Copy of Spring02TakeTwo - St. Louis County

" Abdul Bah (Admin) received his Bachelor of Science in
Management Information System from the University of
Missouri on January 13, 2002.
The Forum - Spring 2002
Congratulations to the Environmental Health
Laboratories on the AIHA Accreditation for
Saint Louis County Health Department
By Jeanette Hale
" Way to go Tom Curran !!! Tom Curran (Plng) was selected
by the St. Louis County Business Journal as one of
the region’s “ Top 40 leaders under the age of 40”. Tom
was chronicled in the January 18th edition of the Business
Journal. Check it out !
" Michelle D’Aquila (Admin) recently received her MBA
from Maryville University.
" Ruthann DeNoyer’s (Rev) son, Cory Fitzsimmmons, is
a K-9 officer in Festus, recently received a medal of valor
for saving the life of a man whose house was on fire.
" John Eckhoff (HS), Office of Veterans Affairs Manager,
was presented with a proclamation from County Executive
Buzz Westfall recognizing him as the founder of the
Homeless Veterans Burial program. This program provides
an honorable military graveside service for eligible
homeless and forgotten veterans with burials in a Veteran’s
Administration national or state cemetery.
" Five members of the Materials Testing Lab recently earned
certificates after passing the difficult American Concrete
Institute Lab Testing Tech-Grade I written and practical
tests. They are: Dan Ahlvers (H&T), Dan Baldenweck
(H&T), Jody Brouk (H&T), Steve Leach (H&T) and Vince
Ogar (H&T). The certificates are valid for six years. This
was the first time our Lab personnel have taken the test,
and Highways and Traffic is very proud of their accomplishment.
" Michael Zeek (Plng) recently received his Master of Science
in Geography with a concentration in Urban and Regional
Planning.
Shown in the photo viewing the certificate is: Dr. Robert Nicolotti and Dionne
Davidson. Shown back row left to right: Tammy Coupey and Wayne
Wilhelm. Front row left to right: Tom Makara, Nora Pullen, Lira Roble and
Jennifer Western
AIHA, the American Industrial Hygiene Association grants
accreditation only to those laboratories that have successfully
completed a rigorous application process. This process
begins with an AIHA review of a written application from the
laboratory describing the lab’s staff, facilities and quality control
programs. Then an AIHA site auditor visits the lab in person
to perform a detailed inspection of the analytical technique,
standards, operating procedures, reporting formats
and quality assurance programs. Last year AIHA adopted
the highest International Standard of total quality management
for analytical laboratories, ISO 17025. The Saint Louis
County Health Department Environmental Health Laboratories
has met this standard of excellence. This year they have
been formally recognized as being technically competent to
perform the analysis for metals, asbestos, PCM, organic
solvents, lead in paint chips, lead in dust wipes, and lead in
soil. This achievement marks a milestone for the Environmental
Health Laboratories in having its first lab section
achieve this high standard. The accreditation did not come
easy and required all of those in the laboratory working together
as a team to accomplish their goals. Congratulations
to all for your efforts!
JUSTICE SERVICES RECEIVES ACCREDITATION
By Trisha Rodgers
The Department of Justice Services was recently recommended for accreditation by the American Correctional Association
(ACA). Staff at all levels and in all areas of Justice Services prepared for four years for the ACA audit. On January 14, 2002
the ACA Visiting Committee arrived to begin the audit process. For three days, the members of the Committee conducted a
thorough inspection of the facility and all aspects of its operation. On January 16, the Visiting Committee held an exit meeting
to announce the audit results. Justice Services was found to be in compliance with 100% of the 38 mandatory national
standards and an exceptional 96.1% of the 383 applicable non-mandatory standards. The Committee was very favorably
impressed with the professionalism of the staff, the cleanliness and maintenance of the facility, and the care and custody of
inmates. Special mention was made of areas such as the Department’s Choices Program, the Corrections Medicine programs,
and the Justice Services in-service training program. The Department will receive their Accreditation Certificate in
May 2002 at the Correctional Accreditation Managers Association Conference. We at Justice Services are extremely proud
to be one of only 110 jails in the entire nation, and the only one in Missouri, to be granted accreditation by the ACA.
St. Louis County Govenment - Page 5