2012 State Employee Awards

Agency / Employee(s)	Awards and Honors
Department of Health	Outstanding Contribution to Public Health Award (significant public health contributions over the course of a career) Linda Marchand, Regional Manager, Rapid City – a 32-year employee of the department, Marchand currently serves as the Regional Manager for the Rapid City area of the department’s Office of Family and Community Health Services. She was instrumental in establishing the WIC Program office (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) in Pine Ridge, which has affected the lives of hundreds of families. She has also played leadership roles in department programs ranging from breastfeeding peer counseling to the Bright Start nurse home visiting program. She is also an Advisory Committee member for the SDSU and USD Student Nursing Program. Dick Bradley, Senior Microbiologist, Pierre – has worked with the State Public Health Laboratory since 1976, managing mycobacteriology section, which is responsible for testing tuberculosis samples. He is well respected in the medical community for his expertise with tuberculosis as well as his knowledge in working with the many hundreds of other mycobacteria species. He has greatly contributed to the TB control effort in South Dakota during the past 35 years with his prompt and accurate diagnosis of TB, making a significant difference to the public health of the South Dakota. Rising Star Award (newer employee making significant contribution) Katie Engle, Forensic Chemist, Pierre – joined the Public Health Laboratory in November 2009 and quickly established herself as an expert in the area of forensic toxicology. She has gone beyond the normal areas of training to educate herself about the law enforcement community and their needs. She has presented to various law enforcement groups and helped create and deliver a new Chemistry 101 course designed for law enforcement and attorneys. Engle is the first chemist from the Public Health Laboratory to earn membership in the Society of Forensic Toxicology, an elite organization requiring letters of nomination from current members along with proper education and experience. Excellence in the Workplace Award (outstanding performance during the past year) Dawn Jensen, Accounting Assistant, Pierre – has been instrumental in taking over the Correctional Health re-pricing duties from a former state contract. These duties are complex due to the number of health care providers involved and the variety of discount agreements in place. She also performs checks of pre-authorizations, ensuring that inmates were incarcerated on the date of service and not on one of the many programs requiring them to pay their own medical bills. Working directly with providers and Correctional Health staff, Jensen ensures that claims are paid at the correct discount price and that each claim was pre-authorized through the utilization management process. Her actions have contributed to a substantial savings to the program. Office of Rural Health staff, Pierre – recognized for their efforts in developing and launching Simulation in Motion – South Dakota (SIM-SD). SIM-SD is a unique mobile training program that delivers hands-on emergency training to EMTs, paramedics, nurses and doctors in rural communities using human patient simulators and a standardized, statewide training curriculum. South Dakota is the first state to take such training directly to providers in rural areas with its fleet of three custom-built, 44-foot-long, mobile learning units that are fully equipped for training, along with two smaller outreach models. Staff members honored for their work on SIM-SD include Sandra Durick, Halley Lee, Gary Myers, Kenny Doppenberg, Karen Cudmore, Chrystal Wright, and Josie Peterson.

Agency / Employee(s)

Awards and Honors

Department of Health

Outstanding Contribution to Public Health Award (significant public health contributions over the course of a career)

Linda Marchand, Regional Manager, Rapid City – a 32-year employee of the department, Marchand currently serves as the Regional Manager for the Rapid City area of the department’s Office of Family and Community Health Services. She was instrumental in establishing the WIC Program office (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) in Pine Ridge, which has affected the lives of hundreds of families. She has also played leadership roles in department programs ranging from breastfeeding peer counseling to the Bright Start nurse home visiting program. She is also an Advisory Committee member for the SDSU and USD Student Nursing Program.

Dick Bradley, Senior Microbiologist, Pierre – has worked with the State Public Health Laboratory since 1976, managing mycobacteriology section, which is responsible for testing tuberculosis samples. He is well respected in the medical community for his expertise with tuberculosis as well as his knowledge in working with the many hundreds of other mycobacteria species. He has greatly contributed to the TB control effort in South Dakota during the past 35 years with his prompt and accurate diagnosis of TB, making a significant difference to the public health of the South Dakota.

Rising Star Award (newer employee making significant contribution)

Katie Engle, Forensic Chemist, Pierre – joined the Public Health Laboratory in November 2009 and quickly established herself as an expert in the area of forensic toxicology. She has gone beyond the normal areas of training to educate herself about the law enforcement community and their needs. She has presented to various law enforcement groups and helped create and deliver a new Chemistry 101 course designed for law enforcement and attorneys. Engle is the first chemist from the Public Health Laboratory to earn membership in the Society of Forensic Toxicology, an elite organization requiring letters of nomination from current members along with proper education and experience.

Excellence in the Workplace Award (outstanding performance during the past year)

Dawn Jensen, Accounting Assistant, Pierre – has been instrumental in taking over the Correctional Health re-pricing duties from a former state contract. These duties are complex due to the number of health care providers involved and the variety of discount agreements in place. She also performs checks of pre-authorizations, ensuring that inmates were incarcerated on the date of service and not on one of the many programs requiring them to pay their own medical bills. Working directly with providers and Correctional Health staff, Jensen ensures that claims are paid at the correct discount price and that each claim was pre-authorized through the utilization management process. Her actions have contributed to a substantial savings to the program.

Office of Rural Health staff, Pierre – recognized for their efforts in developing and launching Simulation in Motion – South Dakota (SIM-SD). SIM-SD is a unique mobile training program that delivers hands-on emergency training to EMTs, paramedics, nurses and doctors in rural communities using human patient simulators and a standardized, statewide training curriculum. South Dakota is the first state to take such training directly to providers in rural areas with its fleet of three custom-built, 44-foot-long, mobile learning units that are fully equipped for training, along with two smaller outreach models. Staff members honored for their work on SIM-SD include Sandra Durick, Halley Lee, Gary Myers, Kenny Doppenberg, Karen Cudmore, Chrystal Wright, and Josie Peterson.