Sometimes a Great Podcast

Oregon Department of Human Services

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

  1. 4d ago

    SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Transformation: Big Places and Big Connections

    Season 2, Episode 21: Sept. 16, 2026 Length: 18:47 This week, The Big Picture comes from Hillsboro, where we sit down outside with Maya Cipriano, Child Welfare resource developer for Washington County, and Ana Hernandez-Garcia, engagement manager in District 16, to talk about collaboration, community partners and the practical supports that help families move forward. The conversation begins with a simple question: what obstacles do families face that should not be so difficult to overcome? For Maya and Ana, one answer is diapers. They are basic, expensive, urgently needed and connected to other parts of a family’s stability, including child care, employment, transportation and the ability to get through the day. From there, the conversation looks at how District 16 staff have built stronger relationships across Self-Sufficiency, Child Welfare and community partners. Instead of treating support as a handoff from one program to another, they describe a more connected approach: staff meeting intentionally, sharing what they can, learning one another’s roles and working together so families do not have to navigate every barrier alone. Ana also explains how community partnership work helped grow free food markets, diaper access, formula support and other resources after the pandemic disrupted so many familiar systems. Maya describes how Child Welfare can use those connections to focus more on prevention, engagement and support, helping families meet needs before they become deeper involvement with the system. In the end, this episode is about how collaboration becomes practical. It is not only about a new structure or a better email chain. It is about people meeting regularly, bringing partners to the table, understanding what families actually need and building a circle of support that can keep going after one program’s involvement ends. From diapers to food markets to the deeper work of helping people feel at home, Hillsboro shows how connection becomes part of… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, Communications Produced by: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe Contact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov owe@odhs.oregon.gov

  2. 6d ago

    ODHS is Pod-ding Nemo!

    Season 2, Episode 20 — Sept. 14, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode heads into open water with updates on the 2027–29 agency request budget, suicide prevention walks, the Veterans ERG, the Employee Engagement Survey, OHP notices, Child Welfare resource families and Medford service locations. 4Minutes4U: * 2027–29 agency request budget Deadline: ODHS: * Beginning Sept. 12: Out of the Darkness suicide prevention walks * Sept. 15: Veterans ERG meeting with Wounded Warrior Project speaker Cindy Parsons* Sept. 21–Oct. 9: ODHS Employee Engagement Survey Fact of the Week: * About 600,000 Oregon Health Plan members will receive notices about upcoming work or activity rules Dateline: ODHS: * Child Welfare second quarter progress report on resource families * Medford ODHS office closures and service location updates Writer’s Round-Up: “Just Keep Communicating”

  3. Sep 9

    SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Transformation: PDX & ICWA

    Season 2, Episode 19: Sep. 9, 2026 Length: 22:27 This week, The Big Picture comes from Portland, where we sit down with Nicomi Levine, ICWA permanency supervisor in District 2, and Angela Mellison, family coach for the ICWA team, to talk about tribal relationships, collaboration and what it means to support families with respect. The conversation begins with ICWA — the Indian Child Welfare Act — and the importance of working alongside tribes, respecting tribal sovereignty and making sure tribes are part of decisions involving their children and families. For Nikomi, that means supporting her team to follow the law and listen to tribes. For Angela, it means helping families connect with culturally specific resources and support before deeper system involvement is needed. You’ll hear how Unified Child and Family Services changes the work in practical ways. Instead of Child Welfare and Self-Sufficiency asking families to meet separate goals without always knowing what the other program is doing, staff can coordinate, understand what a family can manage and focus on shared steps that help support safety, stability and self-sufficiency. The episode also looks at what is still hard, especially for Native families in a metro area where services may be available, but culturally specific services are still not always sufficient. Nikomi and Angela talk about historical and generational trauma, the need for stronger connections and the importance of making support feel less like another door to open and more like one coordinated path. In the end, this episode is about relationship: with tribes, with families, across programs and within communities. From ICWA work to SSP support, Portland shows how collaboration can reduce competing demands, honor culture and help families move forward with more dignity in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  4. Sep 8

    ODHS and the Coat of Many Updates: A Tribute to Dolly Parton

    Season 2, Episode 18: Sept. 8, 2026 Length: 9:51 This week’s episode remembers Dolly Parton’s legacy of storytelling, care and connection while covering the biennium budget, crisis support, community resource events, the Employee Engagement Survey, SNAP exemptions, inclusive books, and workplace updates. The episode begins with Director Liesl Wendt’s message about the 2027–29 agency request budget before moving into Deadline: ODHS with 988 Day, Southwest Coast community resource events, a Gallup learning session for the Employee Engagement Survey and a reminder about substance use awareness training. From there, Fact of the Week highlights SNAP work and activity rule exemptions, and Dateline covers inclusive books for Child Welfare offices and the statewide Fair Labor Standards Act review. 4Minutes4U:* Director Wendt’s message on the 2027–29 agency request budget Deadline: ODHS: * Sept. 8: 988 Day * Sept. 9: Gallup learning session on the Employee Engagement Survey * Sept. 9: Canopy webinar on substance use awareness * Sept. 15 and Sept. 24: Southwest Coast community resource events Fact of the Week: * 93% of Oregonians currently subject to SNAP work or activity rules qualify for an exemption Dateline: ODHS: * Pride ERG inclusive books for Child Welfare offices * Statewide Fair Labor Standards Act review Writer’s Round-Up: Dolly Parton’s “Eugene, Oregon”

  5. Sep 2

    SAGPodcast: Libraries, Parades, Food Markets and the Work of Showing Up

    Season 2, Episode 17: Sept. 2, 2026 Length: 8:05 This week, The Big Picture looks across Oregon at ODHS staff, Employee Resource Groups and community partners who build connection by showing up where people already are — in offices, libraries, parades, festivals, food markets, parks and back-to-school events. These stories begin with small things that mean something larger: culturally specific hair care products and LGBTQ+ books in a St. Helens office lending library; the District 1 Mobile Van rolling through a Kiwanis parade with resource home recruitment flyers; and AAMC volunteers welcoming hundreds of visitors at Good in the Hood with information, benefits resources, job opportunities and a prize wheel. You’ll also hear how Free Food Markets in Hillsboro and Tigard have become familiar community spaces where families can receive food, diapers, books, household goods and connection without judgment. In Corvallis, office decorations, children’s activities, stuffed animals and Bartholomew the crocheted beaver help make an ODHS office feel warmer, more playful and more human before anyone even says a word. The episode also visits long-running and new community traditions: Multnomah County’s annual Oaks Park event for resource families and children in care, and AAMC’s annual Back-to-School event, where ODHS staff, ERGs and community partners helped families receive backpacks, jackets, shoes, food and other supports for the school year. Taken together, these stories point to something consistent: community connection does not happen on its own. It happens because people make the effort to notice what would help, create spaces that feel welcoming and build partnerships that let support reach farther than any one office could alone. It is all part of helping people in Oregon achieve well-being and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity. This episode also recognizes Christine Decker, who wrote the original version of many of these Discover stories. While this podcast brings them to listeners in a new form, her attention, care and storytelling helped make them visible in the first place. She is a true storyteller of ODHS, and this edition of The Big Picture is possible because of her work. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweOriginal Discover stories by: Christine DeckerContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  6. Sep 1

    Discover’s Goin’ Pod to the Future!

    Season 2, Episode 16: Aug. 31, 2026 Length: 9:53 This week’s episode climbs into the Discover DeLorean for updates on public charge and temporary protected status, election season rules, Tribal ICWA Conference volunteers and a major I-5 closure through Portland. With no new 4Minutes4U and nothing new in Deadline: ODHS this week, the episode begins with reminders about substance use awareness training and the National Disability Employment Awareness Month event. From there, Fact of the Week covers federal immigration changes ODHS is monitoring, and Dateline shares reminders about political activity rules for public employees, volunteer needs for the Tribal-State ICWA Conference and travel impacts from the upcoming southbound I-5 Rose Quarter closure. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Nothing new this week Reminders: Sept. 9: a Substance use awareness webinar Oct. 6:  VocRehab event Fact of the Week: Federal immigration changes related to public charge Dateline: ODHS: Election season guidance for public employees Tribal-State ICWA Conference volunteer opportunity Southbound I-5 Rose Quarter closure beginning Sept. 11 Writer’s Round-Up: “A Letter from Doc”

  7. Aug 28

    SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Transformation: Dallas, Recovery Court, and the Parking Lot Miracle

    NOTE: This episode AUDIO ONLY Season 2, Episode 15: August 26, 2026 Length: 30:11 This week, The Big Picture returns to the Dallas ODHS office for the second half of our conversation about what collaboration looks like when it moves from concept into daily practice. We continue with staff from Self-Sufficiency and Child Welfare. 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 second half, the conversation turns to recovery court, where Child Welfare, Self-Sufficiency, the courts, treatment providers, and community partners meet regularly around the same families. Staff describe how sitting at the same table helps them identify barriers, coordinate resources, support reunification, and focus on what needs to happen next. You’ll also hear one of the most memorable examples of creative problem-solving: a family living with addiction and poverty who was moved into the ODHS parking lot in an RV, then supported into an apartment that staff helped furnish before handing over the keys. It is the kind of story that explains the Dallas approach: when staff see a barrier, they treat it as a question mark, not a stopping point. In the end, this second half is about what becomes possible when people are trusted to do the work, think creatively, and rely on one another. From recovery court to community partners, miracle-worker emails, snack shacks, and families finding hope in difficult moments, Dallas shows what collaboration looks like in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  8. Aug 24

    This is what we call The Podcast Show!

    Season 2, Episode 12: Aug. 24, 2026Length: 8:35 This week’s episode gets things started with grant request training, substance use awareness, disability employment, SNAP changes, queer identity learning and host homes supporting youth experiencing homelessness. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with Grant Request Training, a Canopy webinar on substance use awareness and Vocational Rehabilitation’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month event. From there, Fact of the Week covers roughly 35,000 Oregonians losing SNAP benefits under new federal requirements, and Dateline highlights Pride ERG’s Queer Identity Series and YEHP’s work expanding host home programs for students experiencing homelessness. 4Minutes4U: * Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: * Aug. 26 or 27: Grant Request Training, Part 2 * Sept. 9: Canopy webinar on substance use awareness * Oct. 6: National Disability Employment Awareness Month event Fact of the Week: * Roughly 35,000 Oregonians have lost SNAP benefits Dateline: ODHS: * Pride ERG Queer Identity Series * YEHP host home programs for students experiencing homelessness Writer’s Round-Up: “Mahna Mah-pod”

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About

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
    127
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Oregon Department of Human Services
  • Show Website
    Sometimes a Great Podcast