Summer 2000 OCR UPdate - 2
Director's Corner
 |
These continue to be exciting times at OCR. We have many matters on our plates, some of which are decribed in this Newsletter. Although our activities will continue to be wide-ranging, we have identified five priority areas where we are focusing much of our proactive efforts:
In each of these areas, we have a unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable people. In this Newsletter, we describe some of our activities in each of these priority areas. For example, I am quite excited about the Olmstead coalitions that have formed in a number of states. Although considerable work lies ahead, we have substantial progress to report as we mark the tenth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
On the racial disparities front, we have moved from the "talk" to the "action" phase in New York. Coalitions have "rolled up their sleeves" and are implementing promising ideas—that arose from numerous brainstorming sessions—to eliminate disparities. On the immigrant access front, we are working feverishly to prepare policy guidance for health and human service providers that will provide a useful roadmap to ensure that limited English proficient persons can meaningfully access critical programs and services. We also are assisting in overall Departmental efforts to maximize enrollment of legal immigrants in critical benefits programs, such as State Children's Health Insurance Programs and Medicaid, by identifying and eliminating potential civil rights barriers during the application process. OCR will continue to play an active role in the overall efforts to reduce the rolls of the uninsured.
On the personnel front, I am ecstatic that Kathryn Ellis has joined us as the Principal Deputy Director. Kathy brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the table. In addition, the recent arrivals of Claudia Schlosberg at Headquarters and Lisa Simeone as Regional Manager in Region V, have further enhanced OCR's capacity to address the civil rights challenges of the new millennium.
I will continue to spend a substantial amount of time on the road, listening to and learning from advocates, government officials and other stakeholders in our efforts to ensure that vulnerable populations have nondiscriminatory access to health and human services.
If you want to learn more about OCR, please visit our website. If you have an item of reference that you would like us to consider a link to, please call or e-mail us. The addresses for both the web and e-mail are at the end of the Newsletter.
| Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 - Contents, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12, Page 13, Page 14, Page 15, Page 16, Page 17, Page 18, Page 19 |
