Paul Gowder, HHS staff
August 2003

AUG. 27, 2003 - Paul Gowder and the staff at the state Department of Health and Human Services today received the August Blue Granite Recognition for developing an online portal that allows HHS employees, Medicaid providers and others to work in a remote, secure environment.

Use of the portal by Medicaid providers is expected to save the agency at least $1 million a year in postage.

"The Blue Granite Recognition goes to Paul Gowder and the HHS staff for creating a system that empowered them to serve the public," said Sen. Phil Leventis when he presented the award.

"One specific instance was when bad weather prevented the HHS staff from going to the office," he said. "By facilitating the empowerment of HHS employees through its portal, the state provided another extraordinary outcome for our citizens - - services without disruption even when the weather prevented workers from going to work!"

Leventis said the portal proved its worth over the winter during a snow day when HHS employees weren't able to get to work. When Gowder was working that day on a computer at home, he learned about 800 employees were doing the same thing he was - - using the portal to get work done on a snow day.

OTHER WINNERS November 2005: David Fellows, Jutta Young September 2005: Sumter County DOT staff April 2004: Linda Nodine February 2004: SC Law Enforcement Officers December 2003: David Johnson September 2003: Richard Chesley August 2003: Paul Gowder July 2003: Walter Metz June 2003: SCDOT's Mabry May 2003: Rehabilitation Technology Program April 2003: SCETV

Since then, Gowder and other HHS employees have been meeting with other state agencies to help them learn how to use of portals to improve service delivery online to employees and customers. Gowder also was a recent speaker at the annual Novell conference in Salt Lake City. He is working with several agencies and county governments throughout the U.S. to share information, Leventis said.

"So many wonderful things happen to our citizens and visitors to the state every day because of the dedicated, talented and hardworking state employees like Paul Gowder," Leventis said. "Congratulations to him and the department."

The Blue Granite Recognition is a monthly program to highlight excellence achieved by South Carolina state employees. The Recognition, sponsored by the S.C. State Credit Union, is online at: www.bluegraniterecognition.org. It is deemed a "recognition" because winners are not picked as a result of competitions. They are being recognized for the fine work they do as public employees.

Prior recipients include employees at SCETV, S.C. Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, S.C. Department of Transportation and Walter Metz in the Governor's Ombudsman office.