federal workers

Feds@Work: A VA Medical System More Responsive To Women

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This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Career Achievement Medal, Patricia Hayes, chief consultant, Chief Consultant, Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C.

After more than two decades as an outspoken advocate for improving health care for female veterans, Patricia Hayes is now leading an ambitious Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initiative to make the male-dominated medical system more responsive to the growing number of women who have served in the military. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 21, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Feds@Work: Young Physicist Pioneers Magnetic Resonance Discoveries for NIST

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This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features Jacob Taylor, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Taylor is a finalist for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, Call to Service category.

Jacob Taylor, a young physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has made pioneering scientific discoveries that in time could lead to significant advances in health care, communications, computing and technology. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 14, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Feds@Work: USPTO Flourishes Under Telework System

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This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Management Excellence medal, Danette Campbell a Senior Telework Advisor at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal government’s leading agency when it comes to teleworking, resulting in increased employee productivity, significant cost savings and improved morale. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 11, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Federal Layoff Notices May Flood Nation On Eve of Election, Thanks To Sequester

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Companies that do business with the federal government will have to announce “hundreds of thousands” of lay-offs just days before the November election, predicted the former Pentagon comptroller for George W. Bush.

As sequestration approaches, said Dov Zakheim, the former comptroller, companies large and small will be faced with layoffs, which by law — specifically the 1988 WARN Act — they must announce 60 days in advance. Sequestration would take effect on January 2nd. “60 days before January 2nd is November 2nd,” said Zakheim. Election Day is November 6. “I wonder how many of our politicians went to face the fact that literally hundreds of thousands of people” — all eligible voters, Zakheim noted — “may have gotten notices [four] days before Election Day.” Keep reading →

 /  Published June 7, 2012 at 4:00 PM

Feds@Work: Community Garden Innitiative Takes Root Nationwide

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This is the third in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Citizen Services Medal, Livia Marques, director of the People’s Garden Initiative at the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

A challenge by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for employees to create gardens at department facilities has blossomed into a community movement involving 798 partner organizations and more than 1,600 “People’s Gardens” located in all 50 states and overseas. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 7, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Feds@Work: How Joint Effort Helped Curb Preventable Medical Errors

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This is the second in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features Citizen Services Medal finalists Heidi King, director of the Patient Safety Solutions Center, TRICARE Management Activity at the Department of Defense, and James Battles, social science analyst at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services.

Every year, tens of thousands of patients die or are harmed by preventable medical errors such as pharmaceutical prescription mistakes, hospital acquired infections and surgical missteps. Breakdowns in communication among doctors, nurses and other care providers are a leading cause of these tragic errors. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 5, 2012 at 8:37 AM

Feds@Work: NIH’s Neal Young,World Expert On Bone Marrow Failure

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This is the first in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Science and Environment Medal, Dr. Neal Young, Chief of the Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Neal Young is the world’s leading expert in the field of bone marrow failure, engaging in groundbreaking research that has led to life-saving treatments for a rare and deadly blood disorder known as aplastic anemia. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 1, 2012 at 10:57 AM

Why We Need A Different Response To Government Workforce

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There is no doubt that the lavish spending by General Services Administration‘s Las Vegas conference planners and the dishonorable behavior by Secret Service agents in Colombia have earned the public’s contempt, but the irresponsible actions of a few don’t define the many.

These incidents made headlines because they are the exception, not the rule. We would do well as a nation not to simply berate and punish the wrongdoers, but also to recognize that our government and the vast majority of its 2.1 million employees each day are honorably serving the nation, and in many cases, accomplishing amazing feats. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 1, 2012 at 10:38 AM

Get Stupid: Dumb Devices Can Stop Cyberattacks – If The People Are Smart

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On a fine spring day in the nation’s capital, I’m not the only one to succumb to the temptation to work from home instead of heading into an airless office building. But cybersecurity experts warn that when I log into the AOL server to upload this article, I’m also opening a door for malware and hackers.

With more and more federal workers working from home or on the road all the time, including in the Department of Defense, even as cyberattacks from foreign powers are on the rise, telecommuting has become a national security issue. The solution? Smarter people – using stupider computers. Keep reading →

 /  Published May 17, 2012 at 1:00 PM

House Votes To Cut Census Survey Done Since Thomas Jefferson

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The House voted Wednesday to eliminate the detailed surveys of America that have been conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau since the nation’s earliest days. Keep reading →

 /  Published May 10, 2012 at 9:40 AM
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