Gobble till you Wobble

With Thanksgiving coming tomorrow, there are still those out there who for some reason forget what to be thankful for. There is such much that we just take for granted and so many people who go out of their way to help those less fortunate on such a family focused holiday. It is important to remember that everyone can give back, everyone can pay it forward, and we just have to make a commitment to do it.

There are ways to help. If you can’t donate money or items to a cause, then why not donate your time? All the service groups in the city are always under staffed, especially when it comes to the holidays. Spending time helping organizers set up events, serving the people, and sometimes just being there to listen does so much more than donating money.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of one of the best holiday traditions our community has to offer. In 1979 a restaurant owner named Raul Jimenez decided he wanted to give back to thecommunity by serving those less fortunate a home cooked Turkey Dinner. Since then the event has grown to service an immense amount of people.

With the help of over 4,000 volunteers they expect to supply anywhere from 25,000 to 28,000 people, serving up to almost 500 turkeys. What’s great about this event is that it is free to those who are deserving. Foundations like the Raul Jimenez “Feast the Heart” are great examples of giving back to those who just need a hand.

Event Information:
When - Thursday 11-26-09 from 10:30am till 6:00pm
Where - Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 200 N. Market Street, Exhibit Hall D and C
Cost - The event is free to the public

For more information please go to: http://www.rauljimenezdinner.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!!


By: Chris Magers

Assembling Opportunities

In a struggling economy with unemployment on the rise, many businesses are being forced to close their doors or downsize their workforce. And while they are firing, TechForce is hiring and expanding our employee database more than ever before. In the past few months we have acquired a significant amount of job orders that have led to an enormous increase in our recruitment efforts.

In partnership with Vutex, a Toyota Supplier, we have been able to bring over 200 jobs to the South San Antonio area. And the demand for skilled assembly workers is still growing, bringing hope to many local residents in need of employment.

To meet the demand, TechForce is collaborating with local newspapers, libraries, online media resources and even hosting job fairs at Southside hotels to spread the message that we are immediately hiring for open positions on a continual basis. Our goal is to provide job opportunities to hundreds of qualified, reliable candidates per month who can demonstrate good faith and meet productivity goals in a promising industry for a reputable company.

Please assist us in giving back to our community by keeping our businesses sufficiently staffed and our residents steadily employed. If you know of anyone who is in need of a job, can successfully pass a drug screening and has a clean background, please refer them to TechForce, (210) 227-9911. We will be happy to hear from them. Let's keep our city growing and continue to be on the forefront of America's recession.

By: Juan Ramirez

Tri-Starr Personnel

H1N1-2009 Knowledge is Power and Awareness is Survival

By: Chris Magers

On October 18, 2009, as I was watching this segment on 60 minutes, I found it to be both positive and saddening.

We all know that the H1N1 virus is or was out there, but how many of us know of the H1N1-2009 strain. The video segment discusses this new strain of virus, how it works, the history, and how it has become a pandemic. While the virus itself may only affect 1% of our population it can be truly devastating to that 1%.

In today’s world we have all heard the saying, “Knowledge is Power.” I also believe that “Awareness is Survival!” By being aware of this virus and of its behavior, we can arm ourselves with the knowledge of how to keep its devastating reach at bay, with the decisions we make.

Calming Fears and Preventing Disease

We all know how the news works: it is almost guaranteed that bad news precedes good news. This fact is no different concerning vaccines, and many healthcare professionals are facing the difficult task of removing the barriers created by bad press.

It is difficult to come across a pharmaceutical product that does not have an incredible list of possible side effects. If these risks are associated with oral medications, you can easily see how concerns would increase when administration of a drug is by syringe! Children have an innate fear of needles, and parents sometimes feed into this apprehension. Coupled with the parents’ own fears of adverse reactions, a large percentage of our child population goes without vaccinations, especially during flu season.

In fact, during the 2007-2008 flu season, only 22% of children ages 6 months to 23 months in the United States were fully vaccinated against influenza. As a result, over 121 child deaths were reported to the CDC and more than 20,000 children were hospitalized due to complications directly related to the flu.

The good news is that the flu vaccine is effective in children over 65% of the time. With full vaccinations (in the 6 to 23 month age range, a vaccination and a booster is required) these number rise, and local clinics, doctor’s offices, employers, and even some neighborhood grocery stores make the vaccinations readily available.

So, how can you, as a healthcare professional, ensure that our children are protected from the flu?

Be educated about vaccinations of all kinds. Be sure to know the myths versus the facts. Did you hear from a fellow coworker that a certain vaccination is linked to a strange side effect? Take the time to learn about it and research the information. Anticipate the questions asked by patients of any age, and be ready to respond to the different theories and alternatives offered by the people you know.

Share information with your fellow staff members and your patients. Not many of us know that the flu season can last until May! Most people believe that flu season ends in January or February when, in all actuality, this is when flu activity peaks. With this in mind, flu vaccinations in your office should begin in late August and continue to be available through spring months.
Provide opportunities to your patients. Encourage your facility to send out cards that remind patient families to get vaccinated. If they can’t afford vaccinations at your facility or clinic, know and suggest the other locations in your area that offer the vaccines at a lower cost. While we are all concerned with the revenue generated by services at our facilities, we also have a primary responsibility to care for the patient and their families.

Don’t Forget About the CDC’s 2009 National Influenza Vaccination Week, December 6-12. This is the perfect time to raise awareness in your neighborhood or facility. The designated week is right in the middle of the holidays, and kids love goodies, candy and toys along with the other festivities surrounding the season. When their attention is on the fun stuff, shots may not seem so bad.

Don’t be frustrated with the Mom’s that “couldn’t imagine doing that to their child” or the Dad’s that heard about “that thing that kids only get when they get vaccines”. Give them the information they need to make the decisions that could possibly save their child’s life.

Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/season.htm

Families Fighting Flu, Inc.
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/fff/36289




By: Elena Hill
Medical Client Services Manager
Kennmark Medical

A bridge worth crossing...

As you are aware, the unemployment rate is high which makes each employment opportunity even more challenging to obtain. As a job seeker, you can only do so much on your own. Kennmark Bullock Personnel has connections with a vast selection of companies that offer a variety of positions. So why are you limiting yourself?

The American Staffing Association wrote:
Everyone knows that there's no such thing as a truly permanent job. But most staffingemployees and most staffing clients want something staffing firms have to offer: a bridgeto permanent employment. Most staffing employees who want a permanent job get oneeventually-43% get hired by the staffing client. Nearly one-quarter of those who got apermanent job say they got it faster because of their temporary or contract work. And,particularly important for staffing clients engaged in the war for talent, less than half ofstaffing employees are actively seeking permanent employment elsewhere while working for a staffing firm-the majority are either using their temporary or contract job as their sole means for finding a permanent job, or they simply prefer temporary or contractwork.

In other words, staffing firms provide the only way to access some of the besttalent America has to offer. Moreover, staffing firms develop talent. Nearly 90% of staffing employees say their temporary or contract work experience made them more employable, mostly by developing new or improved skills and receiving on-the-job experience; 20% attributed their enhanced skill levels to specific training provided by their staffing firm. A majority said the work strengthened their resumes, and four in 10 said the experience helped them gain self-confidence and improve their work habits.

(Source: American Staffing Association) http://www.americanstaffing.net/staffingsmarts/l_extraordinary.html

By: Shannon Grenet

Client Services Manager

Kennmark Bullock Personnel

Embracing the Client

We are in a tough economy with a growing demand for experienced healthcare workers and a steady decline of qualified personnel to satisfy this need. In this stressed-out market, clients will not tolerate issues related to personnel quality, untimely candidate submissions and most importantly, customer service. While we are spending a strenuous amount of time sourcing and recruiting potential candidates, clients are finding it easier to turn them down and scrutinize resumes more closely than ever. More and more clients are cutting back on outsourced staffing due to cost and the negative connotations often associated with staffing companies.

Clients have many vendors bombarding them with marketing pitches on a continual basis. But more often than not, customers are turning away sales calls due to negative past experiences with staffing companies delivering them inferior personnel for costly fees.

The solution to this problem is to provide personnel who not only match all qualifications according to clients' job descriptions, but who also demonstrate talent. Now, we have to personally embrace our clients and examine the key elements of their corporate culture to ensure that the candidates we submit will ultimately make a profitable impact in their daily operations and provide positive outcomes for the patients of their facilities.

With more and more hospitals and treatment centers emerging, consumers have increasing choices in healthcare. Now, a hospital's brand and reputation are more important than ever. Every patient's experience in their facilities is important to their growth, reputability and particularly, profit. We need to build trusting relationships with our clients so they may build lasting relationships with their consumers. We can do this by defining the values of their company and finding personnel who will embrace their culture and prove to be an integral role in the delivery of a superior hospital experience for which their brand strives.

Our goal should not simply be to fill a vacancy but use our experience and business intelligence to help hospitals attract new patients and keep them coming back for all healthcare issues. In turn, if we help our clients strengthen their ties with patients and expand their reputation in the community, they will want to grow a lasting relationship and rely on us to provide the majority of their outsourcing needs. We will have to deliver quality for our clients with less spending and be able to demonstrate just how much time and money they will save by outsourcing their recruiting to a company who truly understands their vision. Through a wide range of services, we will provide consistency. And we will do it efficiently, with the ultimate purpose to provide an exceptional experience for our candidates, our clients and their patients.

By: Juan Ramirez

Tri-Starr Personnel