Health Hero Kanesa Monroe balances work and parenting in the pandemic
During Black History Month, Balanced You is excited to recognize our many talented Black employees in different bodies of work around the county. Health Hero, Kanesa Monroe, is a single mother and a LAN Administrator Journey with KCIT.
In this video, she talks about working on the onboarding management system, while juggling being a mom and making sure her daughter gets the attention she needs. Click here to watch the video to learn more of Kanesa’s story and hear her advice to all parents who are working from home during the pandemic.
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Black History Month Stories of Hope: Naisha Williams
The King County MLK Day Committee is sharing Stories of Hope first presented during the 2022 Martin Luther King Day celebration in honor of Black History Month.
Watch this video to meet Naisha Williams, a Manager in Public Health working on the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Program, as she shares her story of hope.
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Join King County’s ‘Stream Team,’ the environmental scientists who hunt for bugs to monitor the health of local watersheds
King County is tracking the health of local watersheds by deploying a small, elite team of young environmental scientists who capture and study bugs in local streams.
Recruiting for the 2022 Stream Team roster begins soon. Each summer, the paid Environmental Aides put on boots and waders to bushwhack their way to 200 streams throughout the county to collect samples as part of an ongoing research project to track trends on water and habitat health.
Cick here to watch a video to learn more about the program and how to apply.
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Black History is American History — Ride Metro to visit local African American historical sites
Cross-posted from Metro Matters
In a collaborative project, community activists, the Black Heritage Society of Washington State and King County Metro created 40 photo murals installed in seven bus shelters in the Central District recognizing the living legacy of African Americans in this community—shelters you of course can reach by bus.
Click here to read more about these installations and how to experience other historic locations in the community.
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Have you had your COVID-19 booster shot?
Boosters significantly cut down your risk of getting severely ill. You’re eligible for a booster if it’s been at least five months since your primary vaccination series with either Pfizer or Moderna, or at least two months since your Johnson & Johnson vaccination.
Free Community Vaccination Centers
Community Vaccination Centers are open for first dose, second dose, and boosters for adults and children.
- Federal Way Performing Arts Center now through Feb. 18, and Feb. 20 to Feb. 28 from noon to 7 p.m. Appointments and drop-ins are welcome. Click here to schedule an appointment.
- Auburn Community Vaccination Center is open now through Feb. 12 from noon to 7 p.m. Appointments and drop-ins are welcome. Click here to schedule an appointment.
For more options, visit www.kingcounty.gov/vaccine.
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Executive proclaims February to be Black History Month in King County
King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed February 2022 to be Black History Month in King County. Established in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month is celebrated every February in recognition of achievements by Black Americans and all people of African descent in the United States.
The 2022 Black History Month theme, “Black Health and Wellness,” selected by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, honors the legacy of not only Black scholars and practitioners in Western medicine, but birth workers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, and herbalists, and the battle to end historical and ongoing health disparities affecting the Black community. This theme is reflective of King County’s June 2021 declaration that Racism is a Public Health Crisis.
Read the Executive’s full proclamation below.
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Better cybersecurity, fewer password resets
Password resets every 90 days have been an essential part of our cybersecurity and compliance routine for decades. But starting this February, expired passwords will become less frequent thanks to modern cybersecurity practices such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
Instead, King County employees will only receive password reset prompts when our system detects a security incident has compromised your current login info; at that point, you’ll need to verify your identity with MFA and immediately set a new password before you’re allowed to log in.
“About 15 percent of KCIT’s daily calls are for password reset help,” said Mike Kaser, King County’s Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer. “This new password policy will streamline employees’ online experience and reduce call volume to the Helpdesk.”
Does this apply to all King County systems?
Not yet – this new password policy only applies to systems that are integrated with King County’s Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions. This includes your Microsoft 365 accounts, PeopleSoft, and your King County email. Other systems that are not protected by modern security such as MFA will still require regular password changes.
Do I need to reset my password if I recently received a prompt?
You should respond to all password reset requests. However, you should see fewer of them!
I’m getting a lot of password reset prompts – should I be worried?
If you start receiving frequent password reset prompts, it may be that your account has been compromised. Please submit a Security Incident ticket to the KCIT Helpdesk for assistance.
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Meet the Benefits and Retirement Navigators
Navigators are available to help you understand the complexities of your robust King County employee benefits and learn everything you need to know about preparing for retirement.
The Benefits Navigator and the Retirement Navigator are part of the Department of Human Resources’ Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Operations Section and they are available year-round to talk with you about your benefit and retirement-related questions and concerns.
Benefits Navigator Matt Munson: Matt.Munson@kingcounty.gov
Talk with Matt to learn more about:
- Employee benefit choices
- New employee benefit education sessions
- Selecting a medical plan that fits your family’s needs
- Understanding how your benefits work
- Changing your benefits outside of the normal enrollment periods
- Benefit Access Fees, deductibles, FSAs, and more
Matt hosts Benefits Information and Q&A sessions for newly-hired employees, but all are welcome to attend to get more information about employee benefits. Please email Matt for more information and to register. Future classes and sessions forthcoming—stay tuned!
Retirement Navigator Carmen Johnson: Carmen.Johnson@kingcounty.gov
Talk with Carmen to learn more about:
- Planning for retirement and eligibility
- Your Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) pension
- Medicare, COBRA, and Medicare Advantage plans available to King County retirees
- Social Security
- The Deferred Compensation Plan and purchasing service credits
- Retirement forms, procedures and more
Carmen also leads a variety of classes that focus on the retirement process. Learn more and register using the links below:
Road to Retirement (R2R) – Everything you need to know to retire from King County
Medicare 101 – The basics of Medicare and information about the Medicare Advantage Plans offered by Regence and Kaiser Permanente
Your PERS Pension – Information about your pension through the DRS Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS)
Introduction to Social Security– The basics of Social Security and retirement
Please feel free to reach out to Matt Munson or Carmen Johnson with your benefits and retirement questions—they are always happy to help!
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Make your nominations for Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards
Nominations are now open for the Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards to recognize individual employees and workgroups whose innovations and improvements are delivering excellence for our customers, our organization, and our region.
This year, we will honor Executive branch employees and teams for their exceptional contributions in leadership, innovation, and Lean maturity in the past 12 months. We have three award categories: Innovation awards for Cost, Equity and social justice, People, Service, and Sustainability; Leadership Excellence awards for people leaders and individual contributors; and the Road to Excellence awards for divisions that achieve one of three levels of progress in the Lean Maturity Model.
The nomination period is now open through February 22, and anyone can nominate individual Executive branch employees or teams for the Innovation and Leadership Excellence Awards. Please look back over the past year and make your nominations now while 2021 projects are still fresh in mind. You may review the nomination criteria here.
Thank you for helping us recognize the successes and accomplishments of our colleagues – individually and collectively.
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At-home COVID-19 tests now covered by your medical plan
Federal guidelines were released last week that require all health plans to pay for FDA-approved over-the-counter (OTC) at-home COVID-19 tests purchased on or after Jan. 15, 2022.
If you’re covered by a King County employee medical plan, see the information below about how to get reimbursed. The processes are still being worked out by the health plans, and plans are working to obtain adequate supplies as soon as possible. For now, be sure to save your receipts for at-home COVID-19 tests purchased on or after Jan. 15, 2022.
For SmartCare (Kaiser Permanente) members:
Mail a Member Reimbursement Form and your receipt(s) to Kaiser Permanente. Visit Kaiser’s COVID-19 testing web page for up-to-date information. You can also schedule an in-person COVID-19 test at a Kaiser Permanente facility, if medically appropriate.
For KingCare and KingCare Select (Regence/CVS) members:
CVS, the pharmacy benefit manager for Regence plans, is currently developing its process with network pharmacies to directly bill CVS for at-home COVID-19 tests, but it’s not complete. If your local pharmacy has COVID-19 tests available, you may be able to get them at no cost. If the pharmacy can’t direct bill, you’ll need to buy the test and submit a claim for reimbursement to CVS online or through the CVS app. If you need help, call CVS at 800-552-8159. Have your CVS member ID card handy. The King County group ID number is 0385.
For more information, see the At-home COVID-19 tests FAQ and go to How to get your At-Home Over-The-Counter COVID-19 Test for Free. More information will be shared with employees as it becomes available.
Employee News 