OKDHS First State Agency to Receive Oklahoma Quality Award for Achievement

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Department of Human Services is one of only five organizations in Oklahoma that received a 2010 Oklahoma Quality Award during a luncheon ceremony Dec. 9, 2010, at the Governor’s Mansion in Oklahoma City. The awards were given to organizations that demonstrated high standards of excellence worthy of recognition in Oklahoma.
OKDHS and Unity Health Center in Shawnee each received an Oklahoma Quality Award for Achievement. SSM Health Care of Oklahoma and Metro Technology Centers, both of Oklahoma City, each received an Oklahoma Quality Award for Excellence. Southern Oklahoma Technology Center in Ardmore received the Oklahoma Quality Award for Commitment.

"These are all excellent Oklahoma organizations," Gov. Brad Henry said. "They represent the best of Oklahoma and we are proud to recognize them. Organizations must be flexible and innovative if they are to thrive in the highly competitive and changing marketplace of the 21st century and these award winners exemplify that approach.”

“We are the first state agency to ever win the Achievement Award,” said OKDHS Director Howard Hendrick. “This is an advanced level for organizations that have demonstrated, through their commitment and application of continuous improvement principles, significant progress in building sound processes and in achieving improvement results.”

Seven criteria for the Oklahoma Quality Award support the goals of delivering ever-improving value to customers and improving overall operational performance of the organization. The criteria are: leadership; strategic planning; customer focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results.

“Participation in Quality Awards recognizes our employees for their work, while also helping us develop performance improvement practices,” said Connie Schlittler, chief information officer for OKDHS.

In the face of increasing demand for services and declining state revenues, OKDHS has implemented process and procedural improvements, said Mike Strong of the Oklahoma Quality Awards Foundation. The use of comparative and competitive data has increased effectiveness within the agency and garnered national recognition.

This year marks the 16th year of the Oklahoma Quality Awards, administered by the Oklahoma Quality Award Foundation, Inc. (Link opens in new window) The Oklahoma Quality Award application process helps develop strategic improvement initiatives that address the major competitive issues of quality products, services and customer relationships.

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