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ISSUE 11 JULY 2005 

NEWS2USE

OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

NEW CHILD CARE SUBSIDY PROGRAM

ORS HOLDS QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE

MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

PERIMETER SECURITY SYSTEM UPDATE

THIRD ANNUAL PARENTING FESTIVAL

SAFETY TIPS FOR GAS FUELED BBQ GRILLS

NIH RECEIVES WHITE OAK AWARD

VOLUNTEERS PLANT

1,000 BALD CYPRESS SEEDLINGS

ELEVENTH ANNUAL POLICE DAY

SHOPPING MALL SAFETY TIPS

THEN AND NOW:

CONFERENCE FACILITIES AT THE NIH

NEW CHILD CARE SUBSIDY PROGRAM

Do you need help paying for child care? For many

families the cost of child care can be their first or

second highest monthly expense. The NIH wants to

help eligible Federal employees afford quality

licensed child care.

Eligible NIH Federal employees whose total

adjusted gross income (on IRS Tax Return Form

1040) is $60,000 or less per year may be eligible to

receive a child care tuition subsidy.The tuition subsidy can be used at any licensed child care program,

including registered family child care homes and

child care centers.

This program includes a benefit cap of

$5,000 per family per year, and participants’ benefits

under this plan will be reduced by the amount of

other state or local child care subsidies received by

the participant.

SUBSIDY BENEFITS:

More than $60,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0%

$52,501 - $60,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10%

$45,001 - $52,500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%

$37,501 - $45,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30%

$30,001 - $37,500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40%

$30,000 or less . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50%

* Total Family Income refers to total adjusted gross 

income on IRS Tax Return Form 1040.

The NIH has chosen the Federal Employee Education

and Assistance Fund (FEEA) to administer the NIH

Child Care Subsidy Program. FEEA receives the

completed applications, makes the subsidy determinations based on eligibility and funding, and notifies 

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Eligible Employee’s Total 

Family Income *

Percentage of Child Care

Expenses Plan Pays
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the applicants and the child care

provider of the decision. FEEA pays

the subsidy directly to the child care

provider.

For more information about

this new program, please contact the

ORS Division of Employee Services

using the contact information below.

INFORMATION

Mary Ellen Savarese

301-402-8180

http://does.ors.od.nih.gov

ORS HOLDS QUARTERLY

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

CONFERENCE

The Office of Research Services

held its annual Performance

Management Conference on May

25 at the Natcher Conference

Center.This forum provided every

division in Program and Employee

Services an opportunity to share

accomplishments, challenges and

plans for the future with customers,

contractors, vendors and fellow staff.

Throughout the presentations,

it was clear that every division,

branch and office had learned to do

more with less: less staff and fewer

resources. Efficiency was the key word

of the day. It was also evident that

everyone was tracking their progress

through statistics. Increased customer

service could be proven empirically,as

could other measures of success, from

more pages printed to greater accuracy in mail delivery to the number

of scientists from around the world

who were processed to work on

campus.

Here are highlights from three

of the presentations at the conference; additional information will be

summarized in the next issue of

News2Use.

DIVISION OF LIBRARY 

SERVICES (DLS)

Major accomplishments during 2004

and into 2005 included the NIH

Library’s website redesign and new

branding that was successfully

launched in February 2004.The

Health Services Research Library

(formerly the Parklawn Health

Library) became a branch of the

NIH Library. Library customers can

now check out and use laptops to

access the NIH network while in

the Library, and the 1995 vision of

becoming a “virtual library” has

been largely achieved, and a new

vision developed.

Initiatives for fiscal 

year 2005 include:

÷ Purchase of more electronic 

reference books 

÷ Survey users and develop a 

communications plan 

÷ Complete the Library 

Technician A-76 study 

÷ Provide manuscript submission

assistance to NIH scientists 

submitting manuscripts to

PubMed Central 

÷ Increase the number of 

informationist assignments 

Speaker Susan Whitmore also shared

the NIH Library’s vision for 2010:

“The Division of Library

Services will be the heart of the

National Institutes of Health, vital to 

Staff from the Division of International

Services (DIS) present their services at

the Performance Management Conference

on May 25 at Natcher Conference

Center.
ISSUE 11 JULY 2005 

the success of the NIH mission; it

also will be a valued ally to other

agencies within the Department of

Health and Human Services.”

If the vision becomes reality,

the DLS will continue to excel and

innovate in information resources

and services for NIH and other

DHHS agencies.They will enable

the creation of information and

knowledge through a seamless information architecture, partner with

NIH and HHS groups and the

scholarly community at large to

assure the right content reaches the

right people at the right time, and

they will facilitate the debate on

issues surrounding scholarly communication among NIH and other

HHS authors and leadership.They

also plan to conduct their own

research to solve information challenges that arise.

INFORMATION

Susan Whitmore

301-496-1157

DIVISION OF INTERNATIONAL

SERVICES (DIS)

The Division of International

Services (DIS) provides immigration-related services to the NIH for

visiting foreign scientists and the

NIH research community.The DIS 

oversees the Visiting Program that is

used to recruit and retain foreign

scientists for both intramural and

extramural divisions. Over the past

five years, the volume of scientists

that DIS assists has increased from

3,370 in FY 2000 to 3,757 in FY

2004.The total number of cases

processed in FY 2004 was 4,126.

However, DIS has decreased processing times from an average of 42

days in FY 2003 to 35.5 days in FY

2004.

Efficiency has improved due to:

÷ automated processes that 

help eliminate redundancies

÷ clerical burden that has 

shifted to support staff 

÷ recruitment of new staff 

with knowledge in the field

Their customer satisfaction

goal was met, but speaker Amy

Powers said their goal is “to continue to find ways to improve our service and improve case turn-around.”

To meet these goals:

÷ They have implemented walk-in

hours to answer basic questions

and check-in newly arrived scientists, decreasing the need to

schedule individual appointments 

÷ They increased the frequency of

presentations and workshops that

educate the community 

÷ Group orientations have replaced

individual orientations

Major initiatives for 2004

included a focus on upgrading their

automated system, but due to vendor issues, implementation has been

delayed to FY 2005.

INFORMATION 

Amy Powers

301-496-6166

DIVISION OF EVENTS

MANAGEMENT SERVICES (DEMS)

Considering all the statistics that are

kept and analyzed, presenter Ken

Ryland asked “What have we

learned from the data?”

His conclusion, from tracking

website hits and electronic event

requests, was that increasing the

number of such interactions can be

better achieved with added marketing creativity.The Events staff has

had success running live video camera and having interactive website

demonstrations.

From an internal business perspective, increasing the number of

benchmarking sites will ensure

DEMS offerings and costs meet or

exceed those of comparable

providers.The goal is for NIH

meetings to stay at NIH.With the

new Montgomery County conference center that opened on

Rockville Pike this year, there is

even more of a focus on keeping

ahead of the competition by offering

more services at less cost, with the

convenience of being on campus.

Ryland shared that each

employee has become more versatile, thus being more beneficial to

serving clients needs and DEMS

employees have an increased knowledge of discrete services.The division continued to take advantage of

centrally funded and vendor provided training opportunities.

Ken Ryland,Acting Director, Division of

Events Management Services (DEMS),

describes the comprehensive but cost 

effective services provided by DEMS at

the Performance Management Conference.
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From employee survey results,

it was encouraging to learn that a

high percentage of staff understand

management and customer expectations and feel they can serve customers in a timely fashion.

Data revealed there is excess

capacity in the rooms available,

which continues to keep unit cost

higher than necessary. Ryland and

his staff will continue to review the

ORS cost recovery business model

to understand the most advantageous

operating model for DEMS to use.

Fiscal year 2004 highlights included:

÷ Implemented web-based customer

survey for scheduling and multimedia

÷ Completed construction of the

Fishers Lane Conference facility 

÷ Increased number of training

hours for DEMS staff

÷ Participated in the Visual and

Medical Arts (VMA) A-76 Study

In FY05, DEMS expects to

establish an eClient plan, broaden

the scope of a benchmarking/market

survey, and develop a plan for conference facility renovation and relocation at Executive Plaza North.

Finally, DEMS is committed 

to web-based meeting survey implementation and the implementation

of practical, corrective actions to

improve employee satisfaction ratings.

INFORMATION

Ken Ryland

301-435-8270

PERIMETER SECURITY

SYSTEM UPDATE

The NIH Perimeter Security System

(PSS or “the fence”) is scheduled for

activation in mid- to late August.To

keep the NIH community informed

about the timeline, important issues

and progress, the ORS Security and

Emergency Response (SER) staff 

is launching a communications 

initiative to include global e-mail

announcements, articles in NIH

publications, presentations to building groups, postings to websites and

announcements on the NIH

Highway Advisory Radio (1660

AM). Communications will increase

as the activation date nears but

information updates about the

Perimeter Security System will be

ongoing even after the fence is fully

operational.

The NIH Community

Advisory Board for Security

(CABS), a trans-NIH committee, has

worked closely with ORS to develop and review the PSS policies and

procedures for employees, patients

and visitors.The NIH Director has

also reviewed and approved the NIH

PSS Implementation Plan.

Watch for future notices about

PSS implementation in NIH publications, global e-mails and on the SER

website: http://www.security.nih.gov.

Still have questions? Contact the

ORS Information Line at 

orsinfo@mail.nih.gov or 

301-594-6677,TTY 301-435-1908.

INFORMATION

Pam Dressell

Security and Emergency Response

301-496-6893

Tracy Niksich, Mail Customer Service Branch Chief, presents services provided by the

Division of Mail and Courier Services (DMCS).
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THIRD ANNUAL

PARENTING FESTIVAL

With information running the

gamut from nursing and bed wetting

to the teen brain and financial planning, this year’s annual NIH

Parenting Festival was a well

received event.

The NIH Child Care Board

and the NIH Work/Life Center

sponsored the ultimate resource for

families at the third annual Parenting

Festival held May 10-12.With events

and information on the benefits and

services available to NIH employees

with children, the crowd was

enlightened and delighted.

For more information on parenting resources, call the Division of

Employee Services or visit their

website.

INFORMATION

Joy Postell

301-402-8180

www.does.ors.od.nih.gov 

SAFETY TIPS FOR GAS

FUELED BBQ GRILLS

More than 200,000 propane fueled

barbecue grills are purchased by

Americans every year and on nice

summer days, 4 million gas barbecues might be in use. Because they

are easy to operate, homeowners

sometimes take these appliances for

granted. Many times gas grills are

not inspected, maintained, used or

stored in a safe and appropriate

manner.

Propane fueled barbecues are

all quick to light, easy to control, fast

and practical.They come in a wide

variety of shapes and sizes, and with

various accessories; however, they all

have two things in common.They

must be used in a safe manner and

maintained in accordance with the

manufacturer’s recommendations.

The Division of the Fire

Marshal would like to share a few

tips that will make using your

propane barbecue a fire-safe and

enjoyable experience.

CHECKING AND MAINTAINING

YOUR GRILL

When assembling a new unit, follow

the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.When in doubt, take it back to

the store or dealer, or call a qualified

propane service technician.

Make certain the burner ports

are free of rust, dust or dirt, and that

the burner gas supply throat (the

tube connected to the burner) is also

clear.

Leak test all the fittings that

run from the propane tank to the

barbecue.To do this, prepare a solution of dishwashing detergent and

water (one cup of water with a

tablespoon of detergent).With the

barbecue connected to the propane

cylinder and the barbecue valve

turned off, turn on the propane tank

cylinder valve. Spray the soapy solution generously over all hose connections and fitting, and all over the 

hose. If bubbles appear and become

larger or more numerous, you know

you have a leak. Never check for

leaks with an open flame. If you discover a leak, turn off the propane

cylinder valve and replace the hose

and fitting and have them checked

and repaired by a qualified service

technician.

Also, on many gas grills, the

nozzle type fitting on the hose,

which is threaded into the propane

cylinder, has a rubber “O” ring on

the end. If you have this type of barbecue, check that ring every time

you connect the hose and fitting to

a proper cylinder. Replace the “O”

ring if it appears cracked, torn,

stretched or misshapen.

LIGHTING AND STORAGE

When lighting a gas barbecue without a built-in igniter, have the match

or lighter already burning and the 

ISSUE 11 JULY 2005 

Inna Belfer and Tara Kirby are amazed by the creative craft ideas prepared by Beth

Levy,Assistant Director of the Executive Child Development Center (ECDC).
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lid of the grill open before you turn

on the barbecue’s gas control valve.

When you have finished cooking, turn off both the barbecue gas

control valve(s) and the propane

cylinder valve.

Always use gas grills outside. It

may be obvious that they are dangerous inside a house, but many

people move them to the inside

edge of the garage when the skies

threaten to rain on their plans.This

is a mistake. Keep your family safe

and do not bring your grill into the

garage.

NEVER MOVE THE BARBECUE

AFTER IT HAS BEEN LIGHTED.

Store, transport and, use propane

cylinders in an upright position.

When transporting a cylinder in a

vehicle, secure it in a standing 

position, making certain it will not

tip over, and leave your trunk or

vehicle window open.

Whenever a propane cylinder

is not attached to an appliance, the

cylinder valve must be closed and

plugged with a POL (put on

left/counterclockwise) plastic plug.

Check the tank collar for the

date of manufacture or latest inspection.All propane tanks must be

inspected and recertified every ten

years.

Treat empty propane tanks

with the same respect as full ones.

Always avoid dropping and rough

handling of a propane tank.Also,

keep it away from sparks or open

flames.

INFORMATION

Division of the Fire Marshal 

301-496-0487

NIH RECEIVES

WHITE OAK AWARD

The Maryland Department of

Natural Resources (DNR) awarded

NIH the White Oak Award for

Excellence in Forest Conservation

and Land Development.The award

was presented at DHHS's Fourth

Annual Environmental Workshop

held at the National Library of

Medicine’s Lister Hill Center auditorium on May 5, 2005.

The prestigious White Oak

award is presented to a commercial/

industrial organization for recognition

of forest conservation efforts made

prior to the enactment of any formal

legal requirements to do so, but that

have been designed with Forest

Conservation Act goals and objectives

in mind. Lynn Mueller, NIH

Landscape Architect, and Captain

Edward Pfister, Environmental

Compliance Officer, both from the

NIH Office of Research Facilities

and Development Operations

(ORFDO) accepted the award on

behalf of NIH.

INFORMATION

Lynn Mueller

301-496-4817

http://orf.od.nih.gov/dep_info.htm 

VOLUNTEERS PLANT 1,000

BALD CYPRESS SEEDLINGS

On May 7, a dozen NIH and 

NIH Animal Center employees and

students volunteered their Saturday

away, planting over 1,000 tree

seedlings in a pasture along a tributary stream of Broad Run that flows

into the Potomac River.When the

seedlings grow up to become trees,

they will provide stream bank 

erosion protection as well as wildlife

habitat.

NEWS2USE

Presenting the White Oak Award on

behalf of the Maryland Department of

Natural Resources are (l-r) Todd

Erickson, Regional Forester and Marian

Honesczy, State Forest Conservation

Program Coordinator. Receiving the

award on behalf of NIH are Lynn

Mueller, NIH Landscape Architect and

Captain Edward Pfister, Environmental

Compliance Officer both from the NIH

Office of Research Facilities and

Development Operations (ORFDO).
This project is another demonstration of NIH's commitment to

protecting and enhancing our natural resources.The NIH has been a

long standing partner in the

Chesapeake Bay program Businesses

for the Bay, a group of forwardlooking businesses, industries, government facilities and other organizations within the Chesapeake Bay

watershed who share a commitment

to preserving and improving it.

The NIH was recognized in

2002 for its significant achievement

in partnering to protect the Bay.

INFORMATION

Lynn Mueller

301-496-4817

http://orf.od.nih.gov/dep_info.htm 

www.chesapeakebay.net/b4bay.htm 

ISSUE 11 JULY 2005 

ELEVENTH ANNUAL POLICE DAY

NIH CELEBRATES ANNUAL POLICE DAY 

MAY 11, 2005, BUILDING 1 FRONT LAWN.

Officer Richard Brenner holds Coco, a German Short-Haired Pointer and member 

of the NIH K-9 unit, while Sergeant Richards Hawkins explains Coco’s bomb 

sniffing training during a demonstration at the annual NIH Police Day

A member of the Metro Transit 

Police Department demonstrates

the use of a “Segway” Human

Transporter, an electric scooter for

use in pedestrian areas.

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SHOPPING MALL SAFETY TIPS

After a recent stabbing at Montgomery Mall’s

Nordstrom and a carjacking attempt in broad daylight

at Tyson’s Corner, the NIH Police want to share

reminders about personal safety.They won’t help in

every situation, but by staying alert and following

some simple guidelines, you may avoid danger.

■ Women: carry your purse close to you 

■ When walking with another person, hold your

purse situated between you and the person walking

next to you

■ Men: carry your wallet in your front pocket where

it’s harder for a pickpocket to grab 

■ Park in a well-lit area 

■ Have your keys already in hand before you return

to your vehicle so you won’t need to take extra time

locating them in a purse or pocket

■ Park as close to the mall entrance as possible

■ When suspicious of someone’s actions, contact

mall security or local police

■ If someone attempts to get in your car while you

are in it, drive away immediately

■ If unable to leave immediately, blow your horn

continuously until they leave or help arrives 

INFORMATION

Division of Police

301-496-2387

OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! The Office of Research Services encourages you to submit 

questions, comments and suggestions about the services we provide to the NIH community. Someone from 

the ORS staff will respond to each question. Just e-mail, phone or fax your comments and questions to the

appropriate location listed below.

For questions or comments about ORS services,

contact the ORS Information Line:

E-mail: ORSInfo@mail.nih.gov

Phone: 301-594-6677 

Fax: 301-402-2204 

Website: http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/security/index.htm

For questions or comments about articles in the

News2Use or to suggest future story ideas:

E-mail: ORSNews2Use@mail.nih.gov

NEWS2USE

News2Use is published on recycled paper by the 

OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

EDITOR Bradley Moss

WRITER Ann Cochran

ORS ACTING DIRECTOR Shirl A. Eller 

LAYOUT DESIGN Medical Arts and Printing Services

INTERNET ADDRESS www.ors.od.nih.gov

THEN:

In 1985, ORS centrally managed 14 

conference facilities on campus for the

NIH with a maximum occupancy of

1,400.

NOW:

In 2005, the ORS centrally manages 

56 conference facilities, both on and 

off campus, for the NIH with a 

maximum occupancy of 4,999.

THEN AND NOW: CONFERENCE FACILITIES AT THE NIH