HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09102002 - PR1 PR.1
THE"BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA'
Date: September 10,2002
On this day the Board accepted an oral presentation of Service Award to Ken Salonen for 20
years of dedicated County Service.
(AYES': I, II, III, IV,V; NOES: NONE; ABSENT:NONE;ABSTAIN: NONE)
Good morning„
Thank you for this acknowledgement of my 20 years of service for Contra Costa County.
After 20 years with the county I have been trained to do something that gives me much
satisfaction and many rewards.
As a<mental health clinical specialist I have been fortunate to be able to do Geriatric
social work throughout the county,working with older adults and their families. This is
a population for whom I.am totally committed and for whom I get total enjoyment.
During my 20 years I have also been fortunate enough to have worked with many
dedicated professionals through 4 different programs. Of those four different programs I
have worked in 3 divisions within the Health Services Department,working in mental.
health, working with the Contra Costa Health Plain, and working at the Contra Costa
Regional Medical Center.
And for the last year and one half I have had the privilege of working again in the mental
health division but this time my position is being contracted to the Employment and
Human Services Department. I am currently working as the mental health consultant to
Adult Protective Services (as well as the Linkages program and the MSSP program),
serving older adults and dependent adults, seeing many people,in need and assisting my
co-workers in their important work. This position was created in collaboration between
the mental healthdivision of the Health Services Department and the Aging and Adult
Services Bureau of the Employment and Human Services Department.
I wanted the Board to also know how glad I am to be a part of the humble beginnings in
the effort to integration between the Health Services Department and the Employment
and Human Services Department. This collaboration between Health Services and EHSD
has been very successful in our work with the older adults and dependent adults in our
community.
Again, thank you for this acknowledgement and allowing me the time to speak before
you today.
A
Chairman Gioia, Members of the Board of Supervisors,
thank you for the opportunity to publicly recognize and
celebrate Mr. Salonen's twenty years of work as a clinician
and advocate on behalf of frail, ill and other wise at risk
adult residents of Contra Costa County. During his career
with Contra Costa County, Mir. Salonen has served as a
member of the Mental Health Geriatric Services outreach
team and, later, as the clinical social worker on the
inpatient medical-psychiatric geriatric services unit at
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. Since November
2000, Mr. Salonen has been the Health Services
Department's mental health clinician out stationed with the
Employment and Human Services Department's Adult
Protective Services Unit. In all of these roles, Mr. Salonen'
has displayed keen clinical evaluation skills and an acute,
empathic sensitivity to the problems and needs' of
consumers and family members. 'Mr. Salonen is well
known and consistently well thought of by service
providers and the community-at-large as a''clinician, a
problem-solver, and a tireless advocate for the elderly.
Ken, it is a pleasure to present this token to you in
recognition of your twenty years of dedicated service to the
grateful residents of Contra Costa`County.