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| News From Harford County Government - November, 2009 | ||||||||
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November 2009 Edition
Much has been said and written during the past year about the seasonal flu and more specifically, the H1N1 virus. Health professionals from around the world are concerned that we could be facing an influenza pandemic of unknown proportions. As County Executive for Harford County, I am concerned that many of our citizens are not following the recommended guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as well as our state and county health department officials, to avoid getting the seasonal flu or take appropriate measures to treat the flu if one becomes ill. The flu refers to illnesses caused by a number of different influenza viruses. Flu can cause a range of symptoms from mild to lethal. Two strains of the flu, seasonal flu and the H1N1 or Swine Flu are currently circulating in the United States. Most healthy people recover from the flu without problems, but certain people are at high risk for serious complications. Annual outbreaks of the seasonal flu usually occur during the late fall through early spring. Thanks to medical research and the administration of an influenza vaccine, only a small percentage of the population may actually suffer from the seasonal flu each year. The best preventive measure to avoid getting the seasonal flu is to get vaccinated. I urge every citizen, especially the elderly and those with specific serious health issues to get vaccinated. If you do contract the flu, see you doctor or seek medical assistance to obtain antiviral drugs. Such drugs are prescription medicines that can be used to help treat flu viruses. For older adults, the seasonal flu can be very serious, even deadly. Each year in the United States, an average of 36,000 people die and more than 200,000 are hospitalized from serious flu complications. The CDC reports that nearly ninety percent of flue-related deaths and more than half of the flu-related hospitalizations occur in people over 65 years of age. As I stated previously, getting vaccinated means not only protecting yourself, but not spreading the flu to your spouse, children, grandchildren or co-workers. For more information regarding the seasonal flu and preventive measures, contact the Harford County Health Department or visit the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services website, www.flu.gov. Remember, we’re all in this together! Cordially,
Harford County Executive
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ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY - "Growing & Sustaining Harford's Prosperity" Foster an environment within government that encourages financial opportunity and supports private sector ventures that diversify Harford's economic base in new and existing businesses.
EDUCATION - "Preparing Now, Building for the Future" To make long term investments in education by ensuring that children have a safe and stimulating environment in which to learn and to encourage and promote the availability of academic and technical programs that prepare all students to compete in the global marketplace.
EFFICIENCY IN GOVERNMENT - "Governing Smarter" Identify and develop best practices to maximize limited resources and improve the delivery of services to citizens, businesses, and government agencies.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP - "Protecting our Environment" Protect and preserve the County's environment through efficient use and reuse of its resources.
PUBLIC SAFETY - "Ensuring a Safe Harford" To ensure that Harford County's Public Safety services have the necessary tools and training to meet the County's growing demand for emergency services.
QUALITY LIVING - "Safeguarding What is Important to Harford County Citizens" Cultivate life enhancing amenities and necessary infrastructure that enriches the lives of Harford County citizens and neighborhoods through sound planning practices, investments in parkland and recreation, and promotion of community spirit and cultural arts.
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Harford County Executive David R. Craig has joined hundreds of county employees in receiving their annual vaccination against the flu. The vaccination was administered by the Harford County Health Department in Bel Air.
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A Reviewer's View on Grant Proposals is a series of six brown bag lunch sessions for grant writers and will cover a variety of fundamental topics. Topics will cover everything from “Using Data to Strengthen your Grant” and “Pulling Apart an Application” to “Making the Numbers Match the Story” and “Getting Funded Again.” There will be one session a month, beginning October 23, 2009 and ending March 19, 2010. Schedule
Training is offered at no cost. Please RSVP to the Harford County Department of Community Services at 410-638-3389. Also visit www.harfordcountymd.gov/services for more grant resources: the Grant Writer’s Page and the Data Page. A Reviewer’s View on Grant Proposals is provided by the Harford County Department of Community Services, Harford County Public Schools, Harford County Health Department, the Harford County Sheriff's Office, and Upper Chesapeake Health.
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The Harford County Commission on Disabilities hosted its annual employment awards luncheon on Thursday, October 22, 2009 at noon at the Maryland Golf and Country Club in Bel Air. Johnny Hudson, 2006 luncheon keynote speaker, served as the Master of Ceremonies. The luncheon’s main purpose is to “celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of people with disabilities who overcome obstacles in their pursuit of excellence,” according to Committee Co-Chair Niki Biggs. “The Commission also uses the event to recognize contributions made by employers, families, friends and organizations to change attitudes about employees with disabilities in the workforce,” she said. This year’s theme, announced by the U.S. Department of Labor, is “Expectation + Opportunity = Participation.” According to Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathleen Martinez, “…we must create the inexorable expectation that people with disabilities will contribute in every way to our economic successes. Only by nurturing this expectation and providing people with disabilities with unlimited employment opportunities, can we all benefit from their talents.” Employee of the Year honors went to Andre Sconion of Office Eagle at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Awards of merit were presented to Katarina Feuchtenberger, Rite Aid Distribution Center; Irv Johnson, Arrow Electric; Paul Moran, Boyle Buick Pontiac; and Chih Ung, Ruby Tuesday, Riverside. The 7-11 Store in Belcamp was recognized as Employer of the Year, while Hampden Moving and Storage and the Royal Farms Store #77 in Abingdon received awards of merit. The Student Worker of the Year Award was presented to Keith England, an employee of NutraMax; while an award of merit went to Justin Roberts, who works at the Duclaw Brewing Co. Rebecca Macek of the Harford County Department of Community Services and Monica Worrell of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office received the Media Award for their work on the Disabled Parking Awareness Campaign, and the Accessibility Award was presented to Susie Mahone of the Bel Air Branch of the Harford County Public Library. Finally, for the first time, two Ruth Helen Thompson Memorial Awards for Community Service were presented. Glen Gustafsson, Mark Dardozzi, Don Miller, Colleen Helmlinger, and Tony Corea, volunteers who make up the Micro Enterprise Development Group at the Arc Northern Chesapeake Region, were honored for their work to develop customized micro enterprises for adults with disabilities. Angela Barnett was honored posthumously for her lifetime achievements in disability awareness and advocacy. The Harford County Commission on Disabilities was established in 1995 to serve as the voice of the disability community in Harford County. Members are appointed by the County Executive, with the approval of the County Council.
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The Department of Community Services Harford County Community Mediation Program (HCCMP) celebrated national Conflict Resolution Day on October 15, 2009. Two area middle schools, the Harford County Public Library, and Harford Community College partnered with the HCCMP program to celebrate alternative ways to resolve conflicts. Aberdeen and Edgewood Middle Schools enthusiastically observed the day with activities, a writing contest and lessons. Aberdeen Middle School held a writing contest entitled “Ways We Make Peace.” Students in 6th and 8th grades submitted original works and the winners were announced Thursday morning by a HCCMP volunteer mediator. Also, each student received a sticker with tips and strategies for resolving conflict which they placed in their daily planners. During lunch, peer helpers handed out Martin Luther King, Jr. peace cards, HCCMP brochures, “Think Mediation” stickers, and MACRO (Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office) bookmarks. Edgewood Middle hosted Susan Fisher, the Coordinator of HCCMP, as a guest speaker on morning announcements, and during Physical Education, Art and Social Study classes. Students made peace doves depicting what peace meant to them and played cooperative games in Physical Education class. Students learned about problem solving during Social Studies and how this impacts their world. Several HCCMP volunteers assisted in setting up displays and hanging posters at local libraries and homeless shelters. Harford Community College hosted a table in the Global Café where students could stop by and talk with volunteers and learn about ways they can promote peace. For more information on the Harford County Community Mediation Program call Susan Fisher at 410-638-4807 or visit www.harfordcountymd.gov/services/mediation.
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Richard C. Truitt, Sr., Deputy Director of the Harford County Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits (DILP) has been appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to the Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code Advisory Council. The appointment is for the remainder of an unexpired four-year term which began July 2006.
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The Harford County Emergency Operations Center located in Hickory, attained the highest accreditation possible, as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) for use of its Fire, Police and Medical protocols. The Harford County EOC is only the second center in the world to achieve all three levels of accreditation. The first center to attain the highest level of accreditation was in Alberta, Canada.
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The Harford County Auditions for Maryland Senior Idol will take place Saturday, November 14, 2009, 3:30 PM at the McFaul Activity Center, 525 W. MacPhail Road in Bel Air. Harford County residents age 60+ are invited to audition (pre-registration by November 6 is required); this year’s auditions will feature a Broadway theme and will be one show you don’t want to miss. Tickets are required but admission is free and open to the public. Top-scoring auditioners will be eligible to perform at the Maryland Senior Idol vocal competition in 2010. Also, please contribute to our food drive – nonperishable canned goods will be collected at the Harford County Senior Idol auditions and donated to local seniors in need. For more information, call the Office on Aging at 410-638-3025. The Maryland Senior Idol vocal competition, modeled after the popular TV program, American Idol, is a wonderful venue for Maryland’s senior adults to showcase their singing talents. Participating Maryland counties holding local auditions will send their top competitors to the Maryland Senior Idol in 2010 to compete against seniors from other counties. The Harford County Office on Aging is a division within the Department of Community Services.
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Shelter from the Storm – the Difference is Faith is a faith-based pilot program for Harford County congregations to become involved in helping provide transitional housing, which in turn will “free up” emergency beds to serve additional homeless currently living on the streets. Joining together, local congregations can help us better assist the homeless by funding transitional housing projects through various programs in place. Those programs include:
The first session was held in June and the second will be held Wednesday, November 4, 2009. Call the Harford County Department of Community Services at 410-638-3389 for information.
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| "Preserving Harford’s past; promoting Harford’s future" | ||||||||
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