Sometimes a Great Podcast

Oregon Department of Human Services
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Government
  • Updated Weekly

Catch up on this week's news from Discover and listen to interviews of staff from around the state.

  1. 2d ago

    SAGPodcast: Dallas, Transformation via Collaboration in Dallas: Part I

    Season 2, Episode 13: August 19, 2026 Length: 27:18 This week, The Big Picture comes from the Dallas ODHS office for the first half of a two-part conversation about collaboration, transformation, and what it looks like when Self-Sufficiency Programs and Child Welfare work together around the same families. We sit down with staff from both programs. From Self-Sufficiency, Lisa Heath joins as operations manager, along with family coaches Ray Scott and Kim Morgan, and program manager Dawn Myers. From Child Welfare, we hear from Lorelle Gould, CPS supervisor and recovery court supervisor, and Amber McClelland, Child Welfare program manager. In this first half, the group talks about how Dallas built relationships across programs before collaboration became a formal transformation goal. For some staff, “transformation” is less about a new initiative and more about recognizing work they have already been doing: coming together, sharing what they can, and making sure families do not experience ODHS as a set of disconnected doors. The conversation also looks at the real barriers that still exist, including privacy rules, program roles, and limits on what information can be shared. Staff explain how trust, relationships, shared space, and clear roles help them keep families at the center even when the systems around them are still complicated. In the end, this first half is about how collaboration becomes real before it becomes formal. In Dallas, that means staff know who to go to, what questions to ask, and how to work through barriers so families can experience ODHS less as separate programs and more as one connected source of support in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  2. 4d ago

    We Celebrate 100 Episodes! (And other ODHS News)

    We Celebrate 100 Episodes! (And other ODHS News) Season 2, Episode 12 — Aug. 17, 2026 Length: 9:11 This week’s episode celebrates 100 trips through the OWL - starting with no new 4Minutes4U or Fact of the Week this week. So, the episode actually begins in Deadline: ODHS with the Veteran Employee Resource Group’s Women Veterans subgroup relaunch and ReportConnect office hours. From there, Dateline covers the delayed Amazon Connect transition for the ONE Customer Service Center, Be Sensitive, Be Brave for Suicide Prevention training and updated Oregon purchasing requirements for certified Oregon Small Business Enterprises. 4Minutes4U: * Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: * Aug. 18: Veteran Employee Resource Group Women Veterans subgroup relaunch * Aug. 18 and Aug. 20: ReportConnect office hours Fact of the Week: * NONE Dateline: ODHS: * ONE Customer Service Center Amazon Connect transition delayed * Be Sensitive, Be Brave for Suicide Prevention training * New small-business purchasing requirements Writer’s Round-Up: “One Hundred Podcasts of News on the OWL” Credits Hosts: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, Communications and Shenika, CPC D10. Produced by: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe Contact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  3. Aug 12

    SAGPodcast: The Big Picture: Getting out of the way of Collaborating in Medford: Part II

    Season 2, Episode 11: Aug. 12, 2026 Length: 26:25 This week, The Big Picture returns to Medford for the second half of our conversation at the Collaborative with Emily Blessie, community outreach manager with ODHS Self-Sufficiency, and Lisa Robbins and Jill Shermett, peer support specialists with the Pathfinder Network. Each of them explaining further how ODHS staff and community partners are rethinking what it means to create a space where people feel respected, supported and able to move forward. We’ll start with Emily sharing what she and the people of ODHS have learned from working alongside the Pathfinder Network. Everything from the details about parole and probation, to the personal experiences of women who bring their own stories about what support actually needs to look like. The conversation explores trauma-informed communication, the CR2 model and the importance of helping people regulate, problem-solve and lead their own next steps, even when ODHS cannot change an eligibility decision or make a difficult requirement disappear. The episode also looks at how the building itself shapes the experience. Open spaces, coffee, snacks, places for children to play and a welcoming environment all help create a different relationship between participants and the systems they may not always trust. For staff and partners, being co-located also makes it easier to learn from one another, coordinate support and respond when someone needs more than one service at a time. In the end, the conversation is about balancing support and accountability with respect, kindness and honesty. From peer support and family coaching to probation, ODHS services and community connection, the Collaborative shows what can happen when government feels less cold, less distant and more human in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  4. Aug 10

    A Celebration of All Things Podcast

    Season 2, Episode 10 — Aug. 10, 2026 Length: 9:57 This week’s episode celebrates all things podcast, with mentoring, free food markets, sleep support, ableism, TANF information and privacy, summer photos and resiliency skills all taking their turn at the microphone. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Aug. 11: ODHS ERG Mentoring Program orientation Aug. 11: Hillsboro Free Food Market Aug. 24: Tigard Free Food Market Reminders: Aug. 11: Canopy training on stress, insomnia and sleep Aug. 13: ABLEnet session on ableism FACT of the Week: There are currently no changes to TANF while states sue over possible broader sharing of personal information. Dateline: ODHS: Hillsboro and Tigard Free Food Market schedule updates Summer Your Way Challenge Community Resiliency Model training Writer’s Round-Up: “My Heroes Have Always Been Podcasters

  5. Aug 5

    SAGPodcast: The Big Picture: Getting out of the way of Collaborating in Medford: Part I

    Season 2, Episode 09: Aug. 5, 2026 Length: 24:30 This week, The Big Picture comes from The Collaborative in Medford, where ODHS staff work alongside the Pathfinder Network and parole and probation to support women who are returning to the community after incarceration.  In a conversation with Emily Blessie, community outreach manager with ODHS Self-Sufficiency, and Lisa Robbins and Jill Shermett, peer support specialists with the Pathfinder Network, we begin with the building itself: a shared, gender-specific space where women can check in with probation, meet with peer support specialists, and connect with ODHS services in one place. For many participants, that matters because transportation, paperwork, benefits, housing, identification, safety, and basic stability are not separate problems. They are all part of what it takes to move forward. In the end, the conversation is about trust, safety, and second chances. The Collaborative shows what can happen when government, community partners, parole and probation, and people with lived experience share space, reduce barriers, and build relationships before asking someone to take the next step. It is a reminder that support works best when it is not waiting somewhere across town, but standing beside someone as they begin to see a different future in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  6. Aug 3

    Sometimes a Great Inspector Pod-get

    Season 2, Episode 08: Aug. 3, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode goes full gadget mode, with plain language, Medicaid work requirements, scam awareness and contract administration standards all tucked into the trench coat of useful ODHS updates. We begin with Deadline: ODHS with a plain language lunch and learn, plus reminders about Canopy’s sleep and stress training and ABLEnet’s session on ableism. From there, Fact of the Week highlights an OPB conversation with ODHS and OHA leaders about upcoming Medicaid work requirements, and Dateline covers a scam warning and updated contract administration standards for Child Welfare and Self-Sufficiency Programs. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Aug. 19: Plain language lunch and learn Reminders: Aug. 11: Canopy training on stress, insomnia and sleep Aug. 13: ABLEnet session on ableism Fact of the Week: OEP Director Nate Singer joined OPB’s Think Out Loud to discuss upcoming federal changes affecting people enrolled in OHP Dateline: ODHS: Scam alert about callers impersonating law enforcement Updated Client Service Contract Administration Standards for CW & SSP Writer’s Round-Up: “Sometimes a Great Gadget”

  7. Jul 29

    The Big Picture: Beaver-Duck Ideas and the People Who Brought Them Forward

    Season 1, Episode 97 — July 29, 2026Length: 29:04 This week, The Big Picture does something a little different as Bethany and Shenika recap the inaugural Beaver-Duck Innovation Classic, where ODHS staff presented ideas for improving the way the agency works. The conversation looks at seven presentations grouped around three larger themes: better information sharing,deeper understanding of public-facing jobs, and stronger logistical support. From local storefront web pages and cross-program service roadmaps to cross-training, leadership shadowing, shared workflow boards and triagesupport, the ideas all point toward making ODHS easier to navigate for staff and the people we serve. Bethany and Shenika also talk about what made the event itself stand out: staff presented directly to agency leaders,answered real implementation questions and showed how much operational knowledge already exists across ODHS. The proposals were not abstract. They came from people who know where processes slow down, where customers get confused, where staff need support and where good ideas are already working in one part of the agency. In the end, the episode is about more than one competition or seven presentations. It is about what happens whenstaff knowledge is treated as a source of innovation, when frontline experience is connected to leadership decisions, and when practical ideas are given a pathway into… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsCo-host: ShenikaProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  8. Jul 27

    ODHS: Survivor: The podcast hosts have spoken!

    Season 2, Episode 6 — July 27, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode heads to Survivor ODHS, where the buffs are color-coded, the deadlines are specific and every update is trying to make it through tribal council with its paperwork intact. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with updates on the federal public charge rule, the final ADA anniversary webinar, Inclusive Hiring Advocates applications, a Canopy sleep and stress training, and an ABLEnet session on ableism. From there, Fact of the Week covers how some volunteer activities may count toward SNAP work or activity rules, and Dateline rounds up wildfire monitoring, expanded Klamath Tribal Health eligibility, bilingual pay standards and the OIS self-service portal moving into regular operations. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Sept. 18: New federal public charge rule expected to take effect July 28: ADA anniversary webinar on digital accessibility July 30: Inclusive Hiring Advocates Cohort 2 applications due Aug. 11: Canopy training on stress, insomnia and sleep Aug. 13: ABLEnet session on ableism Fact of the Week:Some volunteer activities may help eligible SNAP participants meet federal work or activity rules, but participants should contact the SNAP Work or Activity Rules, or AWOD, team to confirm whether the activity counts, how to document hours or whether an exemption applies. Dateline: ODHS: ODHS monitoring wildfire evacuation zones in 11 counties Klamath Tribal Health and Family Services expanded direct care eligibility Bilingual pay standard updated to ALTA Level 7 OIS self-service portal moved into regular operations Writer’s Round-Up: “Survivor: ODHS. The hosts have spoken.”

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Catch up on this week's news from Discover and listen to interviews of staff from around the state.

Information

  • Creator
    Oregon Department of Human Services
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    119
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Oregon Department of Human Services
  • Show Website
    Sometimes a Great Podcast