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. 4h ago

    The Pods Are Alive with the Sound of Updates

    Season 1, Episode 82 — June 8, 2026 Length: 9:58 This week’s episode climbs through a lighter set of ODHS updates, with agency progress, health coverage changes, summer wellbeing resources and mindful pauses all finding their place in the chorus. The episode begins with Director Liesl Wendt’s June 3 Discover message on ODHS’ first 100 days, including progress on child welfare overdue assessments, OEP staff tools, office signage, and work moving forward across TADVS, VR, ODDS and in-home services. From there, the episode looks ahead to new federal Medicaid rules starting in January 2027, plus new Mindful Minutes resources and the June OHSE Spotlight newsletter, because sometimes the most important update is the one that reminds your shoulders they do not need to live near your ears. 4Minutes4U: A message from Director Wendt: Her first 100 days Deadline: ODHS: Nothing new this week Reminders: July 17: 2027 nominations for the Estella Namaho Nata’ani Award Fact of the Week: Some adults applying for or renewing OHP, Medicaid or Healthier Oregon may need to show more proof of need under new federal Medicaid rules. Dateline: ODHS: Mindful Minutes: Anchor Touch and listening closely to a song June OHSE Spotlight newsletter Writer’s Round-Up: “Maria Has Entered the SharePoint”

    10 min

  2. 5d ago

    Small Offices and Big Responsibilities: An OS2 in Oregon Outback

    Season 1, Episode 81  Length: (21:51)    This week, we’re in Lakeview, talking with Stephanie Angelozzi, an OS2 for Child Welfare in one of Oregon’s frontier communities, where the office is small, the county is huge and the work rarely fits neatly into a single job description.  Stephanie shares what it’s like to be one of the first people Oregonians meet when they walk through the door—often on one of the hardest days of their lives. In a community where people may also be neighbors, parents from cheer, or familiar faces from around town, privacy and trust take on a different kind of weight.  You’ll hear about the challenges of serving people in a place where services may not just be full—they may not exist at all. From power outages and limited cell service to long drives for basic supports, the conversation highlights the realities of doing ODHS work in the Oregon Outback.  It’s a conversation about small-town relationships, frontier service gaps and the care it takes to protect people’s dignity when everyone knows everyone, or at least knows someone who does, as we take a look at The Big Picture.

    22 min

  3. Jun 1

    Summer’s Here and the Updates Are Poddin’ in Hot!

    Season 1, Episode 80 — June 1, 2026Length: 9:24 This week’s episode kicks off summer at ODHS with clear language, grocery support, and one very useful OWL page all packed into the cooler. With no new 4Minutes4U, no Fact of the Week, and no brand-new Deadline items, the focus shifts to reminders and updates that still matter as the season gets underway. From Summer EBT returning for 2026 to a newly approved Spanish translation for ODDS, the episode highlights the practical work of making services easier to understand and access. The updated ODHS Transformation OWL page also gives staff a clearer place to find progress updates, FAQs, upcoming events, and next steps without having to chase information across multiple places. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Nothing new this week Reminders: June 4: From Fields to Future: Advancing Latinx Excellence June 9: Emergency Preparedness for Neurodivergent webinar June 11: Aging and Disability in the Workplace: ADA and Title I June 12: Comments due on Oregon’s draft 2026–2030 State Plan on Aging Fact of the Week: NONE Dateline: ODHS: Summer EBT returns for 2026 Approved Spanish translation for ODDS Updated ODHS Transformation OWL page Writer’s Round-Up:“Workin’ in the Streets”

    9 min

  4. May 29

    SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Grants Pass, Attack Geese, and the Work Behind the Myth

    Season 1, Episode 78 — May 27, 2026Length: 23:28 This week, The Big Picture comes from Grants Pass in Josephine County, where we sit down with Tanner Moss, achild welfare coaching and training specialist, and Brynn Orr, an intake worker in District 8, to talk about child welfare work in Southern Oregon and the distance between what people imagine rural communities are like and what lifethere actually is. The conversation explores the differences and similarities between Jackson and Josephine counties, from geography and road systems to small-town culture, farming communities, Cave Junction lore, and the everyday realities of traveling remote roads to meet families where they are. Tanner and Brynn describe a region that is often simplified from the outside, but much richer, more complex, and more surprising up close—sometimesincluding attack geese. They also talk about how assumptions shape the work. Whether it is the mythos around Cave Junction, stereotypesabout rural Oregon, or the natural skepticism some families may feel when child welfare staff arrive at the door, the episode returns again and again to the importance of humility, respect, and listening before deciding what a place—or a person—is. For Tanner and Brynn, the work means recognizing the power imbalance that comes with representing the state, beinghonest about it, and still approaching each family with dignity. It means remembering that a report may be missing context, that every interaction has nuance, and that trust is built by showing up as a person first—not as a stereotype, a title, or a government system with a clipboard. In the end, the conversation is about Southern Oregon as it actually is: beautiful, complicated, funny, resilient,misunderstood, full of good food, strong community, and people making a life in places others too often reduce to punchlines. From Grants Pass to Cave Junction and beyond, it is a reminder that understanding a community requires presence, curiosity, and respect—all while keeping people in focus in… The Big Picture. Credits Host: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, Communications Produced by: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe Contact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

    23 min

  5. May 26

    Lewis, Clark, and the Podcast West

    Season 1, Episode 78 — May 26, 2026 Length: 9:46 This week’s episode charts a fresh course through ODHS, with leadership development, public comment opportunities, workplace accessibility, and sustainability tools all lined up like trail markers on the map. The throughline is planning ahead—whether that means preparing future leaders, shaping services for older adults and people with disabilities, or making space for better workplace conversations. The episode also recognizes Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, including API Net’s work and the legacy of former ODHS employee Cale Turn. From cultural connection to environmental action, the updates point toward the same idea: steady movement, shared responsibility, and practical tools that help the work travel farther. And in Writer’s Round-Up, Bethany takes us back to a very damp, very fictional Fort Clatsop journal entry—complete with public comment periods, leadership sessions, reasonable accommodations, conservation practices, and absolutely no horse-eating. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: (1:50) June 1: Applications open for the 2026 Leadership Academy June 11: Aging and Disability in the Workplace: ADA and Title I June 12: Comments due on Oregon’s draft 2026–2030 State Plan on Aging Reminders: June 4: From Fields to Future: Advancing Latinx Excellence June 9: Emergency preparedness for neurodivergent webinar Fact of the Week: NONE Dateline: ODHS: AANHPI Heritage Month and API Net recognition New ODHS/OHA sustainability resource conversation page Writer’s Round-Up: Lewis and Clark journal entry from Fort Clatsop

    10 min

  6. May 20

    SAGPodcast: An AS2, GenAI, and the Tool that Talks Back

    Season 1, Episode 77 — May 20, 2026 Length: 24:22 This week, The Big Picture comes from District 7, where we sit down with Hayley Roe, an administrative specialist in the North Bend office, to talk about artificial intelligence, everyday problem solving, and what happens when a new tool starts making the to-do list feel a little less impossible. The conversation focuses on GenAI not as a replacement for people, but as a way to reduce repetitive work and make room for the judgment, creativity, and careful thinking that public service depends on. Hailey describes using tools like Copilot to help build interview schedules, clean up email templates, organize information, and make sense of complicated messages—always with redaction, review, and human expertise still firmly in place. Hailey explains how AI can turn a 15-minute scheduling task into something closer to 15 seconds, or help interpret a confusing email before a task gets stuck in a 24- to 48-hour delay. But the episode also makes clear that speed is not the whole story. AI makes mistakes. It can misunderstand dates, miss context, use language that does not match ODHS style, or generate something that needs a subject matter expert to catch and correct. The real shift is not that the tool does the work alone. It is that staff can use it to revise, rethink, clarify, and recover faster when something changes. A schedule can be adjusted. A confusing document can be questioned. A draft can be improved without rebuilding everything from scratch. In North Bend, the conversation is about technology, but the heart of it is still human: learning a new tool, staying accountable for the work, and finding ways to spend less time staring into the administrative void and more time serving people well. All while keeping people in focus in…The Big Picture. Credits Host: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe Contact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

    24 min

  7. May 19

    Casters Podding, Ducks Flying, and Beavers Building

    Season 1, Episode 76 — May 18, 2026 Length: 9:35 This week’s episode brings a full calendar and a little friendly rivalry, with the launch of the first Beaver Duck Innovation Classic leading the way. The focus is on practical ideas from ODHS staff—ways to reduce red tape, cut duplication, improve communication, make daily work more efficient, and better support the people we serve. The episode also checks in on SNAP time-limit notices, wellness tools, records retention, and appreciation for the Mental Health Matters ERG. Because whether the work is innovation, policy, records, mindfulness, or community support, the big picture is the same: clearer systems, stronger connections, and practical action that helps ODHS serve Oregon better. 4Minutes4U: (1:22) Beaver Duck Innovation Classic Deadline: ODHS: (3:09) TANF Policy Listening Session Digital Accessibility and Plain Language Lunch and Learn AANHPI Heritage Month celebration From Fields to Future: Advancing Latinx Excellence 2027 Estella Namahoe Naat’áanii Award nominations Fact of the Week: (5:53) SNAP ABAWD counting month notices Dateline: ODHS: (7:22) Mindful Minute GLAD technique OTIS records retention schedule Mental Health Matters ERG appreciation Writer’s Round-Up: (8:57)

    10 min

  8. May 14

    SAGPodcast: Knowing Where to Look in Klamath Falls

    Season 1, Episode75 — May 13, 2026Length: 25:18 This week, The Big Picture comesfrom Klamath Falls, where we sit down with Bethany Pillow, a public benefits specialist in District 11, to talk about eligibility work in a rural community. The conversation explores how the same job description can look very different depending on where the work happens. InKlamath County, transportation, job availability, changing program requirements, and limited access to services all shape the way people experience public benefits. A policy may be statewide, but its impact is local. Bethany describes the importance of community knowledge in eligibility work: knowing which partners to call, whichresources exist outside formal directories, and which supports may only be visible through word of mouth, Facebook pages, or relationships built over time. When someone is not eligible for ODHS benefits, that local knowledge can help make sure “no” is not the end of the conversation. The episode also reflects on the emotional weight of eligibility work—especially when people are losing benefitsor asking for help with deeply personal needs. In those moments, the connection between ODHS staff and community partners becomes essential. Gaps areidentified, networks respond, and sometimes new resources emerge because enough people notice the same need. In Klamath Falls, public service depends not only on policy, but on presence: listening closely, knowing the community,and helping people find support that may not be written down anywhere. Because sometimes the most important resource is the person who knows where to look—in the big picture.' CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

    27 min
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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
    99
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Oregon Department of Human Services
  • Show Website
    Sometimes a Great Podcast