Nonprofit application cycle and workshops
For over 30 years, King County employees have been giving to participating nonprofits of their choice through the Employee Giving Program. This past year we pledged nearly $2.4 million!
For nonprofit organizations to benefit from this program, they must apply annually and meet the eligibility requirements — even if they have participated in the past.
Nonprofits are encouraged to join a workshop before applying. Participants in a workshop are more likely to submit error-free, eligible applications.
- Tuesday, April 12 at 9 a.m. Register here.
The application deadline is May 4, 2022. Click here for additional information.
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Join Commute Seattle’s Earth Day challenge
During the month of April, pledge to “spare the air” by substituting three car trips with climate-friendly travel choices for a chance to win a $100 gift card. You can enter by committing to use one of these earth-friendly options:
- Bike
- Walk
- Bus/Light Rail
- Water Taxi/Ferry
- Carpool/Vanpool
Click here to sign up for the challenge. You’ll be asked for some basic information so we can send a few reminders and resources throughout the month. At the end of April, five winners will be randomly selected to receive $100 gift cards!
If you have any questions about your employee transportation benefits, please visit the Employee Transportation Program (ETP) page or contact the ETP manager, Hossein Barahimi directly.
Learn more about Commute Seattle’s Earth Day Challenge by visiting their website at https://www.commuteseattle.com/2022-earth-day-challenge.
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Leadership change at KCIT
Tanya Hannah, King County’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director of our Department of Information Technology, has announced that she is leaving King County.
Executive Constantine appointed Tanya as CIO four years ago, in April 2018, and during that time she has overseen numerous technology projects and improvements at King County to help customers quickly and simply access our information and services. She also helped the County radically change the way it operates and delivers services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along the way the department and Tanya herself received several national awards and recognitions.
Tanya’s last day with King County is May 1.
KCIT will be in good hands in the short term as David Mendel, Director of the Emergency Radio Communications (ERC) Division, has accepted the CIO position on an interim basis. A military veteran with 22 years’ service in the U.S. Navy as an Electronics Technician, David joined King County in 2005 as Regional Communication Services Manager. David is a certified Project Management Professional and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from City University in Seattle and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri.
Tanya and David will now begin transition planning to ensure a smooth and seamless leadership change. We will soon begin a nationwide search for a permanent CIO, and we will provide more details on this process soon.
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April is Records and Information Management Month
Humans have been creating records for over 5,000 years. For most of that time, records have been created in similar ways – by entering data on physical objects, like paper (or clay tablets). The advent of electronic records in the late 20th century pushed many of us into rapid change, adapting to new technologies and processes. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a quick change in how we work, as many county agencies shifted to electronic processes and made efforts to digitize their physical records and “go paperless”.
The King County Records Management Program is celebrating April as Records and Information Management Month by recognizing the important role that records play in our daily work.
The proper management of records offers many benefits including lowering risk for King County and helping each of us find the information needed to do our jobs. It also aligns with various countywide initiatives and values such as Lean/Continuous Improvement, the True North Value “we are responsible stewards”, as well as Equity and Social Justice by encouraging transparency in the work that we do.
What you can do
There are many ways that employees can contribute to good records management:
- Take Basic Records Management training (15 minutes)
- File inactive electronic records to Content Manager
- Delete transitory records
- Organize/sort records in Outlook or OneDrive
- Review your agency’s records retention schedule
- Review your agency’s standard work documentation (Standard Operating Procedures / SOPs) to ensure that records management steps are captured.
History of Records Management in King County
King County records have existed since the county was formed in 1852. But it was many decades before there was any systematic control over county records. By the late 1960s, the county eventually recognized the need for better control over its records. This corresponded to a general nationwide push towards better records management in the 1970s and the passage of various public disclosure laws, including the Washington State Public Records Act. In 1971, King County Executive Order 1070 called for the creation of a county records management program. Over the next several decades, the purpose of the program was in developing records retention schedules and managing physical records in storage. The first King County records retention schedule was developed in 1972.
The 1980s saw various improvements to the county’s records management processes, including the creation of the King County Records Center and the King County Archives. Throughout this time, focus of the program continued to be the management of paper records. Then after a major lawsuit in 2000 regarding violations of the Public Records Act, King County realized they needed to properly manage electronic records. As a result, the county made efforts to acquire a countywide electronic records management system. The first system, KC ERMS (aka CARM) was in place between 2008 and 2019. In 2019, KC ERMS was retired and replaced by the current system, Content Manager (CM), which went live on October 7, 2019.
As of today, Content Manager is used to house over 17 million electronic records and to inventory over 100,000 boxes in off-site storage.
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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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