Sometimes a Great Podcast

Oregon Department of Human Services
  • 5.0 (1)
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Catch up on this week's news from Discover and listen to interviews of staff from around the state.

  1. 6d ago

    Pod-Trappers Discover on the Frontier!

    Season 2, Episode 27 — Oct. 26, 2026Length: 9:58 This week’s episode heads into La Pine’s fur-trapping past with updates on accessible documents, employee mentoring, holiday stress, leadership graduates, records management, retirement planning and Mi Gente’s Cultura Corner. With no new 4Minutes4U or Fact of the Week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with accessible Word document workshops, ERG mentoring orientation and a webinar on handling holiday stress. From there, Dateline celebrates 36 Metro Leadership Class graduates, reviews records retention guidance, highlights Oregon Savings Growth Plan learning resources and shares Mi Gente’s latest newsletter. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Oct. 26: Accessible Word Document Workshop series begins Nov. 3: ERG Mentoring Program orientation Nov. 4: Revive webinar on handling holiday stress Fact of the Week: Nothing this week Dateline: ODHS: 36 Metro Leadership Class graduates Records retention and destruction guidance Oregon Savings Growth Plan training videos Mi Gente’s October Cultura Corner Writer’s Round-Up: “The Journal of Dr. B: French Fur Trapper”

  2. 6d ago

    SAGPodcast: OREM, Resilience Hubs and the People Who Show Up

    Season 2, Episode 33: Oct. 28, 2026 Length: 30:27 This week, The Big Picture comes from Sunriver, where we catch up with three members of the ODHS Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) following the Oregon Resilience Summit: Jeff Gilbert, regional emergency coordinator, and Marleen Munden and Sylvia Ceron, both social service emergency liaisons. The conversation explores how Oregon's resilience hubs have grown from an idea into community-driven networks of people, organizations and resources. From food pantries and fairgrounds to livestock evacuation support and emergency supplies, Jeff, Marlene and Sylvia explain why a resilience hub isn't necessarily a building. It's whatever helps a community prepare for disruption and support its neighbors when disaster strikes. Six years after the 2020 wildfires, OREM has developed emergency contracts, sheltering and feeding capabilities, and relationships that can make future responses faster and more coordinated. You'll hear about a Silverton Lions Club member who turned an emergency feeding operation into an ongoing resilience resource, and communities building their own solutions with support from state partners. The conversation also turns personal. Marlene recalls helping flood survivors find shelter and dry clothing in the middle of the night. Sylvia shares how years of phone conversations built enough trust that an elderly wildfire survivor agreed to relocate. And Jeff describes an unusual, middle-of-the-night food delivery to a community that needed help but didn't want it visibly coming from the state. In the end, this episode is about the relationships behind emergency preparedness. From food banks and fairgrounds to late-night deliveries and neighbors helping neighbors, OREM's work shows that resilience isn't something the state simply delivers. It's something communities build, strengthened by people who listen, connect and show up when they're needed in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsGuests: Jeff Gilbert, Marlene Munden and Sylvia Cerrone, ODHS Office of Resilience and Emergency ManagementProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  3. Oct 21

    SAGPodcast: Liesl Wendt,and The Big Picture of One ODHS and Putting the Human in Human Services

    Season 2, Episode 31 Length: 20:07 This week, The Big Picture sits down with ODHS Director Liesl Wendt for a conversation about leadership, transformation and what it means to put the human back in human services. Fresh from a visit to Burns, Liesl talks about the resilience of rural communities, the pride ODHS staff take in their work and her vision of One ODHS: an agency where people come before acronyms, bureaucracy supports rather than obstructs service, and leadership is something employees practice at every level. The conversation also explores the changes facing ODHS and why Liesl believes the agency needs to become more comfortable trying new ideas, learning from what doesn't work and building on what does. From budget challenges and frontline experiences to the importance of giving staff the tools and freedom to solve problems, she describes a culture where change is an ongoing process rather than a single destination. You'll also hear what excites Liesl about the agency's future, including the staff-driven ideas from the Beaver-Duck Innovation Classic and the emergency response work that has earned ODHS national attention. For Liesl, both demonstrate what happens when employees closest to the work help shape the solutions. In the end, this episode is about curiosity, teamwork and recognizing the leadership already happening throughout ODHS. From rural offices to agency headquarters, Liesl makes the case that putting people first means listening to staff, trusting their expertise and finding better ways to serve Oregonians together in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsGuest: Liesl Wendt, Director, Oregon Department of Human ServicesProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  4. Oct 19

    We’ve always wanted to PoD-irect!

    Season 2, Episode 26 — Oct. 19, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode takes Discover to Hollywood with updates on intersex awareness, data equity, workplace accommodations, SNAP and OHP work rules, Workday sick leave entries, Outlook changes and domestic violence resources. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with Pride ERG’s Intersex Awareness Day event, the State of Oregon Data Equity Summit and an ABLENet session on workplace accommodations. From there, Fact of the Week highlights resources for navigating separate SNAP and OHP work rules, while Dateline covers shift differentials, Outlook’s new Promotions folder and domestic violence support and awareness. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Oct. 26: Pride ERG Intersex Awareness Day event Oct. 27–28: State of Oregon Data Equity Summit Nov. 5: ABLENet session on workplace accommodations Fact of the Week:New multilingual resources help explain separate SNAP and OHP work or activity rules, exemptions and available support. Dateline: ODHS: Workday sick leave and shift differential entries Outlook’s new Promotions folder Domestic violence resources for ODHS employees Domestic Violence Awareness Month resources Writer’s Round-Up: “If Famous Directors Directed Discover”

  5. Oct 14

    SAGPodcast: Vocational Rehabilitation and the Story Behind the Story

    Season 2, Episode 29 — Oct. 14, 2026 Length: 23:44 This week, The Big Picture hops into the wayback machine to bring you an interview we did a year ago. It’s story focused on National Disability Employment Awareness Month, where we sat down with Diane Navarrete, an ODHS communications officer whose story is also featured in the October 8 ODHS Facebook post. Diane lives with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a genetic condition that affects nerves and muscle strength — though, as we will explain, not the teeth. Diane’s story is about much more than a diagnosis. She’s also someone who has received the kinds of support Vocational Rehabilitation can provide, including learning to use voice recognition technology so she could continue her career and keep doing the work she loves. And now, Diane helps tell that story for others. As a strategic communicator with ODHS Communications, she works in what she considers her dream job: communicating about Vocational Rehabilitation and helping more people understand the services, tools and opportunities that can support people with disabilities in the workforce. In the end, Diane’s story is a reminder that disability inclusion is not only a goal. It is one way Oregon’s workforce becomes stronger, more creative and more connected. When barriers are removed and people have the tools they need to thrive, everyone moves forward in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

  6. Oct 12

    Eureka! We’re strikin’ Pod!

    Season 2, Episode 28 — Oct. 12, 2026 Length: 9:57 This week’s episode goes prospecting through Discover for updates on annual required trainings, public charge resources, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2027 health plan recordings, employee store passes, Pride ERG’s Queer Identity Series and advisory seats supporting LGBTQIA2S+ older adults. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with three required trainings due by Oct. 31. From there, FACT of the Week highlights a new public charge FAQ from the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, while Dateline covers DVAM resources, health plan training recordings, Nike and Adidas employee passes, the next Queer Identity Series session and openings on the LGBTQIA2S+ Subcommittee of the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Oct. 31: Annual Required Trainings Campaign No. 3 due Fact of the Week: * OIRA has a new public charge FAQ in English and Spanish that staff can share while referring individual legal questions to qualified immigration experts Dateline: ODHS: Domestic Violence Awareness Month resources 2027 Kaiser Permanente and Moda Health training recordings Adidas and Nike employee store passes Pride ERG Queer Identity Series: gender session LGBTQIA2S+ Subcommittee advisory seats Writer’s Round-Up: “The Beverly Hillbillies”

  7. Oct 7

    The Big Picture of Transformation: Stories about process, Answers from Leadership in D2

    Season 2, Episode 27 — Oct. 5, 2026 Length: 34:50 This week’s episode of The Big Picture comes from District 2 and features a conversation about refugee support, Child Welfare, Self-Sufficiency and the ODHS Transformation. Bethany talks with Kosrat Meman, a Human Services Manager who works with Refugee Services and SSP, and Child Protective Services supervisors Rebecca Lusk and Tara Bridges. They discuss what happens when families are working with more than one ODHS program, especially refugee and immigrant families who may be navigating trauma, unfamiliar systems, language barriers and different relationships with government. More than reflections and questions, however, this episode also includes answers and observations from Marissa Moon, interim District 2 manager. Who, as she listens to members of her team, connects the staff experiences raised in the conversation to the goals of the ODHS Transformation: stronger coordination across programs, clearer pathways to expertise, less duplicate work and a more connected experience for families.All of them giving a Transformational view of ODHS already underway… in The Big Picture.

  8. Oct 5

    Saying “Yes!” to Pod-kin Spice Lattes!

    Season 2, Episode 26 — Oct. 5, 2026 Length: 9:54 This week’s episode rakes through a full pile of fall updates, including hazard forecasting, Pride’s National Coming Out Day gathering, Explore Health Oregon, safety and well-being forums, federal change resources, Microsoft 365 updates, in-person new employee orientation and the end of SNAP-Ed. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with OREM’s Human Services Intelligence Brief, Pride’s National Coming Out Day gathering, health insurance marketplace information, safety forums and a Gallup survey reminder. From there, Fact of the Week focuses on new OHA resources for federal changes affecting OHP coverage. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Oct. 7: OREM Human Services Intelligence Brief Oct. 9: Pride National Coming Out Day gathering Oct. 9: Explore Health Oregon plan preview begins Oct. 9–22: Safety, health and well-being forums Oct. 9: Gallup survey closes Fact of the Week:OHA has new resources to help explain federal changes affecting Oregon Health Plan coverage Dateline: ODHS: Microsoft 365 updates dashboard In-person new employee orientation expands to Medford and Bend SNAP-Ed program ends, with Food Hero resources still available Writer’s Round-Up: “Only Pumpkins in the Office”

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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
    138
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Oregon Department of Human Services
  • Show Website
    Sometimes a Great Podcast