Their mission: Modernize the CFJC’s medical records
As shared from Roll Call: the DAJD newsletter, December 2021 – January 2022 issue
A promising shift could soon deliver more streamlined medical care for youth at the Patricia H. Clark Children & Family Justice Center (CFJC).
“I can’t tell you how excited I am about having an opportunity to switch over to electronic medical records,” Juvenile Division Director Allen Nance said recently.
During the second quarter of 2022, a project team will be migrating CFJC’s paper charts to software developed by Epic, a Wisconsin-based company that’s a leader in the medical records field. The team overseeing the switch toured the CFJC in November. They’re being led by DAJD’s Tricia Diamond (PPM IV, DAJD) and Jason Ortiz (HIT PPM IV) from Public Health.
“Epic provides an opportunity to ensure our workflows provide youth with continuity of care based on equitable access while ensuring continuous improvement,” Diamond said.
Epic is a federally certified electronic medical records system that the DAJD and Jail Health Services use at the adult jails. More than 50% of the U.S. population have their medical records in Epic. DAJD will now expand its use to the CFJC.
The move offers advantages for optimizing health care, managing staff time more efficiently, and protecting patient privacy (HIPAA). Nance said that’s particularly important when serving marginalized communities, where access to quality health care may have been spotty.
“A lot of young people come here and get treatment they’ve never received before,” Nance said. “This will be a way for us to advance their medical care in ways we have failed to do in the past. In addition, records of treatment that a youth received at the CFJC will be available to medical providers upon the youth’s return to community.”
The new records system will provide medical staff with information about previous treatment, vaccination history and more. Staff can also look forward to leaving the old system of paper charts behind – and some relief from the task of deciphering doctors’ notoriously illegible scrawl.
“We are excited to bring CFJC onto the Epic system!” said Ortiz, the Public Health project manager who’s helping to lead the migration. “We will bring forward the lessons learned from all the prior implementations to benefit the youth and staff at CFJC.”
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First heavy-duty mechanics graduate from Fleet apprenticeship program
Cross-posted from Executive Services Express
Fleet Services management, colleagues and guests gathered on March 3 to celebrate Tina Taylor, Michael Domiquel, and Mason Keselburg for their successful completion of a two-year apprenticeship program.
The Apprenticeship Program was designed to solve several problems. First, there is a nation-wide shortage of heavy-duty mechanics, a problem forecast to only get worse as more people retire each year than join the trade. The program is designed to grow the workforce from within to provide an ongoing source of qualified mechanics. The program also allows apprentices to become career-service employees at the end of the two-year program. Read the full announcement here.
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Pilot program offers new ways to turn plastics into new products
On Global Recycling Day, there’s a new way for people in Seattle and King County to keep more plastics out of the landfill and recycle them into new products instead. A new pilot program offers a convenient place to drop off plastic wraps, plastic bags, and plastics bubble wrap and mailers, which are not currently accepted in blue bins.
King County’s Solid Waste Division and Seattle Public Utilities joined the American Chemistry Council, Return-It, Merlin Plastics, and local grocers to publicly launch the new plastic packaging drop-off collection pilot. The three-month pilot will increase the recycling of plastic wraps and bags – known as film packaging – and convert it into new plastic packaging and products, creating a true closed loop system.
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King County Parks is the largest park system in the nation to earn Salmon-Safe certification
After a rigorous review by environmental nonprofit Salmon-Safe and its independent science team, King County Parks became the largest park system in the country to earn certification.
Read the full announcement and watch a brief video about the certification here.
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Administrative Professionals Day is April 27
Share your appreciation by recognizing an administrative professional today.
Register here to attend the virtual recognition and celebration of administrative professionals on Wednesday, April 27 at noon.
Event details will be provided. All King County employees are invited to attend. For more information, visit www.kingcounty.gov/administrativeprofessionals.
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Equity in vaccination is a community effort
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider
As of this month, over 85% of all eligible King County residents have completed their vaccination series. If you look at just residents ages 16 and older, over 80% have received the two-dose series across racial groups and geographies in King County.
The high levels of vaccination are even more striking in light of existing and continuing inequities that have created obstacles to vaccination for people. Read more here about how this effort came to succeed.
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RSVP today for special Trinity Nightclub livestream of Mayors’ Concert for Ukraine and Refugees Worldwide
Tickets are all gone for the April 4 fundraising “Mayors’ Concert for Ukraine and Refugees Worldwide,” but you’re invited to attend a special livestream party at Trinity Nightclub to with all proceeds going to the Seattle Refugee Fund.
Please RSVP by 5 p.m. today, using this form so that event organizers can prepare to host this special fundraiser. The event is planned for 7 p.m. on Monday, April 4 at Trinity Nightclub at 107 Occidental Ave. S. in Seattle. Your attendance is strictly voluntary, and employees will not be compensated or receive overtime for attending.
The concert will also be live streamed via local NBC affiliate KING-TV’s digital platforms, and broadcast live on KONG-TV (channel 16 serving the Seattle and Tacoma area), the Seattle Channel, and Seattle Symphony Live, the Symphony’s streaming platform.
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VIDEO: Executive thanks employees for support of Ukraine giving campaign
King County Executive Dow Constantine was at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Monday evening to see off a load of humanitarian supplies headed to Ukraine to help the people impacted by the Russian invasion.
Executive Constantine also recorded a short video message, where he thanked King County employees for their generous support of the special Employee Giving Program for the Ukrainian people. Watch the video below.
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King County celebrates Women in Technology Day, March 26
In recognition of Women’s History Month, King County Executive Dow Constantine has issued a proclamation celebrating Women In Technology Day on March 26, 2022.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 25% of jobs in the tech industry are held by women – this is the lowest percentage of women in technology since before 1980. Hispanic and African American women are the most under-represented groups, making up only 4% of the computing workforce, and almost no senior leadership roles.
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