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An Information Sheet for Federal Communicators, Managers, Workers, and Their Partners--Pass It On
The Defense Systems Management College is the only federal organization to ever receive a site visit from Baldrige Award examiners. The College, one of 19 school systems or academic institutions that applied to participate in a new Baldrige Award Pilot Program in Education, was among three selected for a site visit by a team of six quality education experts last October. One purpose of the pilot is to determine the interest of educational organizations in participating in a national recognition program based on performance improvement.
By law, all acquisitions officials who have responsibility for acquiring weapons systems must attend the College. The College's commandant, Brig. Gen. Claude M. Bolton, Jr., USAF, and Mary-jo Hall, Special Assistant for Quality, are among the presenters this week at the Quest for Excellence VIII, the official conference of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
The Award promotes quality awareness and practices in U.S. businesses. It is administered by the American Society for Quality Control for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. For information about the award, call ASQC at (414) 272-8575. For information about the College, call Mary-jo Hall at (703) 805-3361.
If you are a power user of technology like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, how do you ensure that there will be motivated scientists in the future? One approach is the Tri-State Education Initiative (TSEI) that is "taking off" under the auspices of NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Implemented in 1991 and winner of a Hammer Award in December, TSEI is a cooperative effort between NASA and state, local and other federal agencies working for national education reform. Thirty school districts in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee participate in programs designed to involve all age groups in the education system, with emphasis on the sciences. Currently, 102,000 students and 5,600 teachers in 232 schools benefit from TSEI programs.
This national demonstration program is centered on the grounds of Tishomingo County High School in Iuka, Mississippi. There, the Tri-State Learning Center boasts one of the 27 sites in the nation using "real time" weather receiving systems for instruction. It is one of only seven sites in the nation selected by the U.S. Department of Education for Staff Development in Science and the only site with an Endangered Species Tracking Program.
Dr. David Powe, manager of education programs at the Stennis Space Center had this to say when TSEI was recognized with a Hammer Award on December 1: "We are very excited by this latest honor. This award is designed to recognize work and a team spirit among staff." For more information, contact Dr. Powe at (601) 423-7452.
The Tennessee Department of Health has teamed with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide veterans with primary and preventive medical care at the local level. Instead of a 6 or 7-hour round trip to Nashville for treatment, enrolled veterans receive routine medical care locally at the Medical Center for Stewart County, Tennessee. This unique pilot program focuses on the medical needs of dozens of veterans in rural areas of Tennessee and Kentucky that are underserved by medical practitioners.
Veterans living in the area who are currently receiving care are invited to enroll by mail. So far, three out of four have accepted the local alternative. These veterans are then eligible for treatment at the Stewart County Medical Center. Technology helps. The local facility retrieves the patients' medical records via computer link with the VA Hospital in Nashville, providing practitioners on both ends of the line with the information they need to make informed decisions. Instead of the veteran traveling for hours on the asphalt highway, their records travel nanoseconds on the information superhighway. Joy Hunter of the VA Medical Center said, "The patient population here has a great need. We want our veterans to thrive, not just survive."
For details contact Frank Calderala, (615) 340-2392.
What is innovative, creative or cutting edge at your agency? Public Employees Roundtable wants to know. The Roundtable is seeking nominations for its 1996 Public Service Excellence Awards. These awards honor federal, state, city, county, international, and intergovernmental programs that have made outstanding contributions to public service. Winning organizations will be honored during Public Service Recognition Week, May 6-12. Application deadline is February 15, 1996. Contact (202) 927-5000 or permail@aol.com.
Red hearts aren't just a motif for Valentine's Day at the Department of Energy this month. Employees are showing their heartfelt appreciation for their customers during the entire month of February, according to Marge Gildenhorn, quality management specialist.
The month's observance includes two seminars emphasizing that customer service is everyone's business, an awards ceremony with Secretary Hazel O'Leary on Feb. 15, and an all-day symposium on customer survey tools on Feb. 27. It's a two-way observance: All month, internal and external customers can give out on-the-spot thank-you certificates to those employees who give superior service. Contact Marge Gildenhorn at (202) 586-4699.
The Vice President's Hammer Awards are given at any time of the year. These awards recognize the outstanding work of federal teams (including those with state and local partners) that are putting customers first, cutting red tape, empowering employees, reforming regulations, and otherwise reinventing government. More than 250 teams have won the award, according to Award Coordinator Jerry Nikolaus. To get an application form and information, contact Jerry at (202) 632-0150 or jerry.nikolaus@npr.gsa.gov. Jerry can send the information by e-mail if you wish.
Thanks to Steve Earle, an NPR alumnus from the Defense Mapping Agency, who is guest editor of this issue. We want to share your success stories and lessons learned. For more information, contact Pat Wood, National Performance Review, 750-17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 632-0223; FAX: (202) 632-0390; email: pat.wood@npr.gsa.gov. The Express is on the Internet at http://www.npr.gov. To subscribe by e-mail, send a message to LISTPROC@ETC.FED.GOV. Send message: SUBSCRIBE EXPRESS-L FIRSTNAME LASTNAME. Note: Put a space after subscribe, after Express-L and after firstname.