OLYMPIA—With two major transitions in the past year and more on the way in 2019, the Department of Social and Health Services is becoming a more streamlined agency.
“We have an opportunity right now to look at the way we do business and better meet the needs of our clients, staff and providers,” said DSHS Secretary Cheryl Strange, who recently completed a series of town hall meetings around the state, gathering with clients, advocates, partners and staff to get a firsthand understanding of those needs.
“The conversations I had during this tour of the state were substantial and ideas insightful,” Strange said. “It’s clear to me that as an agency we need to ask ourselves some critical questions: Do our business hours reflect the needs of our clients? How do we better support our current, dedicated employees and how do we recruit and retain the best, most talented staff for the important and difficult work we have ahead of us?
“It will take all of our efforts to move the agency forward at all levels: local offices, regions and headquarters,” Strange continued. “Staff, clients, providers and stakeholders will all need to be involved. As I have said before, it is vital that in order to advance our mission of Transforming Lives, we are going to have to do the critical work of transforming ourselves.”
Coming out of the statewide tour and having listened closely over the course of her first year as leader of the state’s largest agency, Strange has identified five priority areas.
“Over the coming years, DSHS will prepare for aging Washingtonians; support people in our care and custody; serve people in their home community; provide a pathway out of poverty and become healthier; and increase organizational efficiency, performance and effectiveness,” Strange explained.
To help with this work, Strange hired a Director of Business Operations and Design, who began Oct. 1. David Brummel returns to DSHS from WaTech, where he led that agency’s Lean, communications and performance programs. In his new role, Brummel will work with teams across DSHS to help implement the ideas that emerged from the town hall meetings, analyzing feedback and proposing recommendations based on the information gathered.
“I’m glad to be back at DSHS during this exciting time for our agency,” Brummel said. “I’m looking forward to championing the great ideas that people are sharing—clients, staff, tribes, providers, vendors and our many additional stakeholders—and helping to find creative ways to make them happen. We have great leaders and staff at all levels of our agency and I’m looking forward to working with them again.”
“David’s history with DSHS, his breadth of program knowledge and his passion for leading teams will serve us well,” Strange said. Brummel started with DSHS in 1990 and previously worked in the benefits and strategic planning areas, among others.
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