Fall 1999						OCR UPdate - 11

(continued from page 10 - OCR Staff Appointments/Awards) Congratulations also are extended to Ms. Caroline J. Chang, OCR Regional Manager in Boston. Caroline was honored recently by the National Conference for Community and Justice for her formative role as a leader and activist within the Asian American community and within greater Boston. In a letter from the HHS Deputy Secretary, Mr. Kevin Thurm, Caroline was further recognized for her "untiring efforts and outstanding leadership in addressing inequities in access to health and human services...The Department and OCR are indeed honored to have [Caroline] on our team."

Headquarters Retreat and Nationwide Training

On May 18^th, OCR headquarters staff attended its first-ever retreat. The retreat was facilitated by six HHS professional trainers and was designed to implement a number of structural reforms to enhance productivity, improve customer service and strengthen our esprit de corps. In addition, during August, OCR staff nationwide participated in a week-long training that focused on enhancing OCR's capacity to address the civil rights

Photo: Attendees at OCR Headquarters' Retreat

challenges of the 21^st century. A number of experienced advocates participated in this training, including Jane Perkins of the National Health Law Program; Mike Campbell and Ann Torregrossa of the Pennsylvania Health Law Project; Jocelyn Frye of the National Partnership for Women and Families; Mark Cohan of the Welfare Law Center; Fred Freiburg of FH Associates, and Barbara Burr, National Women's Law Center. Also participating as trainers were colleagues from the Department of Justice, including Sandy Ross, Bob Berman, Robin Deykes, and Mary Lou Mobley. OCR investigators also are participating in three-day training sessions on Alternative Dispute Resolution sponsored by the Departmental Appeals Board.

OCR/HHS: A Snapshot

• Enforces laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex and religion by recipients of HHS funds.
• Investigates allegations of discrimination on these bases by hospitals, nursing homes, and human service programs, among others.
• Conducts proactive compliance reviews, outreach, education and technical assistance to ensure civil rights compliance.
• Investigates title II ADA complaints against the following types of state and local government entities: health related schools (medicine, dentistry, nursing, etc.); health care providers; and human service providers (e.g., day care centers, state and county human service agencies).
• Employs 225 staff nationwide, including 50 in Washington, D.C.

Return to HHS Home Page Return to OCR Home Page