Integrating health care systems to support and care for people with substance use disorders
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are complex conditions that continue to impact people from all walks of life. Like many communities across the nation, King County residents are seeing a rise in substance use disorders and overdoses, particularly with the tragic impacts of the fentanyl epidemic being felt across our communities.
This summer, the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) published a blog series focused on what residents should know about King County’s SUD response. You can read more here:
The latest blog in the series will cover the range of health care systems where people can and will access support. Read more.
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Youth learn and develop community leadership skills through Metro Transit Equity Internship Program
Crossposted from Metro Matters
This July, King County Metro hosted its second annual Youth Transit Equity Internship. The program provides a unique group learning and skill-building opportunity for young people interested in public transit and community leadership. Throughout the program, the Transit Equity Interns become peer ambassadors of transportation resources, explore career pathways within Metro, and build skills and knowledge of transit, urban planning, climate justice, and local government! Read more.
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Metro wants to hear from people with disabilities about their mobility needs
Crossposted from Metro Matters
Mobility for people with disabilities has always been a vital part of Metro’s mission and we work hard to remove barriers. Metro is currently developing a plan to further improve accessibility within our programs, services and activities. Our goal is to make it possible for everyone in King County to ride with us and get to the places they need to go.
We invite you to complete our community survey by Oct. 15. Scroll down to learn more about Metro’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan. Your input about your experiences riding Metro and your ideas for enhancing our programs, services and activities for people with disabilities are highly valued. Read more.
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Lorre Wijelath named Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
KCIT is pleased to announce that Lorre Wijelath has been selected for the permanent leadership role of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).
Lorre has served as the interim CISO for the past 11 months and was selected for the permanent position after a competitive recruitment process.
Lorre joined King County in 2020 as a member of KCIT’s Security and Privacy team. Since then, Lorre developed King County’s first data privacy program, responded to critical security incidents, and led significant enterprise initiatives to improve cybersecurity. Previously, Lorre worked with the federal government to protect health information security and privacy, as well as a Seattle-based national healthcare company.
“It is inspiring to work with such an amazing group of professionals who bring passion, enthusiasm, and a deep commitment to keeping King County secure, “ Lorre said. “I look forward to partnering with colleagues across King County to continue strengthening our awareness around the importance of cybersecurity within our community.”
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Executive Constantine proclaims 2023 Falls Prevention Awareness Week
Sept. 18 is the start of Falls Prevention Awareness Week, which Executive Dow Constantine has declared for King County. Falls are the leading cause of injuries for people 65 and older in King County, but they are largely preventable. This week, join county programs and community partners in raising awareness on how to reduce fall risks for our friends, family and ourselves. Learn more here.
Read the full proclamation here.
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King County Security Tips – Unexpected emails
When you receive an email from an online service or business partner that you are not expecting, proceed with caution. For example, if you receive an email from eBay stating that you have just won an online auction, there are a couple of questions you should ask yourself.
- Are you a member of eBay? (This goes for online banking as well. If you receive an email from a bank you do not have an account with, do not click any links)
- Did you bid on any auctions recently? (If you did not bid, you cannot have won)
This does not apply to eBay alone. The bad guys can use any online service such as banking, shopping and social networking to try and trick you. Remember to Stop, Look, and Think before clicking on any email links.
When in doubt, open a web browser and visit the company website of the person who sent you the email. From there you can log in to your account to verify any activity that has taken place. Do not click a link in the email to visit the site. Open a browser and type in the address of the company.
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King County employees receive discounted tickets to UW Husky “Superhero Day” Sept. 23
The University of Washington (UW) Husky football team invites all King County employees to attend the first conference game of the season against the California Golden Bears on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Employees can purchase discounted tickets here. This game is themed “Superhero Day” and will pay tribute to the true superheroes of Seattle – first responders, teachers, healthcare workers, city and county workers, and others.
See all available discounts on the Employee Discount webpage.
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Plan your next adventure with Backyard FunFinder
Did you know that King County has 200+ parks and trails in our Parks system?
It’s easier than ever to plan your next adventure with our new Backyard FunFinder interactive map. This new tool centralizes all King County park, trail, and natural area information in one place and replaces our former Park Finder and Trail Finder tools.
You can search by geographic area, amenities, and recreational opportunities. In addition, you can look up which public transit options are available and if there are any construction projects or other impacts happening in the area.
Go to www.kingcounty.gov/FunFinder to check it out yourself.
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Recognizing Metro’s Operators of the Month, July-August 2023
Crossposted from Metro Matters
They style hair, fix vacuums, garden, run gift shops and study geopolitical history. What they have in common is they enjoy being behind the wheel, serving the public and getting people where they need to go. They are our “rolling ambassadors,” the kind, courteous and helpful smile that greets you every day when you ride with us.
They represent over two centuries of driving experience. The operators who drive your bus are as unique as you, and all of them love driving and giving back to their community.
Meet your Operators of the Month for July and August 2023. Read more.
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We are racially just: Our King County values at work
A message from King County’s Learning & Development team
To reach our True North – a welcoming community where every person can thrive – we must achieve racial justice. “We Are Racially Just” is a core value of King County. Through personal testimonies from King County employees, the We Are Racially Just: Our King County Values at Work eLearning course explores what it means to be racially just and helps to familiarize employees with King County’s Pro-Equity and Anti-Racist actions and identify behaviors that can support these actions at work. This training helps to ensure that each of us understands what it means to be racially just and what we can do in our own work to advance racial justice at King County.
We would like to take a moment to acknowledge all the folks who came together to make this eLearning possible. This was truly a collaborative effort by Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EIB) and HR Managers, the Racially Just Competency Steering Committee, staff from the Office of Equity, Racial, and Social Justice (OERSJ), the OERSJ Advisory Committee, the Workforce Equity team, and many others who contributed countless hours, numerous reviews, and many, many conversations. We’d like to celebrate the work and contributions of our Learning & Development team, our narrators who lent their voices to the eLearning, and all the folks who provided feedback during the development process.
We would also like to show our gratitude to the King County employees who allowed their anonymous stories to be included in the eLearning and the employees who were interviewed for the We Are Racially Just Value video. A special thanks to the folks who helped to ensure that our training was accessible to King County employees with disabilities, our NEOGOV admins, and the folks involved in developing and coordinating the rollout process on the Employee Engagement and King County Communications teams. Finally, a huge shoutout to all the employees who have taken the eLearning and chosen to continue to engage in other learning opportunities across the County to deepen their understanding of racial justice and racial equity.
If taking this eLearning is still on your To Do list, employees who have regular computer access at work should complete the eLearning by December 31, 2023. Those without regular computer access have until September 30, 2024. You can access this NEOGOV eLearning here: We Are Racially Just: Our King County Values at Work. Thank you again to everyone involved in creating a welcoming community at King County where every person can thrive.
Employee News 