Heath Services Category Protocols for Internal and ... Services Category Protocols for Internal and...

Heath Services Category

Protocols for Internal and External Communication

(Leadership Edition)

September 25, 2016

(Updates added March 2017)

Communications Strategic Planning Workgroup

CDR Makeva Rhoden (co-Lead)

CDR Carla Burch (co-Lead)

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Table of Contents Policy: HSPAC Certificates of Appreciation ..................................................................................................... 3

Policy: PAG Certificates of Appreciation ......................................................................................................... 5

Policy: Letters of Appreciation/Thank You Letter ........................................................................................... 7

Policy: HS Category Letterhead ...................................................................................................................... 9

Policy: Event Flyer – Save the Date .............................................................................................................. 11

Policy: HS Category Signature Block ............................................................................................................. 14

Policy: HS Category PowerPoint Template ................................................................................................... 20

Policy: Protocol for Emails sent to Listserv ................................................................................................... 22

Policy: Website Update Requests ................................................................................................................. 24

Policy: HS e-News ........................................................................................................................................ 25

Policy: Social Media ..................................................................................................................................... 28

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HS Category Communication Protocol

Effective: September 2016

By Order of the HS Category : Communications Committee

Policy: HSPAC Certificates of Appreciation

Target Audience: HS Category Leadership (i.e., PAC subcommittee Chairs and PAG Chairs)

Purpose: The following guidance is provided to HS PAC Subcommittees to assist them in understanding

the process for preparing Certificates of Appreciation (CoA). These CoAs should be provided to

individuals who have served on a committee, team, or workgroup overseen by these groups and have

contributed to work produced by these entities as well.

Instructions: There are two types of CoAs: PAC Chair Certificate of Appreciation and general Certificate

of Appreciation. The HSPAC Chair will use the PAC Chair CoA to acknowledge the accomplishments of

PAC leadership (i.e., PAC subcommittee Chairs and PAG Chairs) and the general CoA to acknowledge

subcommittee members.

For each CoA the following information must be included:

- Rank, Officer’s Name

- Name of committee, team, or workgroup with whom they are affiliated

- Date (Month and Year)

- Rank, Chair’s Name and Signature

The Certificate of Appreciation can only be authorized by the current HS PAC Chair and/or the CPO. HS

PAC Subcommittees should not distribute their own certificates. They are to create the CoAs using the

general CoA template and then send the completed CoA to the HS PAC Chair for his/her signature. Once

signed by the HS PAC Chair and /or CPO, the final certificates will be converted to PDF and sent back to

the subcommittees for distribution to team members.

Frequency of Use: A Certificate of Appreciation (CoA) is to be provided to individuals on an annual basis.

Certificates must be distributed by November 15th. Officers receiving a CoA are responsible for

uploading that document to their eOPF.

Questions or Comments: If you have any questions, please submit them to the HS PAC Communications

Chairs – CDR Carla Burch ([email protected]) and LCDR Makeva Rhoden ([email protected]).

Thank you,

HS PAC Communications Committee

mailto:[email protected]


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PAC Chair Certificate of Appreciation (awarded to leadership)

Certificate of Appreciation (awarded to subcommittee members)

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Policy: PAG Certificates of Appreciation


Purpose: The following guidance is provided to PAGs to assist them in preparing Certificates of

Appreciation (CoA) for their PAG leadership team (i.e., Chairs, co-Chairs and Executive leadership) and

committee members. These CoAs should be provided to individuals who have served on a committee,

team, or workgroup overseen by the PAG and have contributed to work produced by these entities as

well.

Instructions: There are two types of CoAs: PAG Chair Certificate of Appreciation and general Certificate

of Appreciation. The PAG Chair will use the PAG Chair CoA to acknowledge the accomplishments of PAG

leadership (i.e., PAG subcommittee Chairs, Co-Chairs, Team Leads, etc.) and the general CoA to

acknowledge PAG subcommittee members.

For each CoA the following information must be included:

- Rank, Officer’s Name

- Name of committee, team, or workgroup with whom they are affiliated

- Date (Month and Year)

- Rank, Chair’s Name and Signature

- PAG emblem/logo

The Certificate of Appreciation can only be signed-off by the current PAG Chair. PAG Subcommittees

should not distribute their own certificates. They are to create the CoAs using the general CoA template

and then send the completed CoA to the PAG Chair for his/her signature. Once signed by the PAG Chair,

the final certificates will be converted to PDF and sent back to the subcommittees for distribution to

team members.

Frequency of Use: A Certificate of Appreciation (CoA) is to be provided to individuals on an annual basis.

Certificates must be distributed by November 15th. Officers receiving a CoA are responsible for

uploading that document to their eOPF.



Thank you,




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PAG Chair Certificate of Appreciation (awarded to PAG leadership)

Certificate of Appreciation (awarded to subcommittee members)

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Effective: March 2017


Policy: Letters of Appreciation/Thank You Letter


Purpose: The following guidance is provided to PAGs to assist them in preparing Letters of Appreciation

(LoA). A LoA can only be given to outside committees/organizations or presenters who have

participated in a PAC or PAG sponsored event.

Instructions: For each LoA the following information must be included:

- Name of HS Category Committee or PAG

- PAG emblem/log (if applicable)

- Date of issuance (Month, Day, Year)

- Body of letter to include purpose of letter/memo, background information, specific

task/request, date of event, and contact information

- Signature of individual(s) submitting the letter/memo

The Letter of Appreciation can only be signed-off by the current the HS PAC Chair, PAC subcommittee, or

PAG Chair. Once signed by the appropriate person, the final LoA should be converted into PDF and sent

to the intended recipient.

Frequency of Use: A Letter of Appreciation (LoA) is to be provided to a recipient on an as needed basis.



Thank you,




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Policy: HS Category Letterhead


Purpose: The following guidance is provided to HS Category Subcommittees and PAGs on the proper

use of the new HS Category letterhead. The letterhead is to be used for official HS Category business

including speaker invitations, memos to external and internal partners, and updates to other HS

Category stakeholders.

Instructions: The following information must be included on letters and memos to HS Category

stakeholders, speakers, external and internal partners, etc.:

- Name of HS Category Committee or PAG

- Date of issuance (Month, Day, Year)

- Body of letter to include purpose of letter/memo, background information, specific

task/request, date of event, and contact information

- Signature of individual(s) submitting the letter/memo

Frequency of Use: The letterhead shall be used by HS Category Subcommittee and PAGs on an as

needed basis.



Thank you,




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By Order of the HS Category: Communications Committee

Policy: Event Flyer – Save the Date


Purpose: The following guidance is provided to HS category officers to assist them in preparing

flyer/event advertisements to promote activities specifically related to category business. The event

flyer template must be used for official HS Category business including HS PAC and PAG coordinated

events, as well as events hosted in collaboration with external and internal partners.

Instructions: The following information must be included on all event flyers:

- Event Host ( HS Category Subcommittee or Professional Advisory Group)

- Title of Event

- Date (day, month, date, year) and Time (time zone) of Event, including frequency (if promoting

series of events)

- Location of event (i.e., address, Weblink/ conference line information, etc.)

- Speaker Information (i.e., name, title, affiliation, short bio)

- Point of Contact

Note: When partnering with another organization, please remember to include the statement “in

partnership with [Name of Organization]” immediately following the name of the event host.

Frequency of Use: The event flyer template must be used by HS Category Subcommittee and PAGs for

all activities related to the HS Category.

Questions or Comments:

If you have any questions, please submit them to the HS PAC Communications Chairs – CDR Carla Burch

([email protected]) and LCDR Makeva Rhoden ([email protected]).

Thank you,




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Example for PAC Subcommittees

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Example for PAGs

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Policy: HS Category Signature Block



use of the new HS Category signature block. The signature block is to be used for official HS Category

business including emails to external and internal partners and email updates to other HS Category

stakeholders.

Instructions: Signature blocks (Option A or Option B) can be added as an automatic signature to your

email. To use the signature, please do the following:

1. Choose either Option A or B to use as your official HS Category signature block.

2. Fill in the appropriate information

Rank, Name, Credentials

Position in PAC or PAG

Health Services Category

United States Public Health Service

Connect with us:

Multidisciplinary in Approach, Connected by Service, Advancing Public Health

#WeAreCorpsSTRONG

3. Once you have added your information, copy the signature to the clipboard

https://dcp.psc.gov/osg/hso/

http://www.usphs.gov/

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4. Open up Microsoft Outlook. Select the “File” tab and “Options”

5. Under “Options” select “Mail”

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6. Go to “Create or modify signatures for messages”

7. Create new signature

8. Right click your mouse and paste the signature you copied in Step. 3

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9. Save changes.

10. When you open a new email, you can select your new signature to use with HS Category

message.

Frequency of Use: The HS Category Signature block is to be used on official HS Category

messages/emails.



Thank you,




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A. Signature to Use for HS Category Business

Note: Each graphic is a badge. When an individual clicks on the HSO emblem, it jumps to the following website:

https://dcp.psc.gov/osg/hso/. When an individual clicks on the USPHS emblem the badge will take them to the following

site: http://www.usphs.gov/

Rank, Name, Credentials

Position in PAC or PAG



Connect with us:


#WeAreCorpsSTRONG

Example:

LCDR Makeva Rhoden, PhD, MPH

Chair, Communications Subcommittee



Connect with us:


#WeAreCorpsSTRONG

B. Signature to Use for HS Category Business (Option 2 - for officers when sending mail external messages):

Note: Each graphic is a badge. When an individual clicks on the HSO emblem, it jumps to the following website:

https://dcp.psc.gov/osg/hso/. When an individual clicks on the USPHS emblem the badge will take them to the following

site: http://www.usphs.gov/

Name, Credentials Place OPDIV emblem here

Rank, Health Services Officer | U.S. Public Health Service

Title

Division/Branch/Program| CIO

Agency

Connect with us:


#WeAreCorpsSTRONG











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Example:

Makeva M. Rhoden, PhD, MPH

LCDR, Health Services Officer | U.S. Public Health Service Senior Public Health Analyst Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services| MCHB Health Resources and Services Administration Connect with us:


#WeAreCorpsSTRONG



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Policy: HS Category PowerPoint Template



use of the new HS Category PowerPoint template. The PPT Template is to be used for official HS

Category presentations to both external and internal partners and other HS Category stakeholders.

Instructions: The PPT template includes a

Title slide and a Content slide for general

presentation information. The Title slide

should be used at the beginning of your

presentation and at the end of the

presentation to display your contact

information. The Content slide should be

used for all other information included in

the presentation.

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Frequency of Use: The PPT template shall be used by HS Category Subcommittee and PAGs on an as

needed basis. This is the official template for the HS Category All-Hands meetings and any category

specific presentation.



Thank you,




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Effective: July 2016


Policy: Protocol for Emails sent to Listserv

Target Audience: HS Category Leadership (i.e., PAC subcommittee Chairs and Co-Chairs, PAG Chairs and

Chair-Elect)

Purpose: The following guidance is provided to HS PAC Subcommittees and PAGs to assist them in

preparing messages (e.g., Special Announcements) to be sent through the listserv. These are message

that are too detailed to be included in the HS e-News. We are aligning this guidance with existing

protocols per the HS e-News. Adherence to these guidelines will assist in an efficient review and

dissemination of your announcement. The HS PAC Chair and HS PAC Communications Committee

reserve the right to return requests that may be inappropriate or insufficient due to lack of information.

Instructions:

Special Announcement Requests:

The purpose of a “Special Announcement” e-mail is to broadcast information that is deemed critical,

urgent, and time sensitive HS PAC business requiring immediate attention from our officers.

Information disseminated as a “Special Announcement” include, but is not limited to job vacancies due

to staffing shortages, changes in USPHS policies and procedures, and loss of an officer. Approval for

“Special Announcements” is granted by HS PAC Chair or the HS PAC Communications Subcommittee

Chair(s).

Request for announcements can be sent directly to the HS PAC Chair, CDR Bobby Rasulnia:

[email protected]

What to Submit:

Officers are requested to submit the exact language to be included in the email but especially the

following important information:

o Subject of Email – Your subject line must match the message. Write a clear title for the message and include due date

o Due Date – state in the subject line and also repeat at the end of the message o Description: Keep descriptions brief. State the purpose of the email within the first two

lines. Include only the information to be conveyed to the HS category officers. Describe any directions that officers need to follow, if they are to submit some supporting documents (i.e., CV, award nomination form, application, etc.). Write you request in the form of a bulleted list:

Point #1 Point#2


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Point #3 o Point of Contact (POC) – the rank, name, phone, number and email of the person receiving

the responses o Attachments - Attachments must be properly labeled an associated (when possible) with

the bulleted points in the message description. Please limit the number of attachments to three (3).

Sample Special Announcement Request:

Subject line: Call for HS PAC Voting Member Nominations (Due: June 30, 20XX)

Message:

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening HS Officers, The HS PAC Awards Subcommittee invites officer to apply for the following three Awards.

1. Responder of the Year – review [name of attachment] for details 2. Garcia Jr. – review [name of attachment] for details 3. Kissel Jr. – review [name of attachment] for details

Commissioned Corps Officers for the Health Service Category, excluding the current voting members of the HS PAC, are eligible for this award. The award will be presented at the Commissioned Officers Association annual meeting. Attached please find additional information, eligibility criteria, and the nomination form for the awards. Packages should be sent to [Rank, Name] at [email address] no later than [due date]. Thank You, [HS PAC Chair’s Signature]

Frequency of submissions: Officers may submit requests for “Special Announcements” as needed.

Special Note: When an announcement has already been released from DCCPR headquarters, the HS PAC

Chair and Communications Committee ask that you do not submit this announcement for re-circulation

via the HS listserv. Unless an additional update has been released that specifically relates to the HS

Category officers, these types of announcements may be denied at the discretion of the HS PAC Chair

and Communications Committee.



Thank you,




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Health Services (HS) Category Communication Protocol

Effective: April 2016

By Order of the HS Category:

Communications Committee

Policy: Website Update Requests

Target Audience: General HS Category Members and Leadership

Purpose: The following is guidance for HS PAC Subcommittees

and PAGs when requesting updates to their respective pages and

other appropriate areas on the HS PAC website. It is the intention

of the Communications Subcommittee to ensure information is

posted in a timely manner and adherence to these guidelines will

assist in an efficient review and posting of your content. The

Content Managers reserve the right to return requests that may

be inappropriate or insufficient due to lack of information.

What to Update HS PAC Subcommittees/PAGs are responsible for ensuring that relevant content on the HS PAC website are up-to-date. The Communications Subcommittee will assist you in making the updates; however, it is the Subcommittee/PAG’s responsibility to assure that the information on the site remains relevant and up-to-date. Subcommittee and PAG representatives are urged to attend the monthly Communications Subcommittee meeting to receive the latest updates and technical assistance on requesting website updates.

When to Update Subcommittees/PAGs are encouraged to review their respective pages and sections on the HS PAC website at a minimum on a quarterly basis. All website update requests should be submitted to the Communications Subcommittee using the website request form as soon as possible. To ensure adequate time for review and posting; requests will be completed within two weeks of the submission date.

Submitting Updates

1. All updates should be approved by your appropriate PAC/PAG Chain of Command.

2. All request(s) MUST BE submitted using the below form (no exceptions). This will expedite your request and help us track and make sure that your request is completed.

3. Include the HS PAC Subcommittee or PAG Chair in all email requests.

4. Send all request forms, associated documents and questions to [email protected].

Note: Website requests will take up to

2 weeks to process and post on the HS PAC website. Please plan accordingly, when submitting updates for award nominations, call for voting membership, and other events that are time-sensitive.


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Effective: April 2016



Policy: HS e-News

Target Audience: General Membership

Purpose: The following is guidance for HS PAC Subcommittees and PAGs when submitting announcements from

their respective groups to be included in the HSO Weekly. The HSO Weekly is distributed through the HS PAC

listserv each Friday. It is the intention of the Communications Subcommittee to ensure announcements are

received in a timely manner and included in the HSO Weekly for a given week. Adherence to these guidelines will

assist in an efficient review and posting of your announcement. The HSO Weekly Coordination Team reserves the

right to return announcement requests that may be inappropriate or insufficient due to lack of information.

When to Submit:

HS PAC Subcommittees and PAGs interested in submitting an announcement in the HSO Weekly must do the

following:

1. Send the announcement to [email protected] by 3:00pm EST every Wednesday. Submissions received after 3:00pm EST on Wednesday will be included in the following week’s announcements.

2. Submit requests using the HS PAC Communications Announcement Request Form. Please follow the format on the form which can be found at the HSO Web Site under the “Quick Links” on the right side. Submitting information in the appropriate format will ensure that there are minimal errors in posting your announcement.

If you have any further questions you may contact CDR Carla Burch at [email protected] and LCDR Makeva

Rhoden at [email protected].

What to Submit:

General announcements must use Calibri 11pt font and should ONLY include the following information: o Announcement Type (check box provided on the request form) o Title of announcement o Weblink/URL (if applicable)

(Special Note: Please ensure that all award announcements have a link to the award application. You

should work with the HS PAC Website Team to ensure that an award link is created two weeks in

advance of announcement submission)

o Due Date o Point of Contact (POC) (include email address so that HSO Weekly Coordination Team can create

hyperlink) o Brief Description (no more than 100 words)




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Note: No additional information (pictures, logos, speaker names, bios, attachment, descriptions above the 100

word limit) will be included with the announcement.

Job vacancy announcements must use Calibri 11pt font and should ONLY include the following information: o Job Title (with Billet/Grade) o Location(s) o Direct Access Reference Number (if available) o Weblink/URL o Due Date o POC (include email address so that HSO Weekly Coordination Team can create hyperlink) o Brief description (no more than 100 words)

Note: No additional information (i.e., pictures, logos, speaker names, bios, attachment, descriptions above the

100 word limit) will be included with the announcement.

Below are examples of the most common types of announcements we receive and the type of information that

MUST be included.

Ex. Announcement Type: HS PAC or PAG Award

HAPAG Junior and Senior Officer Excellence in Healthcare Leadership Awards (Due Date: March 14, 2014 COB). For

more information, visit http://usphs-hso.org/?q=pags/hapag/awards. POC: CDR David Doe ([email protected]) and

CDR Charlene Doe at [email protected].

Ex. Announcement Type: PAG Meeting

PHPAG Career Development Committee Meeting. Meetings occur monthly on the 4th Tuesday from 1:00-1:30pm

EST. For more information, visit the PHPAG Subcommittee page: http://usphs-

hso.org/?q=pags/phpag/subcommittees or contact LCDR John Doe (Chair) at [email protected] or LCDR Joanna

Doe (Co-Chair) at [email protected].

Ex. Announcement Type: Job Vacancy

Registered Health Information Technician (Arlington, VA) (Due Date:)

Billet Grades: O-4. Direct Access Reference Number: 000000. For more information visit: (insert link/URL) or

contact: LCDR John Doe at [email protected].

Who to Include on Submission Announcement Email:

http://usphs-hso.org/?q=pags/hapag/awards



http://usphs-hso.org/?q=pags/phpag/subcommittees

http://usphs-hso.org/?q=pags/phpag/subcommittees




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1. All announcements should be approved by your appropriate HS PAC subcommittee/PAG Chain of Command.

2. The following individuals should be copied on all announcement requests: a. HS PAC Subcommittee/PAG Chair b. The HSO Weekly Coordination Team at the announcement request mailbox

([email protected])

All update requests MUST use the format listed on page 1 of this document when submitting your request. This

will also help us track requests and ensure that your announcement is complete. ALL announcements submitted

without the appropriate request form, will be automatically returned to sender.

Please send all announcement requests/questions to HSO Weekly Coordination Team at

[email protected].

Special Announcement Requests:

The purpose of a “Special Announcement” e-mail is to broadcast information that is deemed critical, urgent, and

time sensitive HS PAC business requiring immediate attention from our officers. Information disseminated as a

“Special Announcement” include, but is not limited to job vacancies due to staffing shortages, changes in USPHS

policies and procedures, and loss of an officer. Approval for “Special Announcements” is granted by the HS PAC

Communications Subcommittee Chair(s) and/or the HS PAC Chair. Officers are asked to adhere to the standard

policies and guidelines for submitting announcement requests for the HSO Weekly in order to minimize the need

to send Special Announcements. All announcements are due by 3:00 P.M. EST and must be sent to the

[email protected].

Reducing unwanted e-mail is a challenge and the Communications Subcommittee is working diligently to

streamline announcements sent to the Listserv to ensure all HS PAC Officers receive valuable information.

Length of Time in HSO Weekly:

All announcements will be posted for a minimum of two weeks and maximum of one month. After one month

of being published in the HSO Weekly, your announcement will be retired. PAGs are encouraged to utilize their

respective listservs to ensure ongoing circulation of job vacancy and award announcements.

If you would like your announcement to remain in the HSO Weekly, you must submit a new announcement

request to the HSO Weekly Coordination Team ([email protected]).



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Policy: Social Media

Target Audience: General HS Category Members and Leadership

Purpose: Any HS Category officer can use social media tools without approval. However, the official Social Media

Team resides under the HS PAC Communication Committee. It has specific authority and approval to post

information on behalf of the HS Category on any of our social media outlets (e.g., YouTube, Twitter, Facebook,

etc.).

The following principles apply to professional use of social media on behalf of the HS Category as well as personal

use of social media when referencing the HS Category.

Officers must adhere to the code of conduct United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned

Corps and HS Category policies when using social media in reference to the business of the HS Category;

Officers must be aware of the effect their actions may have on their images, as well as the USPHS

Commissioned Corps and HS Category image. The information that officers post or publish may be public

information for a long time. Some posts and comments in social media spaces may be retained by a third-

party vendor indefinitely.

o Officers must be aware that HS Category may observe content and information made available

by officers through social media. Officers should use their best judgment in posting material that

is neither inappropriate nor harmful to the USPHS Commissioned Corps and HS Category.

o Although not an exclusive list, some specific examples of prohibited social media conduct include

posting commentary, content, or images that are defamatory, pornographic, proprietary,

harassing, libelous, or that can create a hostile work environment.

Officers are not to publish, post or release any information that is considered confidential or not public. If

there are questions about what is considered confidential, officers should check with the XXX.

It is strongly recommended that officers keep HS Category related social media accounts separate from

personal accounts. .

Instructions: If you would like information posted to the official HS Category social media sites

(Facebook, YouTube, Twitter), please do the following:

General announcements (i.e., PAG events, etc.):

Event Host

Title of event

Event Date

Location (if applicable)

Conference line and/or Adobe Connect information

Point of Contact(POC)

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Job vacancy announcements:

Job Title (with Billet/Grade)

Location(s)

Direct Access Reference Number (if applicable)

Weblink/URL (if applicable)

Closing Date

Point of Contact (POC)

Frequency of Use: The Social Media policy shall be used by HS Category officers, Committee, and PAGs on an as

needed basis.

Questions or Comments: If you have any questions, please submit them to the HS PAC Communications Chairs –

CDR Carla Burch ([email protected]) and CDR Makeva Rhoden ([email protected]).

Thank you,




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