state.or.us

This message is intended for all department employees. Please read it electronically, if possible. Managers and supervisors are asked to share the message each week with employees who do not have email access.