Washington State’s new immunization law: How does it affect you?
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
Your back to school routine may look a little different this year. That’s because Washington State recently passed a law removing personal/philosophical exemptions for MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. The law also requires employees and volunteers at licensed childcare centers to provide immunization records indicating they’ve received the MMR vaccine or have proof of immunity.
Read more from Public Health Insider
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Walkpools: Safety in numbers
Have you heard of walkpooling?
Walkpooling is a buddy-up initiative that helps employees travel safely. Some of you have said you’d feel more comfortable walking to and from work with a buddy, and walkpools are a great option; whether you walk long distances, walk early in the morning or late in the evening, or have to navigate transit stations.
Our top three reasons why walkpools are great: safety in numbers, health benefits, and mutual interdependencies that can lead to friendships.
Check out our video, or visit the Employee Transportation Program website for more information.
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Fluid Life Events: Changing your benefits after birth or adoption
Last week, the Business Resource Center (BRC) launched a new PeopleSoft feature, Fluid Life Events, that allows you to make benefit changes online from any mobile device or computer. You can make changes to your medical, dental, vision, life, and AD&D coverage if you experience one of the following life events: marriage, divorce, birth, or adoption.
You can still submit paper Qualifying Life Event forms and documentation to the Benefits office if you prefer; these forms can also be used for life events not yet available in PeopleSoft.
Birth and Adoption
The addition of a new dependent child due to birth or adoption is considered a qualifying life event, which allows you to make changes to your benefits mid-year. After welcoming a child into the family, you may want to add them to your coverage and consider other benefit changes. Make any benefits changes within 60 days of birth or 30 days from the adoption date.
For detailed step-by-step instructions, see:
Click here for information about the Marriage and Divorce life events.
Questions? To help the Business Resource Center continue to deliver excellent service, please use the PeopleSoft Life Events Employee Feedback Tool. If you have questions about your benefits, contact Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations at 206-684-1556 or KC Benefits.
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‘BUPE Pathways’ Program reduces illicit opioid use and improves quality of life
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
In downtown Seattle, a program to treat opioid use disorder that is co-located with needle exchange services is showing promise for reaching people experiencing homelessness. The program is based on a public health model that provides immediate, client-centered care and access to buprenorphine.
Initial findings from two different sources of data shows that the innovative Buprenorphine Pathways (Bupe Pathways) program may reduce opioid use and improve the health and well-being of some of our most vulnerable community members. A recent article in the journal Substance Abuse found that Bupe Pathways was successful at retaining people who often face barriers to more traditional treatment settings and showed evidence of reduction in opioid use. A separate qualitative evaluation found the program improved patients’ general health, access to health care, relationships and housing.
At the core of the model is co-locating the clinic with the Public Health Needle Exchange and the Downtown Public Health Center. This allows patients to begin treatment with buprenorphine as close to the time as they are ready, as opposed to waiting for appointments or needing to travel to other sites. The clinic also connects people to social services.
Read more from Public Health Insider
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Franco honored with Veteran of the Year Award
The Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA), has honored Business Resource Center team member Chris Franco with its prestigious Veteran of the Year Award. This award celebrates Franco and how he exemplifies courage, honor, and is a beacon for other Latinos to follow. ALPFA also recognized Chris for embodying selfless service, integrity, honor, and respect, and his role in the community as a leader of character.
“It means a lot to me personally. My family is a family of immigrants and veterans,” Franco said. “I’ll be working very hard to earn it in full and pay it forward.”
Franco is the Procure to Pay Lead in the BRC. He is also co-chair of the King County Latinx Employees Affinity Group. Both Franco’s grandparents immigrated from Mexico. His grandfather became a U.S. citizen by joining the Army. Franco’s father and Franco himself followed his footsteps and joined the Army as well.
“I’m especially proud to be a King County employee working to advance equity and social justice,” Franco added.
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Empowering employees to prioritize Equity and Social Justice
The Solid Waste Division is helping build a more equitable and just King County by empowering its employees with new equity and social justice awareness and skills through a series of interactive training sessions.
The Solid Waste Division (SWD) of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks engaged employees in 12 open discussion sessions where they went through the fundamentals of equity and social justice (ESJ) and what it means to establish a pro-equity environment where every person can thrive – internally and in the community.
“I saw this awareness throughout the division grow,” Alejandra Calderon, Program Manager of Solid Waste Division and ESJ lead, said. “It’s changing the culture, and people are starting to understand that ESJ is a part of us, I’m seeing the change of how we work.”
Providing inclusive learning opportunities has its challenges in SWD, where employees – especially those in Operation, are dispersed across 10 different locations, and have limited access to email and their colleagues. Division managers made sure that all employees had the opportunity to participate, providing staffing back up and dividing the trainings into different sessions so that all employees, and leveraging existing mandatory training events to include core ESJ training.
Sessions were interactive and employees had the opportunity to ask questions, discuss, and learn from division managers and one another about ESJ fundamentals. The training helped staff understand the importance of ESJ and how they can incorporate it into their daily work.
The results speak for themselves: the percentage of SWD employees who participated in ESJ training increased from 2% in 2017 to 85% in 2018.
“There were many people involved in making sure we were successful and got the word out for ESJ training,” Alejandra said. “All section managers are very involved in equity and social justice, so it trickles down with them.”
The Solid Waste Division is moving forward to discuss how ESJ can be incorporated in every employee’s role, so all employees understand how to incorporate ESJ work in every step of a project or service.
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Stay safe in the heat
Forecasts call for “unseasonable heat” today and tomorrow. Here are some tips to help you manage the heat:
For everyone
- Check on at-risk friends, family, and neighbors.
- If you’re outdoors, take breaks in the shade or in air-conditioned buildings. Avoid direct contact with the sun.
- Avoid exercising or strenuous activity in the afternoon, when the heat is most intense.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink more.
- NEVER leave infants, children, or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open! It only takes a few minutes for severe medical problems and even death to occur.
- Watch for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Seek medical care immediately if you know someone who experiences symptoms.
For outdoor workers
- Take breaks in the shade or in an air-conditioned space.
- Stay hydrated.
- If possible, avoid more strenuous outdoor activity in the afternoons.
For certain populations
Some people are at higher risk for serious health problems like heart attacks, stroke, and kidney failure on hot days. People in these groups should take extra precautions to stay cool, drink water, and take breaks from the heat:
- Older adults
- Young children
- People with chronic health conditions or mental illness
- Athletes who exercise outdoors
- Outdoor workers
- People living unsheltered or homeless
Certain health conditions and medications make people more sensitive to heat. Check with your doctor about whether you are at greater risk.
Signs of heat exhaustion:
- Heavy sweating
- Weakness
- Cold, pale, and clammy skin
- Weak pulse
- Fainting
- Vomiting
Signs of heat stroke:
- High body temperature (103° F or higher)
- Hot, dry skin
- Rapid and strong pulse
- Possible unconsciousness
More information: www.kingcounty.gov/BeatTheHeat
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Employee Discounts to 2019 Washington State Fair and University of Washington football
Washington State Fair: Employees can save on tickets to the Washington State Fair, Aug. 30 – Sept. 22. Click here for instructions on how to purchase your discount tickets. Once you are logged into the Corporate Perks portal, your discount pricing will be unlocked. There is no need to enter an additional discount code.
University of Washington football: UW vs. Eastern Washington University, Saturday Aug. 31, and UW vs. USC, Saturday, Sept. 28. To access the discount, visit this link here. Questions? Contact Justin Rothbaum at 206-685-8429 or jrothbaum@pac-12sales.com.
See all available employee discounts at www.kingcounty.gov/employeediscounts.
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How can Metro meet the needs of our growing county and help solve the climate crisis? We need to hear from you!
Crossposted from Metro Matters
King County is growing quickly. Our economy is doing well, but unfortunately, rising housing prices mean that many people must live farther from work and drive long distances. That’s not good for quality of life, and it’s not good for the environment – transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in King County. At the same time, innovations in mobility services mean there are many more ways to get around than ever before, but many of these services can be expensive and lead to more cars on the road and more pollution in the air.
King County Metro needs your help to address these challenges.
We are the largest transit provider in King County, but we know we must do more.
Read more from Metro Matters
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Fluid Life Events: Changing your benefits after marriage or divorce
Certain life events may impact your benefits and allow you to make changes mid-year. This week, the Business Resource Center and the Benefits office launched a new PeopleSoft feature, Fluid Life Events, that allows you to make benefit changes online from any mobile device or computer. You can make changes online to your medical, dental, vision, life, and AD&D coverage if you experience one of the following life events: marriage, divorce, birth, or adoption.
You can still submit paper Qualifying Life Event forms and documentation to the Benefits office if you prefer; these forms can also be used for life events not yet available in PeopleSoft.
Marriage is considered a qualifying life event, which allows you to make changes to your benefits mid-year. You and your new spouse should evaluate your benefit options to be sure your coverage makes sense for your new family. Make any benefits changes within 30 days of your marriage. For detailed step-by-step instructions, see Changing Benefits in PeopleSoft: Marriage.
Divorce is also a qualifying life event, which allows you to make changes to your benefits mid-year. Make any benefits changes within 30 days of your divorce. For detailed step-by-step instructions, see Changing Benefits in PeopleSoft: Divorce.
Information about the Birth and Adoption life events will be covered in the next Employee News.
Questions? To help the Business Resource Center continue to deliver excellent service, please use the PeopleSoft Life Events Employee Feedback Tool. If you have questions about your benefits, contact Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations at 206-684-1556 or KC Benefits.
Employee News 