In March, when COVID-19 hit Washington state, the traditional work environment suddenly and irrevocably changed.
At the Department of Social and Health Services’ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Information Technology Support Systems team took on the gargantuan task to ensure all staff the ability to telework.
“Setting up staff to telework involves purchasing and training on new equipment; configuring the new equipment; purchasing and setting up new cell phones, etc.,” said Jack Fruitman, IT senior manager. “The DVR IT team quickly assessed the situation and found creative ways to make this happen much faster.”
A project that would have normally taken about six to 12 months to pull off took the DVR IT team a mere three weeks. Within five weeks, the team had the majority of staff equipped with video-conferencing capabilities.
“I am extremely proud of our team,” said Fruitman.
DVR staff have identified a few IT team members as notable Unsung Heroes.
“Over the last year, Dan has always been right at the tip of the keyboard, ready to help with any IT questions that I may have. This includes updates on equipment or clarification on IT-related issues, and even some issues that are not IT-related,” Patricia Mundy, a rehab tech at Colville DVR, said of her colleague Dan Torhjelm, an IT systems specialist in Spokane.
“Over the past few weeks, as we tackled the new and emerging world we seem to be in, he has been there to help with the moves we all did with our computer equipment. He updated databases so that we could print from home to the office. He received and distributed a dozen or better new phones. He has written detailed descriptions so that we can utilize these new tools to our fullest. For me, personally, he has mitigated multiple IT issues, with STARS and different operating systems.
“We have members of our team from every generation and no matter what question or issue you bring to him, he always answers the call with a smile on his face, and you don’t need to see him to know this,” Mundy continued. “You can hear it in his voice.”
Tina Ailinger, vocational rehabilitation supervisor for DVR’s Central Unit in Region 3, said DVR state office IT specialists Son Huynh and Thien Tran have been incredibly helpful during this time and always.
“Every time I have asked for help or asked a question to gain understanding, they have made sure to help me out,” said Ailinger. “In obtaining headsets for staff to be able to connect to the rest of the unit while teleworking, supplying laptops and cell phones rapidly to not stop the flow of working with customers, they have just been incredible.”
