the government fares to specific airlines
and mandates their use by federal
employees. Therefore, whenever
possible, the NIH Travel Management
staff recommends their use.

As with everything in life, there
are exceptions, and the following
apply here:

I Schedules

2 Hours

3 Lower fares

4 Other carriers or alternative
transportation such as trains

5 Smoking

Smoking? Well, maybe the excep-
tions are outdated. Smoking is not
much of an issue anymore since all
US. airlines are smoke-free. The
most commonly cited exception is
the availability of a lower fare. Each
traveler should assess his or her
choice based on the possibility of a
change in plans. When an NIH
employee is booking a flight, the
‘Travel Management staff quotes the
lowest fare in addition to the gov-
ernment, or city-pair, fare. They will
also make suggestions such as alter-
native airports and connections that
would result in a lower fare. If they
don’t, please inquire about all your
options.

In the end, the booking is the
traveler’s decision. However, the
travel order must be completed with
the correct justification if the non-
government fare is chosen. N2U

INFORMATION Ellen Grant 2-8180
or grante@mail.nih.gov

Business Carbs:
ONLINE AND ONLY ONLINE

How to order:

@ Obtain an approved CSA number
from your AO

§ Go to www.nih.gov/od/ors/dss to
supply the information

Issue @ DECEMBER 2001

TM Double check spelling of all words
and names

= Preview your cards, and print that
preview for your records

Your cards will be delivered to your

office within 2-3 weeks of your con-

firmation message. N2U

INFORMATION § Reprographics
Communications Branch 6-678!
CAFETERIA COMMENTS
Dwayne Parris, NIH Concessions

Specialist, is a busy man. He super-
vises dining cente: i

menu options. He’also answers a lot
of e-mail—hundreds of cafeteria
comments have come in this year—
and he encourages people to keep
them coming. “That’s the best way
for me to know what people want,
and what they don’t like. I cannot
see everything for myself, every day,
in every location,” says Parris. He has
made a change based on just one
comment. Parris has a suggestion for
anyone who communicates with
him: be specific. If you want more
healthful food, state exactly what
item(s) you want. There are minimum
case orders to contend with, but
don’t let that stop you from making
a suggestion.

Approximately 5,700 people
eat in NIH dining centers each day.
Out of that number, 564 people
responded to the most recent survey
of Eurest services. In most categories,
the ratings ranged from ‘good’ to
‘very good. Only the ‘variety of
prices’ category drew a score a little
above ‘fair’ Our prices are actually
10 percent below market price for
our area, considered to be a five-mile
radius. The government does not and
cannot subsidize the NIH dining
centers.

Many people express a desire
for more healthful food. One out of
three people who eat in Eurest dining
centers purchase food from the salad

bar. Parris is exploring offering
soymilk, soy juices, and apple chips,
among other healthful items. Since
variety is the spice of life, Eurest plans
to continue its ethnic promotions
such as Cinco de Mayo, Greek food,
and other specialties.

CONCESSIONS CONSTRUCTION
UPDATES:

The renovation to the Building
10/B1 cafeteria may be completed
by the time this newsletter is distrib-
uted. It will have a brand-new look
and many new menu items. The
Building 35 dining center and con-
cession stand has closed its doors for
good to make way for the new
National Neuroscience Center. N2U

INFORMATION Dwayne Parris 2-8180

or cafeteriacomments@mail.nih.gov

PARKING PERMIT
RENEWAL SCHEDULE

January: A, B

July:M, N

August: O, P,Q, R
September: S,T

October: Carpool
November: U,V, W, X,Y, Z
December: Off-Campus

MAIL-IN RENEWAL
FOR PARKING PERMITS

the permit to your home, or you can
pick it up. Call 6-5050 to inquire
about the status of your request. N2U


ORS NEWSLETTER
Desuts New Look \] \\/ I SE

Behold! The Medical Arts and Photography Branch, is published on recycled paper by the

an ORS service, has freshened the look of ORS’ OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

periodical with new, iteand typography featuring

a re-interpretation4 Now dubbed NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

News2Use, numbet tel articles listed on page 4 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
one reappear layered bér typography of the

articles themselves pi “on the subsequent pages. EDITOR Ann Cochran

Elegantly simple typographic treatment sets off article .
titles, body texts and run-in heads enhancing readability. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Stephen A. Ficca
And ~ ah — notice the breathing room of white space LAYOUT DESIGN Medical Arts and Photography Branch

between articles. N2U INTERNET ADDRESS www.nih.gov/od/ors

MISSION: COMMUNICATIONS

The purpose of this newsletter is to inform and communicate with the entire NIH community about ORS
projects, policy changes and initiatives that are of immediate practical interest, along with some items that might be
filed away for future use. The Office of Research Services directly affects you and the place where you spend your

whole day — your office, your building, and your entire organization. Therefore, your satisfaction is our utmost
concern. Please let us hear your ideas and comments.

SGOSSSHSHHSHOHOHHEHSOSHOHOHHSHOHSHCHEHOHOESEHOHEEOHSSHESEEEE

Mr. Steve Ficca, the Associate Director of Research Services, would like to respond to. your questions, comments, and
suggestions. Or, is there anything you would like to know about the Office of Research Services but were afraid to ask?
Here’s your chance! Just send your comments or questions along with your name, building & room and phone number.
Fax your comments to Mr. Ficca’s office: 2-0604 or send e-mail to orswepb@mail.nih.gov

anss|

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THE JOHN EDWARD
PORTER NEUROSCIENCE
RESEARCH CENTER:
PUTTING THE BRAIN
Back TOGETHER

The John Edward Porter
Neuroscience Research Center,
affectionately known as the Porter

NRC or e. NRC, will
bring an uroscience
program Institutes
are provic ind stafE

neurosurgery, medicine, basic sciences,
and engineering. The building's
design, mission, and researchers will
set a new standard for the collaborative
research that is especially important
in studying the brain.

The NRC will be built on a
site presently occupied by Buildings
35 and 36. Construction for the
545,000 square foot laboratory com-
plex will start this fall and be com-
pleted in 2007. In the fall, Building
35 will be demolished. Activities
located in that building have already
been
relocated or closed down until the
new building is completed. A new
child care facility near the Natcher
Building has opened and new offices
for South Maintenance are in
Building 13.The self-service store
will not reopen until the first phase
of the building is complete. The
concession stand is now located on
the first floor of Building 36. Food is
also available in the new Cyber Café
located in nearby Building 40, the
Vaccine Research Center. The Office
of Research Services has also provided
a mobile food service truck that
comes to a location near Building 49.

At the end of 2003, we should
see the completion of the first mile-
stone of the NRC: a 180,000 square
foot space in four floors above grade
and one basement, consisting of
laboratories, a vivarium, loading
dock, dining center, self service store,
and concessions stand. Building 36

will then be demolished. In mid-2007,
the remaining 365,000 square feet
will be completed.

An architect’s model and
renderings of the NRC are in Trailer
36A which has moved with the
project field office to just north of
South Drive. Visitors are welcome to
stop by to see the plans and the Project
Team. The Project Team plans to do
everything possible to minimize the
inconvenience for the scientists and
staff working in the surrounding build-
ings while they build the NRC. N2U

INFORMATION
Bob McDonald
Project Director
Division of Engineering Services
4-1746 or
Frank Piatkowski
Senior Project Manager
Higgins Development Partners, LLC
301-215-7700 or
fpiatkowski@hdpteam.com

Status REPORT:
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

MARK O. HATFIELD CLINICAL
RESEARCH CENTER (CRC)

The CRC is now about 50 percent
complete andd ected to be fin-

been extended
ing, creating a
loop utility system for the northern
half of the campus.

LOUIS STOKES LABORATORIES
(BUILDING 50)

The dedication ceremony was held on
June 14th, with many dignitaries in
attendance. The 294,000 square foot
laboratory building will accommodate
over 600 researchers from nine differ-
ent Institutes. The building has been
designated as a Federal Showcase
Facility by the Department of Energy
for its energy efficient design.

NIH EAST CHILD CARE CENTER
This new child care center, adjacent
to the Natcher Building, has been
completed. The 21,000 square foot
facility contains five classrooms and

can accommodate 80 preschool and
20 kindergarten-age children. There
are teacher/parent conference areas,
administrative spaces, a large outdoor
playground, and garden areas. There
are 20 short-term parking spaces with
access from Center Drive.

THE POWER PLANT (BUILDING I!)
The Power Plant is being expanded
to meet the increased demand caused
by all of the new construction. In the
process, system efficiency will also be
increased, resulting in energy savings.
The first phase increased the existing
chilled water plant capacity by
20,000 tons through the installation
of new centrifugal water chillers,
cooling towers, and pumping sys-
tems. The next phase, which will add
10,000 tons of additional cooling
capacity is underway and will be
completed by the summer of 2003.

COGENERATION PLANT

A 23-megawatt gas-fired cogeneration
plant, which will generate both
steam and electricity, is being con-
structed in Building 11. This project,
which is being done through a part-
nership with Pepco, will not only cut
energy costs by about $55 million
over 15 years, it will also reduce
pollutant emissions. The plant is
scheduled to go on-line in the
summer of 2003. N2U

INFORMATION des.od.nih.gov\eweb\
construction\ntml\projects.htm

NIH Lowest Air FARE
GUARANTEES...
AND EXCEPTIONS

NIH employees qualify to use
airfare rates

fully refundable

changeable, and
transferable. GSA negotiates and awards

NEWS2USE


RIDEFINDERS NETWORK:
SHARE A RIDE INA
CARPOOL OR VANPOOL

Commuting in the Washington
Metropolitan area can be a nightmare.
e traffic con-
ion, and
S50 iated with the
uwork, the NIH
and vanpool
matching service called the NIH
Ridefinders Network.

To locate other riders in your
area who are interested in sharing a
tide, complete the Ridefinder’s
Network application, which you can
find at http//www.nih.gov/od/ors/
parking/ridefind.htm

Send or fax it to the Employee
Transportation Services Office (ETSO),
Building 31, Room B3B18, fax 2-0394.

Within three business days,
ETSO generates and faxes a list of
compatible NIH commuters to the
requesting employee. NIH shares
information with the Council of
Governments (COG) ridesharing
program called Commuter
Connections. ETSO expands the list
to include names from the COG
database if the employee needs a
larger pool of possibilities. The only
information that is given out to ride
seekers is name and office phone
number. Individuals contact each
other and make their own arrange-
ments.

BENEFITS OF RIDE SHARING

INCLUDE:

TM Close-in carpool parking lots with
reserved parking until 9:30 a.m.

mA reserved parking space for regis-
tered vanpools in the lot or their
choice

= Use of HOV traffic lanes for car-
pools and vanpools

® Qualifying for the “Guaranteed
Ride Home Program” sponsored
by the Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments

TM Monetary savings on gas, auto
insurance, and vehicle wear and tear

‘WORRIED ABOUT EMERGENCIES?
Carpool and vanpool riders may
receive up to 24 temporary one-day
parking permits per calendar year.
They may obtain these temporary
permits from the NIH Parking
Office located in Building 31, Room
B3B04 from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30
p.m. Short-term parking is available
at the “C” Wing entrance for patrons
to the Parking Office. N2U

INFORMATION ETSO 6-5050 or

nihparkingoffice@ors.od.nih.gov

METROEM@IL

Metro is launching a new customer
service e-mail program called
MetroEm@il be of interest

SmartBenefits programs. People can
register for this free service by click-
ing on the commuter link.

The WMATA site is linked to
the NIH Parking Web Page at:
wwwanih.gov/od/ors/nih.htm# park
Simply click on the WMATA icon
to proceed, N2U

County Awarps NIH
FOR TRANSHARE PLus

In May, County Executive Doug
Duncan presented Steve Ficca with
ty’s Ongoing

and resources,
e network of
pedestrian pathways around campus.

N2U

COUNTY AND FEDERAL
AWARDS FOR GROUNDS
MAINTENANCE AND
LANDSCAPING

COUNTY CHAMPION TREE AWARDS
The Montgomery County Forestry
Board Presented the NIH with four

the Grounds Maintenance and
Landscaping Section (GMLS)
received the NIH's first Champion
Tree Award for the Japanese Zelkova
tree off the southwest corner of

Building 1.

The four new champion trees are:

® a black willow, Salix nigra, south of
the NLM;

TM@ a Carolina hemlock, Tsuga car-
oliniana, northwest of NLM;

@ a golden rain tree, Koelreuteria
paniculata, north of 12A; and

ma red buckeye, Aesculus pavia,
North Drive at Rockville Pike.

This competition, which is held in
odd numbered years, is open to any
county resident who has or knows of
a champion size tree. Call 301-854-
6060 to request a nomination form.

WATER CONSERVATION AWARD
On April 26, the GMLS was recog-
nized by the Department of Health
and Human Services during the
2000 Energy and Water Management
Awards Ceremony held at the
Herbert H. Humphrey Building.
GMLS received the Organization/
Group Water Conservation Award
for the innovative water conservation
measures they took during the
drought of 2000 to preserve the
hundreds of newly planted trees and
shrubs across the campus and for the
xeriscaping design and installation
they provided for the National

NEWS2USE


DECEMBER 2001

IssuE

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MasTER PLAN UPDATE

ORS ANNounces NIH Facitity
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

SELF-HELP IN SELF-ASSESSING
OMEGA TRAVEL CONTRACT UPDATE
TRANSHARE Suesipy RisiING

THE JOHN EDwarD PorTER NEUROSCIENCE
RESEARCH CENTER: PUTTING THE BRAIN
Back TOGETHER

Status REPORT: CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

NIH Lowest Air FARE GUARANTEES...
AND EXCEPTIONS

Business Carps ONLINE AND ONLY ONLINE
CAFETERIA COMMENTS

PARKING PERMIT RENEWAL SCHEDULE
Mail-In RENEWAL FOR PARKING PERMITS

RIDEFINDERS NETWoRK:
Suare A RIDE IN A CARPOOL OR VANPOOL

MeTROEM@IL

‘County Awarps NIH For
TRANSHARE Ptus

COUNTY AND FEDERAL AWARDS FOR
GROUNDS MAINTENANCE AND LANDSCAPING

(AWARD FOR QUALITY OF WorK LIFE

INTERN FROM GALLAUDET SHARES
His KNOWLEDGE

Potice AWARENESS Day OBSERVED

ORS NewsLetter Desuts New Look

The Office of Research Services thanks you, the NIH
employees, for your support of the multitude of changes that
have occurred on- and off-campus since the September 11
tragedy. For NIH to go from an open environment to a highly
secured environment, literally overnight, could not have
happened without your help. I trust that you will continue to
support the current and future endeavors that are being initiated
to ensure the safety and security of NIH employees, research,
and facilities. We truly appreciate the cooperation that you
have shown during a very trying time for all Federal Employees.

Steve Ficca

MASTER PLAN UPDATE

The Office of Facilit
five-year update t
Plan. Implementat
ceeded as scheduled.
affecting the Master
on campus.

is working on the first
thesda Campus Master
rst 5-year phase has pro-
surprises. The only news
ipdate is about population

POPULATION

In 1993, interviews with the NIH leadership projected
that 23,000 people would be working on campus by the
year 2015. Then, in 1994-1995, there was considerable
downsizing in the Federal Government that mirrored
corporate downsizing. Since it looked like NIH’s numbers
would be going down, our projections were adjusted
downward. Anticipated growth by 2015 leveled at
18,000 people.

Instead of decreasing, however, NIH has continued
to grow, with the current campus population already
approaching the 18,000 mark in 2001. Recent interviews
conducted with the ICs resulted in projections of
27,000 people by the year 2020. Based on numerous
considerations, NIH leadership has decided to propose a
moderate growth scenario of up to 22,000 people on
the campus, with additional growth to be accommodated
off-campus. Holding down our campus population was
a necessary and positive move for us in many areas.
Traffic and parking are the most obvious, but utilities
and other services would have been stretched to the
limit if we had ever grown to 27,000 on campus. The
communities surrounding NIH have always had concerns
about our rising population and increased construction.


Library of Medicine Lister Hill
Center Plaza gardens. A story that
appeared in the Federal Energy
Management Program Focus
Newsletter is available on the web at
wwweren.doe.gov/femp/newsevents/
fempfocus.htm! Click on March/April
2001. N2U

INFORMATION Lynn Mueller
mueller(@ors.od.nih.gov

AWARD FOR QUALITY OF
Work LIFE

The Worksite Enrichment Programs

Branch (WEPB), Division of Support
Services receive “NIH Quality of
Work Life As x 2001 “for

employees in raining a quality
and balanced work life.” In addition,
the NIH Child Care Board, an
advisory board to the NIH Associate
Director for Research Services, also
received the award “for their long-term
commitment to identify and support
enhancements which have resulted
in clearly focused initiatives on child
care programs and increased resources
to assist in meeting the needs of the
NIH employees.” N2U

INTERN FROM GALLAUDET
SHARES His KNOWLEDGE

Astrid Jones, a hearing impaired
student, recently completed an
Division of

for maintaining hi academic per-
formance and is going on to pursue
a master’s degree in counseling.

During Jones’ internship, orga-
nized meetings were held with police
officers and hearing-impaired employees
to discuss crime intervention. The

issue @ DECEMBER 2001

highlight of Jones’ internship was the
creation of a workshop for DPS
entitled How To Communicate
Effectively with the Deaf and the
Hard of Hearing Individuals. He
covered all communication modalities
such as using sign language, gestures,
mime, oralism, and basic written

English.

Jones’ communication tips have wide
application:

TM Don't be afraid or intimidated to
communicate with a person who
is deaf.

TM Don't rely on co-workers or
friends to interpret a message.
Messages might be misinterpreted.

® Don't walk in between two deaf
people who are communicating.

TM Do keep your message clear.
Write it down if necessary.

® Do put instructions in writing.

® Do use visual aids if possible.

Jones explained that some things
make speech read (lip reading)
difficult, such as lips that are not
clearly visible when someone has a
thick mustache. There are many
words that sound alike, such as mat,
bat, pat; or fifteen and fifty.

Here on the NIH campus, fire
and police personnel have emergency
and non-emergency lines to communi-
cate with the hearing-impaired
community. We are also collecting
data on the pager 104, a pager that is
integrated with the fire alarm system
on campus. N2U

INFORMATION Marisa Sheelor 6-5685
or sheelorm@mail.nih.gov

Po.ice AWARENESS Day
OBSERVED

The NIH Police observed Police
Awareness Day on May 17. They
were joined bys

Emergency vent Branch, the
Crime Prevention Branch, the
Employee Transportation Services
Office, and the Ridefinder’s
Program. This event, which was held.
during National Police Week (May
13-19) on the lawn in front of
Building 1, attracted approximately
1,000 employees who enjoyed a picnic
lunch and demonstrations by police
bomb-sniffing dogs, motorcycle preci-
sion performance, bicycle squads, fire
engines, and a hazardous material truck.

The officers served more than
325 meals at the picnic, which
resulted in earnings of more than
$1,600. The money was contributed
to NIH charities.

National Police Week is dedicated
to law enforcement officers killed in
the line of duty. This national
observance began during President
John F Kennedy’s administration and
has special meaning to all men and
women who put themselves at risk to
dedicate themselves to public safety.
On May 14, NIH Police officers
participated in ceremonies honoring
fallen officers at the National Police
Memorial in Washington. N2U

INFORMATION Sonja M. Young
6-2387 or youngs@ors.od.nih.gov


However, for the community and for
us, NIH has established a buffer of
green space around the perimeter of
the campus.

TRAFFIC

What about the traffic all those peo-
ple will create? We have had an
agreement with the National Capital
Planning Commission that correlates
with Maryland National Capital Park
and Planning to hold our peak-hour
traffic to 1992 levels. “We have done
even better than that,” reports Stella
Serras Fiotes, Assistant Director,
Office of Facilities Planning, who
was happy to say, “we’ve actually
decreased traffic by 30 percent since
then.” Programs like TRANSHARE
have had everything to do with the
decrease. The loss of parking spaces
resulting from major construction
has been more than offset by the rise
in the use of public transportation by
our employees.

TRANSPORTATION SURVEY

A new transportation survey was sent
to all employees via global e-mail at
the end of August. The response rate
to the last survey was 25 percent.
That is considered an excellent rate
of response by marketing profession-
als, however, ORS hopes for even
more participation. this time.

PARKING

In the 2002 budget, there is a plan to
build a multi-level parking structure
to the southwest of Building 10 that
will add 800-900 spaces. We are com-
mitted to maintaining a ratio of one
space for every two employees, which
seems to create the right level of sat-
isfaction about parking availability.

OFF-CAMPUS

NIH has not forgotten its leased
facilities and other off-campus hold-
ings. A parallel effort to manage
growth off-campus is happening
along with the Master Plan effort.
Consolidations are being considered.

FEDERAL FUNDING

Everyone reads and remembers the
headlines about federal funding of
the NIH budget, and the $20 billion
figure is certainly a lot of money.
However, 80 percent is budgeted for
grants. The amount that remains here
on campus is allocated by Institute.
The line item for buildings and facil-
ities in the past was around $150
million, and we need twice that
amount to build and maintain the
new and existing space. N2U

INFORMATION
Stella Serras Fiotes 6-5037 or
serrasfs@ors.od.nih.gov

NIH Faci.ity
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Facility management is broadly defined
as the process of coordinating the

physical oa ith the people

effectively supports the goals, objectives,
and staff of the organization.

FACILITY MANAGERS (FMs)
A total of 17 Facility Managers have
been selected and trained to serve as
ORS Ambassadors providing problem-
solving, information, and consulting
services to NIH building occupants
who are their primary internal cus-
tomers. In addition, 6 off-campus
facility managers act as conservators of
a NIH-owned building or as designat-
ed representatives of IC occupants in
leased buildings.

Both on- and off-campus, the
FM is a generalist who can be a
valuable, timesaving resource for the
ICs as a one-stop shop for a variety
of building or service-related requests,
problems, and questions, and when
building-wide issues arise. As a matter
of policy, FMs are not mandated or
authorized to intrude on existing
relationships ICs may have with
ORS Divisions. However, ICs are
encouraged to utilize the FMs when
normal channels are not working well.

FMs are assigned to all NIH
buildings. They continue to contact
key personnel who represent the
interests of IC occupants within each
building, Two FMs are assigned to
the Clinical Center.

FMs are out in their respective
buildings, inspecting conditions,
working with ADs, meeting with
building occupants, and conducting
facility council meetings. As ORS
ambassadors, FMs also serve as the
eyes and ears on ORS, providing
timely information to ORS activities
and marketing ORS services as
appropriate. N2U

INFORMATION
Kelvin Lawson 4-1764 or
Bradley Provancha 4-8355

SELF-HELP IN
SELF-ASSESSING

The Annual Self-Assessment (ASA)
program is well underway in ORS,
with the findings and recommenda-
d.this month, and

improve the ps ice of the services
delivered to the NIH community.
ORS management hopes that
each of the first 41 (of a total of more
than 170) discrete service areas that
were chosen to initiate this program
have had a positive experience with
self-assessment. On their own, the
reports can highlight areas of achieve-
ment as well as areas of need. But
this is not a stand alone project.
The results of these studies will be
incorporated into the next ORS
business plan. If an area needs more
staff or any kind of additional resource,
it will be demonstrated in a measurable
way thanks to the ASA, and it will be
acted upon. If a service area is lacking,
the service will be redesigned to
provide better service to customers.
The ASA strategy can be easily
understood by using the following
four questions as a guide:

NEWS2USE


TM To satisfy our stakeholders, how are
‘we managing our resources?

@ To satisfy our stakeholders and cus-
tomers, at what business process
must we excel?

TM To achieve our vision, how should
‘we appear to our customers?

@ To achieve our vision, how will we
sustain our ability to change and
improve?

The following examples of ASA
specifics may help to give an under-
standing of the report:

Administrative overhead expenses
Customer retention

Frequency of reorders

Number of complaints

New product or program introductions
Calls on hold beyond standard time
Survey responses

Percent of waste recycled

OSHA reportables

Operational redundancies eliminated
Timeliness of delivery

Obsolete inventory in dollars

Downtime hours due to equipment failure
Training hours per employee

Promotion rates

Employee turnover, voluntary and involuntary
Vendor performance

In the final analysis, ORS hopes to
make appropriate matches between
services and service providers, and to
justify why ORS is providing each
service to the NIH community, N2U

INFORMATION Myrna Lopez 2-3440
or lopezm@mail.nih.gov

OMEGA TRAVEL
CONTRACT UPDATE

The tragic events of September 11

time. Whil ry relieved
that no NI nts were
onboard a ed planes,
the Project Omega knew

patients were
stranded both domestically and inter

Issue @ DECEMBER 2001

nationally, The ORS instructed
Omega to focus on re-scheduling
people from the canceled and diverted
flights. This priority was accomplished
expeditiously given the circumstances.
Certain increased security pro-
tocols mandated by the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) in
order for airports and airlines to
resume operations. Please be aware
of the following requirements: when
you travel
> A Picture ID is mandatory
> Travelers MUST have their tickets
or e-ticket receipt/confirmation in
order to gain access to the airport
> All luggage and packages will be
checked and re-checked, and pos-
sibly searched
> No one will get through security
check-points without a ticket,
therefore friends and family may
not accompany travelers to the gate.
> For domestic flights, travelers
should arrive 2 - 3 hours in
advance of the departure time;
for international, 3-4 hours.
> For questions or issues that may
arise during non-NIH business
hours, please contact Omega’s
emergency after hours toll free
number at 800-285-6342.

OMEGA SERVICE FEES INCREASED
Due to the airlines reducing com-
missions paid to travel agencies,
Omega has increased their service
fees by 30%, which will be applied
to all tickets issued on or after
October 1.

The adjusted fee schedule is as follows:
STAFF AND PATIENTS
Fax/Email
Phone/In-person
MEETING
Fax/Email
Phone/In-person .

INFORMATION: Ellen Grant 2-8180 or
grante@mail.nih.gov

TRANSHARE
Sussipy RIsiNG

Now at $65 per month, the

NIH employes ently receiving
subsidies for tere public transportation.
The subsidy is available to all NIH
employees who are willing to
surrender their NIH parking permits.

NIH introduced the TRAN-
SHARE Program to the Bethesda
campus community in October of
1992 as an incentive for commuting
by public transportation. At that
time, a $21 per month tax-free sub-
sidy was provided. The NIH has
steadily increased this subsidy, and
has included vanpool commuters and
off-campus employees in the program.

Eligible participants include
employees classified as civil servants
of the Federal Government. The
NIH TRANSHARE Program has
also been expanded to include
trainees, IRTAs, visiting fellows, and
volunteers. All participants must work
at least 20 hours or more per week
and be classified as permanent
employee scheduled to work more
than 120 consecutive calendar days.

Employees self-certify their
commuting expenses on the honor
system. Audits are performed period-
ically. All public transportation is
acceptable: Metro bus or rail, MARC,
and other trains. Gasoline for your
car is not included, nor are parking
fees. The subsidy is based on a 22-day
work month. N2U

INFORMATION 2-RIDE