OCR UPdate Summer 2000

Summer 2000                                               OCR UPdate - 3

Greetings from Kathryn A. Ellis

It has been just over five months since I joined OCR as Principal Deputy Director and I am pleased that I have been able to meet all OCR staff, in headquarters and in the regional offices. Thus far, I have participated in workshops, seminars, conferences and programs across the country where we are showcasing the important work OCR is doing to ensure equal access to DHHS programs. I also have been working on several issues in headquarters, including a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to amend our civil rights regulations by adding a definition of "program or activity;" strategies for improving the way the Department collects and reports data on race and ethnicity; and labor-management initiatives in the Office of the Secretary, Administration on Aging.

From my vantage point, we are moving positively and effectively on several fronts, whether it is welfare-to-work, language access, implementation of the Olmstead decision, or health disparities. In each area, we are helping state and local governments, service providers, community groups, and other stakeholders understand and appreciate the civil rights implications of their use of this Department's funds. It is an impressive effort, and one in which I am proud to contribute.

Spotlight on Kathryn A. Ellis

Deputy Director, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC; February 2000 to the present.
Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Business and Administrative Law, Office of the General Counsel (OGC), U.S. Department of Education (ED), Washington, DC; October 1996 to January 2000. During 16-year tenure at the ED, OGC, also served in the positions of Special Counsel and Executive Assistant to the General Counsel, and Attorney.
Special Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, Washington, DC; September 1987 to January 1988.
Member of the District of Columbia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bars.
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1983; B.A. in Political Science, Tufts University, 1978.
Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow, Harvard Law School, 1999.
Department of Education Equal Opportunity Award, 1999.

In This Issue

OCR Tackles Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care	1
Director's Corner	2
Greetings from and Spotlight on Kathryn A. Ellis	3
OCR Works to Implement Olmstead	4
New LEP Policy Guidance in Development	5
OCR Forms LEP Partnership with Georgia Department of Human Resources	5
Responding to Cureton: OCR Amending Its Civil Rights Regulations	5
Managed Care Activities	6
Outreach, Outreach, Outreach!	7
OCR to Enforce Health Information Pricvacy Standards	8
Immigrant Access to Health and Welfare Programs	9
OCR Plays Active Role in Welfare to Work Issues	10
Promising Practices in Language Access	11
Around the Regions Case Summaries	12
Staff Notes	17
For Further Information	19

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

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