A Return to Grant County, 62 Days, and the Stories That Keep Going

A Return to Grant County, 62 Days, and the Stories That Keep Going

Season 1, Episode 87 — June 24, 2026 Length: 17:36 This week, The Big Picture returns to Grant County for a follow-up conversation with Krista Qual, a family coach with ODHS and Self-Sufficiency Programs, and Kristina Krieger, a case manager with Aging and People with Disabilities. A few months ago, we visited Grant County to talk about rural service, distance, and the community resources that become essential when the next office, internet connection or source of help may be hours away. That series included the Grant County Public Library, the Monument Food Bank and the people working to make sure neighbors can still get help in places where support often depends on showing up for one another. Now, there is news to share. The library district passed, which means the Grant County Public Library remains available as a place for internet access, forms, printing, help with online systems and the everyday support that many people rely on. For Krista and Christina, that matters not only as ODHS staff, but as people who live in the community and know what losing that access would have meant. The episode also checks in on the Monument Food Bank, where construction is underway on a new building. With walls going up and insulation being added, the space is beginning to match the pride, care and commitment already present in the work. It is one more sign that in Grant County, independence and community support are not opposites. They often exist side by side. And because this is Grant County, the conversation happens during 62 Days, Canyon City’s celebration of the 1862 discovery of gold, complete with period clothing, old-west pageantry, a shootout and a hanging that was, thankfully, less permanent than advertised. In the end, the episode is about what changes after a story airs, what holds after a vote, what gets built after a need is named, and why sometimes the only way to understand a place is to come back and see it in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

ODHS and the Great Wooly Pod Gathering

Season 1, Episode 86 — June 22, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode follows the thread through a full flock of ODHS updates, from courage and access to hiring, technology, community, preparedness, safety, belonging and remembrance. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with World Refugee Day, Inclusive Hiring Advocates and ADA anniversary webinars. From there, Dateline rounds up the new OIS self-service portal, Slavic ERG’s support for IRCO’s 50th anniversary gala, interview panel training, Cascadia planning, World Elder Abuse Day, Pride Month and Juneteenth reflections. 4Minutes4U:Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: 2:30 * June 23: World Refugee Day celebration * June 30: Inclusive Hiring Advocates Information Session * July 7 and Tuesdays through July: ADA anniversary webinars Fact of the Week:NONE Dateline: ODHS: (4:12) * OIS self-service portal launched June 15 * Slavic ERG supported IRCO’s 50th anniversary gala * Interview panel training required in Workday * Cascadia planning for coastal response * World Elder Abuse Day * Pride Month message * Juneteenth message and reflection Writer’s Round-Up: Eastward Ho! ( 8:15)

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