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Older Americans Month

Do more for the 1 in 4

Do more for the 1 in 4 is the call to action for the month of May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. The platform was developed by Mental Health America, a leading non-profit agency dedicated to promoting mental health.

Why that phrase? Because it is estimated that 1 in 4 Americans suffer from a diagnosable, treatable mental health condition.

Alabama District EAP Consultant Dr. Patricia Hamilton (pictured below on the left with Diversity Member Paula Williamson) wants everyone to be aware of and feel free to use the many services that are available to support the mental health ad well-being of employees and their loved ones through The Employee Assistance Program.

At a recent EAP information session that was conducted in Birmingham, Dr. Hamilton discussed the stigma that unfortunately prevents some people from reaching out for the help that they need.

She wants to ease employees' unnecessary fear or embarrassment. "Your use of this service is completely confidential. Even if your spouse or partner calls to ask if you showed up, I can't answer that question," Hamilton said.

She added that the location of her office in Birmingham is in a seeming industrial area where nobody you know will see you come or go.

Additionally, for Mental Health Month, Dr. Hamilton was kind enough to submit the following information about bullying:

WORKPLACE BULLYING

Though we often think of school-aged children when we hear the word “bullying”, it can also occur between adults through workplace bullying. This can include verbal abuse; offensive conduct or behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening,  humiliating, or intimidating; and work interference — sabotage — which prevents work from getting done. 


Workplace bullying creates a hostile environment that is unproductive, and in some instances 
may even be illegal. Many of the same principles for dealing with a bully as a youth – such as reporting bullying to a higher authority or simply walking away and refusing to engage with a bully – can be used to handle an adult bully in the workplace.

CREATING A BULLY-FREE ENVIRONMENT 

If you’ve never been bullied or witnessed bullying, understanding what to do in the event it does occur is still important. There are ways everyone can help to prevent bullying. A number of organizations have information and resources to help you create a bully free environment in your school, workplace or community. Steps you can take include:


1. Helping your school or work community to create a pledge promising that bullying in any form is unacceptable.


2. Encouraging members of your community to call out bullying when they see it – sometimes bullies don’t realize they are bullying.


3. Designating an adult or leader as a person to go to for confidential help when someone is the victim of bullying.


4. Outlining expectations for respect and acceptance of others in your community.

5. If you’re a parent, talk to your children about bullying, try to model appropriate interpersonal behavior, explain that your home is a bully-free environment and set expectations for the kinds of behaviors that are and are not acceptable inside or outside of the home.


6. Remember that the Internet should also be a bully-free environment; don’t post things on the web or in social networks that you wouldn’t say directly to someone, and don’t “jump on the bandwagon” by sharing a bully’s comments for others to see; messages posted online are very difficult to “take back” and can spread to others in unexpected ways.

Back to School in Birmingham

Evelyn Jones (pictured above) is a counselor for not one but two Birmingham City schools, Gibson Elementary and North Birmingham Elementary. Seeing the strong need for students to be able to envision lots of different possibilities for their futures, Jones coordinated Career Days for both locations.

"I think that it needs to start here. I want to help open the door for students so that they can have an idea," said Jones.

Both times, The United States Postal Service was honored to be included among the invited guests.

Some of the other professions and organizations that attended were the Humane Society, The Boy Scouts, the Boys and Girls Club, The Civil Rights Museum, firefighters, police officers, UAB Forensics professors, ACIPCO, Blue Cross, and more.

Gibson Elementary

At both schools, students of all ages took turns by grade level making their way around the room to visit the organizations' tables. 

They carried bags to collect what each table had to offer along with a long list of questions to ask. Do you like your boss? Do you need a college degree? Do you have a company car? are just some of them. 

At Gibson Elementary, Birmingham Postmaster Mike Allison answered their many inquiries. 

The pictures from Gibson Elementary were submitted by Sandy Scott. 

North Birmingham Elementary

Right inside the front door of North Birmingham Elementary, it was obvious that the school was Postal friendly. 

North Birmingham Manager Aquanett Fowler fielding questions.

Counselor Evelyn Jones (left) and Principal Tavis Sloan (center) enjoy watching Fowler (right) distribute coloring books and crayons to the young scholars. 

Countdown to Stamp Out Hunger Saturday

There are only five days left until the 20th Annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday, so start gathering your non-perishable donations.

Last year, 70.2 million pounds of food was collected to help feed the hungry.With 16% of the population and 1 in 5 children struggling with hunger issues, this year's drive is more relevant than ever.

Let's see if we here in Alabama can do our part to make this 20th anniversary a very special year by setting an all-time record!

Here's a list of some of non-perishable items that the food banks need from you:

• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Dry cereals
• Sugar and flour
• Pasta
• Canned and dried beans: black, pinto, lentils
• Peanut butter
• Canned or boxed meals: soup, chili, macaroni and cheese
• Canned meats: tuna, chicken, salmon
• Canned, bottled, or boxed juice, Gatorade, water
• Pudding and fruit cups
• Baby food, formula, baby wipes
• Canned pet food

Check labels and containers prior to donation because nothing expired or made of glass can be accepted. 

Please hang the bags on or outside the mailbox rather than inside. 

You can also contribute by helping us get the word out. So many times, we've heard people say, "Oh, I forgot about that," or, "I didn't know it was THAT Saturday." All this week, we encourage everyone to post reminders on Facebook, Tweet it, tell everyone you see, make phone calls, anything that you can do to urge folks to fill up those bags and place them outside in time for their letter carrier on Saturday. 

Kindness commended in Cahaba Heights

If you work in a customer service position, you interact with so many people each day that you might not realize the impact that you can have on someone else during a brief encounter.

Cahaba SSA Mary Collins went out of her way to assist a grieving customer. She didn't think that she was doing anything significant, but the customer did.

Pictures and summary submitted by Sandy Scott:

These pictures from an impromptu employee appreciation last Thursday.  The Cahaba Heights station manager, Queen Johnson, called and said the Mary Collins had assisted a customer whose husband had passed away.  

 The customer came back later and did not even remember the transaction because she was in such a state of grief.  She looked on her receipt and saw that Clerk 19 took care of it at the retail window.  She wanted to thank the clerk for taking care of her.  

Birmingham Postmaster Mike Allison presented Mary with a certificate and a small token of his appreciation for excellent customer service.    

Queen Johnson, Mike Allison, Mary Collins, and John Richardson

Birmingham bio-hazard drill: "You'll do what you practice."

In a post-9/11 world, encountering dangerous substances while working with the mail stream remains a definite possibility for all employees. 

As a part of the Alabama District's ongoing commitment to emergency preparedness,  employees at the Birmingham Plant and local rescue personnel participated in a simulated bio-hazard situation.  

"An old baseball coach once told me, 'Practice what you do, and you'll do what you practice,'" said District Safety Manager Roy Campbell, who in the picture below points employees to the appointed meet-up site. 

Employees evacuated the plant and walked to a centralized location that was several yards away from the main building. "Our procedure is to vacate the building, to account and care for our employees, and to deal with the situation," said Campbell.

"Our primary goal is to care for the safety and health of our people."

Birmingham Plant employees listen to instructions at the main gathering point.

Then, the men and women were separated. In these smaller groups, employees had the opportunity to ask questions.

Translation was arranged for hearing-impaired staff. 

Then, everyone lined up to go through the decontamination tent. Once inside, emergency personnel explained what would happen there if this situation had been far more serious than a drill. 

Campbell explained that the hour spent completing this drill was not just for postal employees but was also invaluable to the first responders. "This gave them a chance to integrate their procedures with ours so that we could work together in a cohesive fashion," he said.