United States Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Association Greater New York Branch (Greater NYCOA)
NYC Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
Rev. 00 Document Approvals:
Printed Name Title Signature Date CDR Yonette Hercules
Anchor and Caduceus, Chair LT Patricia Ellis Anchor and Caduceus, Co-Chair
Document History Record Document History Record for: Parade Workgroup Standard Operating Procedures Revision Number Date of Revision Effective Date Description of Changes 1st Draft 10/03/2016 10/03/2016 First Draft
Purpose
The Greater NYCOA Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) provide operational and procedural guidance for the Greater NYCOA Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup. This SOP provides guidance on matters not addressed by the Greater NYCOA Bylaws.
Scope
This SOP applies to all documents created that are related to all functions within the Greater NYCOA Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup to establish policies, processes, records and acceptance criteria under the auspices of the Greater NYCOA. This SOP does not apply to documents created by other organizations outside of the Greater NYCOA Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup.
Definitions
Document No.: The unique identifier assigned to each document.
Revision No.: The numeric designation identifying the version of a controlled document. New documents are assigned “Rev. 00.” Subsequent, approved revisions of the same document are assigned sequential numbers, “Rev. 01,” “Rev.02,” etc.
Approval Date: The date that the Chair accepts the document into the Document Control System by applying the final approval signature.
Effective Date: The first date that the new or revised document may and must be used; and the previous revision, if there is one, may not and must not be used.
References Greater NYCOA Bylaws https://sites.google.com/site/newyorkcoa/bylaws
Greater NYCOA Website https://sites.google.com/site/newyorkcoa/
Table of Contents
I. Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup Responsibilities and Organization
Section 1: Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup Responsibility
Section 2: Leadership
Section 3: Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup Involvement
Section 4: Letters of Appreciation II.
II. Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup Procedures
III. Minimum Standards for Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup Participants
IV. Transitioning
V. Absenteeism Policy
Section 1: Absenteeism Policy
Section 2: Member Participation
Section 3: Inactive Members
VI. Member Recognition
VII. Changes to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
ARTICLE I
WORKGROUP RESPONSIBILITIES & ORGANIZATION
Section 1. Responsibility
The Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup shall work with the Greater NYCOA Branch Executive Officers to ensure the successful execution of the NYCOA Anchor and Caduceus Dinner.
Section 2. Leadership
The Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup leadership consists of a Chair and a ChairElect. The term duration for Workgroup Chair and Chair-Elect shall be one year. At the conclusion of the Chair’s term, the Chair-Elect becomes Chair and a new Chair-Elect is appointed by the Branch President (see Branch Bylaws). For the remainder of this document, the Chair and Chair-Elect may be referred to as CoChairs.
Section 3. Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup Involvement
The primary responsibility for executing this entire SOP sits with the Workgroup Chair. It is also his/her responsibility to mentor and involve the Chair-Elect in all procedures so as to better equip him/her to take over primary responsibility the following year. General members are responsible for attending the dinner, serving as members of the workgroup on a voluntary basis, serving as members of the color guard and/or serving as aide-de-camps on a voluntary basis as needed.
Section 4. Letters of Appreciation
The Anchor and Caduceus Workgroup Chairs shall disseminate Letters of Appreciation to members for volunteer support. The Letters of Appreciation should be issued using the template provided by the Greater NYCOA Branch Executive Officers.
ARTICLE II
WORKGROUP PROCEDURES
1) Communication with BXOs
Workgroup chairs shall communicate with BXOs (via email or teleconference) within the first two month of the operational year to determine a tentative date for the dinner and send out an announcement for workgroup volunteers. Once a date has been decided, chairs shall work with the BXOs further to determine a venue for the Anchor and Caduceus Dinner. Chairs shall present the BXOs with a list of options.
BXOs can provide venues to be considered as well. The decision on venue should be made by the beginning of December. Upon deciding on a venue, chairs shall work with the Treasurer to secure the venue. The Treasurer shall reach out to the venue and serve as the point of contact on financial matters (i.e. – security deposit, venue payment, etc.).
2) Invitations for Participants Once a venue and date have been decided on, chairs will work with the BXOs to prepare and send invitations to speakers, VIP guests, Local COA Branch Presidents, general membership, etc.
2a – Speaker(s) Workgroup chairs and BXOs shall work together to determine a list of potential speakers. Once agreed upon, invitations shall be sent from the Branch President to the identified potential speakers. It is recommended that the speaker invitations be sent at least 3 months in advance of the event. The following are a couple of examples that can be used as guidance if needed: Greater NYCOA Anchor Caduceus Dinner sample speaker invite.txt Addendum A Greater NYCOA Anchor Caduceus Dinner Speaker invitation example.txt Addendum B
2b – VIP guests In addition to speakers, the workgroup and BXOs may wish to invite other dignitaries (i.e. –Flag Officers, COA President, etc.). Invitations shall be sent from the Branch President to the identified dignitaries. Travel is self-funded. BXOs and workgroup Chairs shall decide whether or not to cover the dinner costs, provided branch funds are available. Requests for officers to serve as an aide-de-camp shall be sent out via the listserv as necessary. *See above speaker invitation examples for guidance.
2c – Invitation to Local COA Branch Presidents In addition to the speaker and VIP invitations, save the date announcements should be prepared by the workgroup and distributed by the NYCOA President to Local COA Branch Presidents to be distributed to their members. It is recommended that invitations are sent 2-3 months prior to the dinner. The following is an example that can be used as guidance if needed: Sample message for Local COA's regarding the AC Dinner.txt Addendum C
2d – Frontline Announcement A workgroup member should be designated to develop a save the date announcement for publication in Frontline. Once a draft has been developed, it should be sent to the Chairs and BXOs for their input. Once all edits have been made and a final version agreed upon, the designated workgroup member should use COA’s Guidelines for Frontline submissions to publish the announcement. It is recommended that this be done 2-3 months in advance of the event An example of the 2016 Frontline Announcement can be found in the May 2016 edition page 9.
2e – Invitation to general membership A save the date announcement shall be developed by a workgroup member and will be sent to the general membership via the Branch Secretary after input from the BXOs. The following is an example that can be used as guidance if needed: Re SAVE THE DATE!! - The Greater New York Commissioned Officers Association (NYCOA) - 2nd Annual Anchor and Caduceus Dinner on Saturday June 4th from 6pm to 9pm.msg
Addendum D
It is also recommended to verbally announce the Anchor and Caduceus Dinner via Branch general membership meetings leading up to the dinner.
To track participation and generate a list of participants, a registration questionnaire should be created using Survey Monkey. A sample questionnaire has been created and can be accessed by logging into our Survey Monkey account at https://www.surveymonkey.com/ and using the following:
Username: usphscc
Password: nycoa2015
The Branch Treasurer should be listed as the point of contact and work with the workgroup to determine the best method to collect payment for the dinner (i.e. – have payment sent directly, create a Paypal account, a combination of both, etc.).
3) Token of Gratitude for the Dignitary It has been our custom to present our speakers with a plaque as a token of appreciation, purchased with Branch funds. We have established a relationship with a company in CT that has a mold of our PHS seal and they have also been able to mail the plaque to us:
Crown Trophy
317 Federal Road
Brookfield, CT 06804
(203) 740-7900
awards@crowntrophyct.com
The speaker shall be presented the plaque as part of the dinner program. The order for the plaque should be placed 2-3 weeks in advance. The following is an e-mail used for parade plaques that can be used for reference: Order for Two Plaques.msg
Addendum E
4) Day of Dinner Designated workgroup members should arrive early to ensure the reserved space has been set up as necessary and take of last minute details (i.e. – making sure AV equipment is set up if available, placing programs on tables, gathering color guard, etc.).
5) Certificates of Participation/Appreciation Within two weeks after the parade, all aide-de-camps and members of the color guard should receive a certificate of participation or appreciation.
ARTICLE III
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR WORKGROUP PARTICIPANTS
Workgroup Participant: Workgroup Participant minimum standards include:
A. Participation in workgroup meetings (i.e. – teleconferences and/or emails as necessary)
ARTICLE IV
TRANSITIONING
Chair-Elect Preparation: Incoming Chair and outgoing Chair should schedule a meeting to discuss the transitioning of the position and assist them in their preparation as the Chair. Transitioning will also include orientation to Workgroup documents.
ARTICLE V
ABSENTEEISM POLICY
Section 1.
Absenteeism Policy: In order to be recognized as a general member of the workgroup, an Officer must be present for meetings (via teleconferences and/or emails) and complete the actions they are tasked with.
Section 2.
Member Participation: Workgroup Participants must participate at least 80% of teleconferences (unless excused beforehand) and respond to emails when necessary in order to be considered an active member and be eligible for inclusion on the roster and for the Workgroup’s Letter of Appreciation. Those that miss teleconferences without being excused and don’t respond to emails when necessary, shall be considered “inactive” and not be eligible for inclusion on the roster and for the Workgroup’s Letter of Appreciation. The Chairs shall maintain the roster of participants through direct email stating attendance. However, it is recognized that there may be individual cases which warrant special consideration and the Chair reserves the right to utilize appropriate discretion in determining whether or not an individual Officer should be recognized as a Workgroup Participant.
Section 3.
Notifying Inactive Members: Those Officers who volunteer to participate on the workgroup, but do not follow through will be sent an e-mail by the Chair informing them of such and that they will be removed from the roster and may not be eligible for the Letter of Appreciation.
ARTICLE VI
MEMBER RECOGNITION Workgroup Participants:
Workgroup members who maintain the minimum standards for participation (Article V) will be acknowledged through the following methods:
A. Workgroup participants mtust track their own participation for the year, and submit to Chair/Co-Chair, if a certificate is desired
B. A written letter signed by the Chair (Co-Chairs) and/or Branch President suitable for inclusion in the Officer's OPF will be issued. Specific detail on the individual officer’s contributions will be provided if applicable.
C. Approval to list role on official Curriculum Vitae as “Workgroup Participant.”
ARTICLE VII
CHANGES TO THE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP)
This SOP may be altered, amended or changed by a majority vote of the co-chairs and the Branch Executive officers. Proposals may be submitted by any individual workgroup member, who shall then submit it in writing to the Chair. The Chair and Chair-Elect shall review this SOP every year at the beginning and end of their elective terms, submitting corrections and amendments if applicable).
Addendum A
From: Santiago, Yvonne
Sent: Sunday, March 08, 2015 10:20 AM
To: Schweitzer, Pamela M (CMS)
Cc: Ingram, Akara D LCDR (Akara.D.Ingram@ice.dhs.gov); Garner, Kimberly; Krueger, Liatte; Pham, Long (OS)
Subject: Greater NYCOA Anchor & Caduceus Dinner
08 March 2015
Good Morning RADM Schweitzer, Ma’am on behalf of the Greater NYCOA branch we’d like to invite you to join us for our first ever Anchor & Caduceus Dinner to be hosted on April 25, 2015 at Fort Hamilton Army Base in Brooklyn, NY. This has been an exceptional year for the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and our branch found it most appropriate to help us celebrate. We would like for you to serve as our keynote speaker if your schedule permits. Please let us know if your are available. Hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend!
LT Yvonne M. Santiago, MA President Greater NY Commissioned Officers Association
Branch Tel: (914) 682-2826 x24
Email: yvonne.santiago@fda.hhs.gov
Please check our website for more information: https://sites.google.com/site/newyorkcoa/home
Addendum B
From: Santiago, Yvonne
Sent: Sunday, March 08, 2015 3:27 PM
To: Edwards, Calvin W Cc: Garner, Kimberly; Ingram, Akara D LCDR (Akara.D.Ingram@ice.dhs.gov)
Subject: Greater NYCOA ANchor & Caduceus Dinner and RADM Davidson Inspiration Award
08 Mar 2015
Dear CAPT Edwards,
First and foremost on behalf of the Greater NY Commissioned Officers Association Branch we’d like to say how proud we are of you and your team for representing the USPHS Commissioned Corps so well during the Ebola deployment. It was an amazing sense of honor to pride to watch you all depart for this mission and represent us worldwide. Sir, your leadership not only during this mission but throughout your career exemplifies what every Commissioned Corps Officer should strive for on a day to day basis. It brings the Branch great pride to announce that you are the recipient of our the Greater NYCOA RADM Davidson Inspiration Award. This award was created in 2013 to honor the memory of RADM Davidson, an incredible Officer who exemplified Leadership, Service, Integrity and Excellence. The Award will be presented at our First Ever Greater NYCOA Anchor & Caduceus Dinner at the Community Club located at Fort Hamilton Army Base in Brooklyn, NY on April 25, 2015. We would love the opportunity to have you join us in celebrating this wonderful achievement. Feel free to contact me with any questions and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Best Regards, LT Yvonne M. Santiago, MA President Greater NY Commissioned Officers Association Branch
Tel: (914) 682-2826 x24
Email: yvonne.santiago@fda.hhs.gov Please check our website for more information: https://sites.google.com/site/newyorkcoa/home
Addendum C
From: Santiago, Yvonne
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2015 11:43 AM
To: Krueger, Liatte; Garner, Kimberly; Ingram, Akara D LCDR (Akara.D.Ingram@ice.dhs.gov)
Cc: Gaberman, Irina
Subject: Message for Local COA's regarding the A&C Dinner
Let me know what you think and I will send it out to the other local branches. 20 February 2015 Good Afternoon (Branch President) On behalf of the Greater NY COA branch, we are cordially inviting your branch to join us for our first ever Anchor & Caduceus Dinner. As you know this tradition has been in our service for quite some time and it is a perfect occasion for us to get together and celebrate the accomplishments of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Our event will be held April 25, 2015 at 1800 at Fort Hamilton Army Base in Brooklyn, NY. The event space offers fantastic views of NYC particularly during the evening hours and there is also lodging available on post. The costs per person for dinner will be $45. Our guest speaker will be announced in the coming weeks. Attached is a flyer with more details. We hope you can all join us for this event.
Best Regards,
LT Yvonne M. Santiago, MA President Greater NY Commissioned Officers Association Branch
Tel: (914) 682-2826 x24
Email: yvonne.santiago@fda.hhs.gov
Please check our website for more information:
Addendum D
FYI – Today is the deadline. Please RSVP to LT April Brucklier through the contact information below. Thank you. *** Please RSVP to April.Brucklier@fda.hhs.gov (and not to the listserv) with the names of who will be attending. Please send payment to LT April Brucklier at 414 West Bay Drive, Long Beach, NY 11561 *** OR Send your payment via PayPal to (April.Brucklier@fda.hhs.gov). Please use “Send Money To Friends” to avoid extra charges. If paying by check, please make checks payable to Greater NYCOA. Dear Fellow COA Officers, The Greater New York Commissioned Officers Association (NYCOA) is announcing the 2nd Annual Anchor and Caduceus Dinner. Show your PHS pride, connect with fellow Officers, and share the experience of a formal military dinner with spouses and/or friends. This year, the event is held at the historic Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, NY. Named after the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, the fort dates back to 1825. Today, the fort is the last active military post in New York City. We request the pleasure of your company on 4 June 2016, at the Rifle Room, for: 1800 hours - Dinner, Remarks by COA Executive Director, COL Jim Currie, (USA Ret.) and a mystery guest The formal dinner, parking, and gratuity are all included in a flat fee of $45 per guest. The uniform of the day is dinner dress blue/service dress blue or black tie/business attire for civilian members and guests of the mess. RSVP at the latest by Thursday, May 19th, 2016.
Very Respectfully,
Jay T. Wong, PharmD, MPH │ LT, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Greater New York COA Branch – Executive Secretary for 2015-2016 | jay.wong@fda.hhs.gov
Please check our website for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/162942807386001/
Addendum E
I would like to place an order for two plaques for the Greater New York Commissioned Officers Association of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. We are previous customers and you already have our seal made. I had called a few weeks ago with a couple of special requests. I had spoken to someone named Mark and was told that our two requests could be accommodated which we immensely appreciate as repeat customers. We will continue to order plaques every year. The two requests were as follows:
1) That the plaques be mailed directly to the recipients. This was agreed to as long as we pay for the shipping which we will gladly do.
2) That the thank you letters for each recipient could be printed out and placed within the package along with the plaque. Attached are the templates for each plaque along with its corresponding thank you letter.
The Recipients are as follows: Clara Cobb 3103 Woodchuck Way, SW Conyers, GA 30094 Pamela Schweitzer 1498-M Reisterstown Rd #229 Pikesville, MD 21208 We’ll go with Classic Plaque # 207 with whatever the standard font and color are. As far as payment, our branch treasurer will provide you with our credit card information over the telephone. Her name is April Brucklier and she can be reached at (405) 201-6150.
If you have any questions regarding the order, please feel free to e-mail me back or contact me at the number below. Thank you for working with us. Sincerely, George Pourakis (516) 633-1591 Draft Plague Thank you letter Draft Plague