Crossposted from Cultivating Connections 

In a continuing effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in the community and to preserve critical hospital beds for those with the most acute healthcare needs, King County has joined with Harborview Medical Center to plan for opening an isolation and recovery center in the county’s Harborview Hall building, located at 326 Ninth Avenue. 

Harborview Hall, which is across the street from Harborview Medical Center, will be repurposed to serve as a recovery site primarily for people who do not have a home to rest and recover and who may have other health needs requiring a level of monitoring. 

Read more from Cultivating Connections

As employees continue to telecommute during the COVID-19 outbreak, KCIT wants to ensure County staff leverage DocuSign for eSignature needs. DocuSign is King County’s enterprise eSignature solution. It allows employees and third parties to digitally sign agreements/approvals quickly, securely, and at no additional cost. Agency leaders should work with their KCIT customer success manager to set up DocuSign accounts for their staff. New users can access training through DocuSign University. For a general overview, please see DocuSign Features and Benefits on its website. 

It is a challenging time for employees, families, and our community as we continue our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, and it is normal to have feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. While many things are beyond our control with this outbreak, there are many things that we can control. When we are anxious and fearful, establishing some control in our lives can be empowering and comforting. 

Balanced You is here to support you as you establish new practices of self-care to support your immune system and overall physical and mental health. Click here to read the rest of this post on Balanced You’s blog.   

On Monday, March 23, Governor Inslee announced a “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, and included a lengthy list of essential services and workforce that can and should continue operating.

Governor Inslee’s order listed a number of workers who his office deemed to be essential.  The Governor’s list also included “Critical government workers, including the Governor’s Office, as defined by the employer and consistent with Continuity of Operations Plans and Continuity of Government plans.”

Last fall, all King County departments updated their Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) and designated employees as First Responders, Mission-Critical, and Non-Mission Critical in an Emergency. First Responders and Mission-Critical Employees are classified as “critical government workers” for the purposes of the Governor’s Order, and accordingly are expected to continue to report to work in person or telework per existing arrangements. Departments can change employee designations as needed, and must inform employees accordingly.

Under King County’s Temporary Leave and Telecommuting Policy, First Responders “have the highest duty to report to work as directed in emergency conditions,” and Mission-Critical Employees “must be available to perform their duties as determined by their agency management.” This is as important as ever during our COVID-19 response.

The health and safety of our employees and community remains our top priority and, as always, please follow state and local guidance to stay healthy and stop the spread of COVID-19. As a reminder, many people experience mild symptoms, but those at high risk can potentially experience severe illness. Those who are considered high risk include:

• People 60 and older
• People with underlying health conditions, including heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes
• People who have weakened immune systems
• People who are pregnant

For employees who are not First Responders or Mission-Critical, King County is now mandating telecommuting for those employees whose work allows for it, with supervisor approval, through Friday, April 24.

If an employee needs to take leave, options include:

• Accrued, federal (starts April 1), and donated leave
• Leave Without Pay
• If employees do not have accrued leave to cover their absence, they may request COVID-19 leave from their supervisor.

Thank you for everything that you are doing to help our community as we battle this virus.

Crossposted from Public Health Insider 

A new public campaign launched, called “Stand Together, Stay Apart.” Public Health—Seattle & King County launched a new data dashboard to update daily case counts and deaths. Public Health announced 82 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the official case count in King County to 1359. In addition, six new deaths are reported, bringing the total of deaths in King County to 100. 

Story: Stand Together, Stay Apart 

Public Health—Seattle & King County has launched a new public information campaign called, Stand Together, Stay Apart in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign urges people to stay home, limit their contact with others, and take the necessary precautions when making essential trips outside the home. 

Read more from Public Health Insider