The Buzz

Shaken and Stirring

July's transit bombings in London shook Americans' faith in the security of their own homeland. But as if in response and anticipation, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced a wide-ranging reorganization of his department six days after the first U.K. attacks and eight days before the second.

His focus on the most catastrophic risks in reordering DHS left securing subways and buses to lower levels of government, but overall, the moves met with hope, if not rousing acceptance. Creation of a policy shop to set strategic direction for DHS brought nearly unanimous huzzahs. Just hours after Chertoff announced the restructuring, the White House nominated Stewart A. Baker to become assistant secretary for policy.

Baker, a partner with the law firm Steptoe & Johnson in Washington, is considered a technology maven with deep knowledge about the intelligence community. Recently, he was general counsel for the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Homeland Security also is forging ahead with its new personnel system. On July 25, managers began attending training sessions in how to use the new system. The classes focus on setting goals and standards for employee performance. By Oct. 1, more than 12,000 managers will have attended the sessions. Several federal labor unions have filed a lawsuit to prevent implementation of the system. On July 15, department officials agreed to delay the start of the system from Aug.1 until Aug. 15 to allow a federal judge to rule on the suit's merits.

Big Labor

The Defense Department is revamping how its more than 700,000 civilian employees are hired, paid, promoted and disciplined. Chief critics of the plan have come from 43 labor organizations representing more than 424,000 of those employees. Here are estimated numbers represented by the largest Defense unions.

Source: Defense Department

Gotta Hand It to 'Em

Health care infections cause 50 percent of major hospital complications, and the No. 1 carrier of those infections is the staff. As it turns out, only four in 10 workers follow recommended hand cleaning procedures. The Veterans Affairs Department decided to clean up the problem in its 158 hospitals with a campaign encouraging workers, volunteers, visitors and patients to cover their coughs and sneezes, wear gloves, and for Pete's sake, wash their hands!

The "Infection: Don't Pass It On" campaign started last fall out of the VA's National Center for Patient Safety, Employee Education System and a group of infection control experts. Its Web site, www.publichealth.va.gov/infectiondont passiton, features 60 downloadable posters, templates for buttons and information about ordering pins, CDs, pens, lanyards and even tissue dispensers.

VA's effort promotes the use of alcohol- based hand rubs before and after touching patients. It also urges patients and visitors to keep an eye on hospital staff : "It's OK to ask health care providers if they have cleaned their hands," says one poster available in English and Spanish.

An informal survey sent to VA hospital staff earlier this year suggests the campaign is having an effect-53 percent of respondents said they washed their hands more often as a result of the campaign. Nearly 60 percent said they had seen their colleagues at the sink more often. Three percent said they soaped up 100 percent more often than before. That alone was worth the effort!