Our Department has launched several initiatives over the past two years to increase the efficiency of our work and improve our delivery of services to Alaskans. On May 10th, the Commissioner continued this effort by approving a new regional framework for our Department. DPA will take part in the gradual transition from the multiple regional structures in DHSS to a set of common regions. We will do this by designing our own implementation plan and specifying our own timeframe that fully address our specific issues.
The goal of Common Regions is to achieve standardization among divisions, and to facilitate a more integrated and consistent delivery of services within DHSS and with our contracted/grantee partners in communities across Alaska. Additionally, common regions will allow greater information sharing and coordination of activities and outcomes.
The common regional plan adopted by DHSS will result in a migration over time from our current 4-region structure to a 5-region structure. Minimizing change and disruption to staff, services and most especially, customers is the primary goal of the transition. The new model will mainly affect our management structure and reporting systems; it will not be necessary to physically move staff, although we will want to take this opporutnity to consider our current work processes and build on our successes.
Each Division has been asked to develop their own implementation plan that incorporates the needs of our customers for continuity and quality of services, and the needs of our staff for a smooth transition and clear communications. I will be leading this effort personally and view it as a positive opportunity for our agency and our customers.
At this point, there are few answers to the many questions you may have. To begin the planning process, I will be soliciting input from the Division to identify: what changes , what doesn't, what opportunities do we see, and where we have risks to be managed. We will establish a project team and solicit input in the near future.
Please see the enclosed attachment that shows in more detail the five common regions that we will be using in the future. Again, this will not be an overnight change; we will manage the transition in a way that we determine best.
I will be sharing more information about the status of this important project with you on a regular basis. I am continually impressed at the flexibility and patience of everyone in our division as we navigate an ever-changing environment. Thank you for your dedication and hard work.