SAGPodcast: Coos Bay, Family Ties, and the Work That Comes Home

SAGPodcast: Coos Bay, Family Ties, and the Work That Comes Home

Season 1, Episode 85, June 17, 2026Length: 26:29 This week, The Big Picture comes from Mingus Park in Coos Bay, where we sit down with Shara Arnejo, a public benefits specialist with the Virtual Eligibility Center, and Dylan Bessey, a rotational supervisor with the Oregon Eligibility Partnership in North Bend, to talk about eligibility work, staff support and the family connection that gives this conversation an unusual twist. Shara and Dylan work in related parts of ODHS, but they are also mother and son. That means this episode covers public benefits, office transitions, promotions, acronyms and the very specific experience of finding out your child has moved into a new ODHS role while still living in the same house. The conversation looks at how both of them found their way into state service, how eligibility work has changed through major system transitions, and what it means to understand the same complicated work from different roles. Along the way, they talk about SNAP, quality control, public scrutiny, training, staff stress and the pressure of getting decisions right when people’s lives are directly affected. They also talk about what it means to have someone at home who actually understands the work. Some days that means decompressing with someone who knows the acronyms. Other days it means not talking about work at all, and turning instead to board games, video games, card games and the self-care that helps people keep showing up. In the end, the conversation is about more than one family or one office. It is about service, accountability, perspective and the people who support each other through complicated work. From North Bend to Coos Bay, and from salt air to family history, it is a reminder that home, community and public service are all part of seeing the whole picture in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

ODHS and the Podcast of Very Specific Things

Season 1, Episode 84 — June 15, 2026 Length: 9:57 This week’s episode enters the Chamber of Very Specific Things, where every update has a label, a purpose and at least one instruction staff may want to read twice. The episode begins with Governor Tina Kotek’s June 30 employee town hall, including how staff can participate, submit questions and find the recording afterward. From there, the episode covers federal Medicaid work rules, updated records retention guidance, resiliency training, conference room equipment changes, GenAI learning, a new transcription service and a remembrance shared with care. 4Minutes4U: (1:43) * June 30: Governor Tina Kotek employee town hall Deadline: ODHS: (3:18) * Nothing new this week * Reminders: July 17: nominations for the Estella Namaho Nata’ani Award Fact of the Week: (3:59) * OHA continues working with CMS for clarity on upcoming federal Medicaid work rules that begin taking effect in January 2027.  Dateline: ODHS: (5:52) * APD updated special records retention schedule * Community Resilience Model training * Smart conference room systems support ending Sept. 1 * GenAI Module 2: From Learning to Practice * Voice-to-text transcription service * Pulse nightclub remembrance Writer’s Round-Up: “The Most ODHS Person in the World”: Part II (9:16)

SAGPodcast: A Business Analyst in Astoria: Old Buildings and New Problems

Season 1, Episode 83: June 10, 2026 Length: 24:51 This week, The Big Picture is in Astoria, where we sit down with Tracy Sahlberg, business analyst - and expert - for District 1. We’re talking about the work behind ODHS’ move into a new building downtown and what it takes to turn an old, empty shell into a place that can actually serve people well. The conversation begins with the building itself: a century-old Astoria space with exposed brick, unexpected footings, changing stairways, old police and fire station history, possible movie-location lore, and enough dark corners to make any communications professional immediately grateful they are only visiting. But beneath the charm and construction dust is a much bigger question about how ODHS designs spaces for the people who will use them every day. Traci talks about human-centered design as a practice of humility: recognizing that the best answers come from the staff and customers who will use the space every day. That means listening closely to needs around privacy, light, storage, safety, accessibility, customer flow, wellness spaces, children’s areas, lactation rooms, warm handoffs and the many small details that determine whether a building actually works. The episode also looks at what happens when good plans meet an old building. In a structure more than 100 years old, surprises are part of the process, and the work becomes about communicating clearly, going back to staff, rethinking the flow and finding the best possible solution within the limits of the space, budget and building. In the end, the conversation is about designing public spaces around people—the staff who serve, the communities who come through the door, and the care it takes to see the whole picture in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

The Pods Are Alive with the Sound of Updates

Season 1, Episode 82 — June 8, 2026 Length: 9:58 This week’s episode climbs through a lighter set of ODHS updates, with agency progress, health coverage changes, summer wellbeing resources and mindful pauses all finding their place in the chorus. The episode begins with Director Liesl Wendt’s June 3 Discover message on ODHS’ first 100 days, including progress on child welfare overdue assessments, OEP staff tools, office signage, and work moving forward across TADVS, VR, ODDS and in-home services. From there, the episode looks ahead to new federal Medicaid rules starting in January 2027, plus new Mindful Minutes resources and the June OHSE Spotlight newsletter, because sometimes the most important update is the one that reminds your shoulders they do not need to live near your ears. 4Minutes4U: * A message from Director Wendt: Her first 100 days Deadline: ODHS: * Nothing new this week * Reminders: July 17: 2027 nominations for the Estella Namaho Nata’ani Award Fact of the Week: * Some adults applying for or renewing OHP, Medicaid or Healthier Oregon may need to show more proof of need under new federal Medicaid rules. Dateline: ODHS: * Mindful Minutes: Anchor Touch and listening closely to a song * June OHSE Spotlight newsletter Writer’s Round-Up: “Maria Has Entered the SharePoint”

Small Offices and Big Responsibilities: An OS2 in Oregon Outback

Season 1, Episode 81  Length: (21:51)    This week, we’re in Lakeview, talking with Stephanie Angelozzi, an OS2 for Child Welfare in one of Oregon’s frontier communities, where the office is small, the county is huge and the work rarely fits neatly into a single job description.  Stephanie shares what it’s like to be one of the first people Oregonians meet when they walk through the door—often on one of the hardest days of their lives. In a community where people may also be neighbors, parents from cheer, or familiar faces from around town, privacy and trust take on a different kind of weight.  You’ll hear about the challenges of serving people in a place where services may not just be full—they may not exist at all. From power outages and limited cell service to long drives for basic supports, the conversation highlights the realities of doing ODHS work in the Oregon Outback.  It’s a conversation about small-town relationships, frontier service gaps and the care it takes to protect people’s dignity when everyone knows everyone, or at least knows someone who does, as we take a look at The Big Picture.