Good Morning - let me start by wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

In the spirit of the season let us all stop and be conscious of the wonderful gifts we have been blessed with and thank God for the things we often take for granted - thanks for the gift of laying down our heads last night and rising up this morning.

Thanks for our good health, our families, our friends and the ability to come together today with so many of our colleagues committed to our common goal of improving the quality of life for those residents of our community most in need.

Let me also take this opportunity to offer, on behalf or the residents of Nassau County, a special thank you to all of you who toil in the vineyards of Health and Human Service fields. Your work produces great fruit in the joy you bring to those who would not, but for your effort, have any.

The holiday season is an especially difficult time for each of you who come in constant contact with the often saddening misery of misfortune that is visited on the many people you serve. So many people, suffer so much - sudden physical illness, family calamity, unemployment, or mental disease resulting from combat, tragic accidents or genetic disposition - you are the ones who share their ups and downs.

I know it must be draining on each of you. "Burn out" is a common expression in your profession. But because you persevere, because you continue to work hard, you are able to deliver miracles into people's lives on a daily basis. Because you do not hear it often enough - thank you - thank you - thank you.

Today, I have asked you to join with us as we lay out our ambitious "No Wrong Door" policy which we hope will one day serve as a national model for the delivery of Health and Human Services.

Before moving forward it is important to first recount some recent history.

Almost three years ago, back on January 1st, 2002, my first day in office, I stood before many of you at the Tilles Center at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University as I delivered my inaugural address. I stated to you on that cold winter's afternoon:

Before we could begin to strive as idealists today, we had to first recognize that the fiscal problems we faced then, were indeed no illusion.

As you remember, in 2002, Nassau County was facing a projected $428 million deficit. Under the threat of State takeover, we were ordered to present a plan to solve the County's fiscal crisis.

On the evening of Apri1 1, 2002, just 90 days in office, I stood before the Nassau County Legislature, members of the press and the public, and after years of bad-news-phony budgets, bond rating downgrades, rumblings of bankruptcy, broken promises, bad priorities, depression and despair, I asked the people of Nassau to trust us - to pull together and move forward.

I presented our fiscal recovery plan and I pledged:

Several weeks ago we fulfilled that pledge when I presented, and the legislature unanimously adopted, my second consecutive "no tax increase" balanced budget. We have balanced every budget, we have had surpluses each year and for the first time in twelve years, Nassau County's Bonds are rated "A" by Moodys, Fitch and Satndard and Poors. In fact we are the only municipality in the nation to have our bonds upgraded 8 times within a one and one half year period. Today it is especially important to note that we have dramatically turned around our county finances without once cutting a single Health and Human Service program.

And while our previous budgets have presented efforts to prevent the county from going under, we are now in a position to make significant investments to move our county forward - to make it smarter, better and stronger.

Our "No Wrong Door" policy is one of these significant and positive investments in our County's future. This innovative, compassionate and smart program that brings us all together today is one of our most ambitious, rewarding and important initiatives to date.

People have asked why, at a time when Counties around the state are confronted with continued fiscal challenges, are we undertaking such a bold program?

The answer is simple: because it's the right thing to do for our County's neediest citizens and it's the smart thing to do fiscally for our taxpayers.

The message of America's Thanksgiving is simple and entirely appropriate for why we are here today: there should be room for everybody at the table.

Our nation has worked for decades to create a society that provides room at the table for everyone. There are dozens of federal, state and local programs that offer assistance for those that are most in need. The problem is that the complexity of the bureaucracy, the overlapping of programs, and the lack of communication between providers often deliver services in a piecemeal, emergency basis.

Today we offer the idea that there should be "No Wrong Door" to get to that table and we should try and look to provide services in a more comprehensive, coordinated fashion so that we can help people solve the problems they face and in doing so make their lives better and at the same time save money.

Angeles Davila, a Social worker with our Department of Health who is here with us to day understands this principle and understands what we are trying to do with No Wrong Door.

Angeles brought to our Health and Human Service vertical's new "Case of the Week" meeting the case of a young family with a 17 month old child that was involved in our Health Department's Community Health Worker Program that follows young children to the age of two. This family faced major issues beyond the 17 month old child.

The father, only in his early 30's had a seizure more than a year prior and had surgery to remove part of his brain. He was languishing in a nursing facility for over a year. The young mother, in her mid-twenties, was very concerned that he was not getting the care he needed to recover. He was getting very little physical therapy, and the hospital staff often complained that he weeped all day.

The Health Department was able to advocate on this patient's behalf with the medical director of the facility. As a result, the father received mental health counseling for his depression and regular physical therapy sessions.

The wife was referred for food stamps, which she received by going to DSS's new Thursday evening hours. She was also referred to other services available in the community - including mental health services and the local head injury association so that the family could learn more about the illness and advocate on their own behalf.

Housing was also an issue for this family. The family was placed on a Section 8 waiting list. Accessible housing would allow the father to visit the family on the weekends. Several months later this family was able to find accessible housing and moved into their own apartment - the father is now able to visit his family on the weekends.

It has been about a year and a half since this case was reviewed by the group. As a result of the combined efforts, this family received the medical care necessary to recover as much as possible, a section 8 voucher for accessible housing, and mental health counseling, that would allow them the stability necessary to raise their young child. The family is now stable and the last time the health department had contact with the family the father was beginning to walk.

Another example of a comprehensive approach to providing care was brought to us by Department of Social Services Assistant Director Kevin Gabrielli, also here today. The case was brought to him by the Nassau County Police Department and involved an elderly man in his late 70's, whom the police found disoriented and wandering near a Long Island Railroad station.

Under the old system, the person would have been screened only for eligibility for temporary emergency assistance; by state law he would have to wait up until 45 days for ongoing cash benefits. In this case, applying a No Wrong Door perspective, Mr. Gabrielli referred him to Adult Protective Services (APS), a division of the Department of Social Services, which assists adults who lack the capacity to care for themselves.

The APS caseworker met with the individual and explored his situation and needs. It was discovered that he was a Korean War combat veteran. Another door to services was now opened; Veteran Services was contacted and a representative met with the client at DSS. Veteran Services provided emergency housing and medical assistance. Through the medical evaluation depression related to the recent loss of his wife was uncovered and a referral made to the Nassau County Mental Health Department's Case Management Program.

Over the next few weeks, Mental Health, A.P.S., and Veteran services worked as a team to stabilize the client's condition and find him permanent, affordable housing.

A referral to the Office of Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs' Section 8 Housing Program was made and through the excellent efforts of the staff an apartment in Southwestern Nassau County was found for the veteran. In addition, the team made sure he received his Veteran's pension and also helped him access the services of the Department of Senior Citizen Affairs. This department connected him to an adult dayactivity program near his home.

As a result of close interdepartmental cooperation-a fundamental premise of No Wrong Door-this elderly gentleman awakens every day in his own home, is free from the fear of hunger, and has been reconnected with others and to a sense of community support All this has been accomplished without this individual becoming a long-term burden to Nassau County taxpayers.

Ladies and gentlemen - these cases - two of many -- reflect the essential qualities of "No Wrong Door." Today we begin our long term efforts to ensure that this no longer the exception - but the rule.

So what is No Wrong Door?

"No Wrong Door" is a single point of entry into the County's Health and Human Services system. Our Health and Human Services clients will in the summer of 2005 be able to walk through one door and gain access to all the social service programs they may need and may be eligible for.

Let's be clear - for decades governments, including our own, have approached the delivery of social and human services in a piecemeal manner. We, like everyone else, developed social welfare programs incrementally. Our collective approach in this area could be best summed up in the title of Bruce Janssen's book, "The Reluctant Welfare State."

Modern health and human service delivery programs have their roots in the 20th century. The American Welfare State truly came to being in the 1960s with the passage of President Johnson's "Great Society" - when the federal government became the guarantor of health care for the elderly and the poor with programs such as food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid. Coincidentally, this is the same period during which Nassau County, American's first suburban county, was seeing explosive growth in our population.

During the late 1960's, LBJ's "Great Society" lead people to believe that through legislation, government has all the answers to eliminate social problems in the United States.

During this period, countless pieces of legislation were passed. All the legislation, while well intentioned were often poorly implemented. But that era taught us that you cannot legislate compassion -- you cannot legislate common sense -- you cannot legislate practical thinking and you cannot legislate good management.

Since then, did Nassau County meet the mandates of the law? Yes.Were needs met? Yes.

Were services delivered? Yes.

Was it done in the most effective and caring way possible? No.

Face it - In December of 2001, Nassau County was rated "The Worst Run County" in the United States of America by the Maxwell School of Public Policy. For a County that did not manage anything well, Health and Human Service Departments received little attention whatsoever.

Today, we begin a long journey to provide better, more effective services to our residents most in need. We will do so, not by spending more money, but by managing better, communicating better and coordinating our existing resources more effectively. In fact it will help more people and save money.

Before sharing my power point presentation, let me thank my team - lead by deputy County Executive Dr. Mary Curtis and her team of Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Department heads and line workers for the work they have done and continue to do.