Nurse Supervisor at Downtown Honored as UW “Nurse of the Year”
The week of May 6-12 was National Nurses Week, and the University of Washington School of Nursing chose a nurse supervisor from Downtown Public Health Center to honor. Jayne Kauzloric was presented with the 2017 “Distinguished Advocate, Administrator, Leader Award” at the 2017 Nurses Recognition Banquet on May 10. The nomination recognized Jayne’s “tireless efforts and impact towards the local community,” highlighting how the award committee was impressed with her dedication to teaching students compassion through implementation of the needle exchange program, the health department’s refugee screening clinic and healthcare for the homeless.
The committee said “Thanks to your work, students have been advocates for the homeless, learning what it means to be a caring and compassionate person and make a difference in the lives of those who go unnoticed and uncared for.”
Currently, Jayne is a supervisor for the Nurse Family Partnership program.
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Reminder: Apply for the 2017 Bridge Fellowship Program, deadline May 24!
Applications are now open for the 2017 Bridge Fellowship Program. The program is an opportunity for employees to gain new skills and knowledge to assist in advancing your career at King County.
Employees who participated in the 2016 Bridge Fellowship praise how the program challenged them to grow as individuals, build professional connections throughout King county and impacted their career trajectory.
“Everything about Bridge – the mind mapping, growth mindset, having curiosity – blew my mind,” said Lynn McKiernan Ngari, a Grants Financial Officer with the Department of Executive Services. “It’s really made me think and focus on being an empathetic listener who listens to understand.”
“In addition to the professional tools and resources that Bridge offered, the biggest impact the Fellowship had on me was the confidence to advocate on my own behalf to move my career forward,” said Kate Stein, a Social Worker in Public Health. “Bridge restored my passion for working for King County.”
Apply for this program to become the next generation of King County leaders. Visit www.kingcounty.gov/bridge for more information and application instructions, or visit the KC Employees blog for more personal testimonies. Note: Please be sure to check the FAQ section as the attendance requirement has been modified.
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Employee channels passion for clean water into career
Meet Sonia-Lynn Abenojar, a Capital Project Manager with Wastewater Treatment Division, and the latest employee to feature in our “Diverse Careers” video series.
“I’ve traveled to many places in the world where clean water systems don’t exist so being part of King County Wastewater Treatment Division has helped me develop a passion for clean water systems and being able to contribute in that way by managing projects,” Sonia said.
King County’s 14,000 employees deliver a wide range of vital services to our residents and region. Our careers provide an opportunity to grow your passion for public service and make a difference in the lives of people across our communities.
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Promoting access to benefits and services for immigrants
Dear fellow King County employee,
Just over two weeks ago, on May 1, we celebrated International Workers Day. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you for the hard work you and all our co-workers are doing to build King County as an inclusive and welcoming county.
My office has been receiving a number of questions from our employees about how they can protect their clients in a situation where immigration agents come to their building. We know that many are concerned about the social and political climate in our communities and we have heard from many employees that your clients are very distressed about potential immigration sweeps.
I have directed a team to work on these issues to ensure that we remain constantly aware about the level of fear and anxiety that members of immigrant and refugee communities are living with at this time. We will do everything we can to promote access to benefits and services for members of the community.
King County has always been a beacon of opportunity for immigrants from around the world. For many years, Immigrants have arrived in King County looking for a better future: setting down roots, opening businesses, and helping with our vital economic growth.
In order for immigrants to have every opportunity to succeed and contribute to their communities and to the county, we must ensure that they have access to vital health, legal, and social services that can help them prosper, while also remaining in compliance with federal laws. I have highlighted some existing principles and pillars of our work as well as some new policies that we are working to put in place on this webpage,
Thank you for all of your work on behalf of the people of King County.
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
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CSA@Work local produce deliveries now reach 13 King County worksites
Crossposted from Healthy Incentives
Now King County employees can choose from three more CSA@Work sites to get local, farm fresh produce deliveries at work. New locations include the King County International Airport/Boeing Field, King County Elections – Renton, and South Base bus terminal.
The CSA@Work program connects four local CSA programs (CSA – Community Supported Agriculture) with select King County worksites. Employees can sign up for the CSA program of their choice and earn Healthy Incentives credit* when they commit to a season of healthy eating.
Read more at Healthy Incentives
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KCIT featured in Microsoft’s Customer Stories
Microsoft has featured their work with King County in a recent “Customer Stories” feature on their website. This story discusses how King County is using Microsoft Dynamics 365 “as a rapid application development engine to replatform legacy applications and create new information systems.”
The prospect of dealing with a government agency puts a knot in the stomach of most Americans. … But, King County, Washington, is committed to changing that view, with a mission to offer residents the ‘best-run government’ with every interaction. -Microsoft
Microsoft spoke with several KCIT leaders working to provide our internal and external customers with a ‘no wrong door’ experience, including IT Service Manager Sandra Valdivia and Senior Manager of Engineering Temujin Baker. Other contributors included Director of the Office of Civil Rights Kelli Williams and Director of Customer Service Natasha Jones.
Visit Microsoft’s Customer Stories to read their story about KCIT.
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Guidance for promoting access to benefits and services for immigrants
Some King County facilities qualify as Sensitive locations with the Department of Homeland Security. Some examples of sensitive locations are schools, hospitals, institutions of worship, and offices providing services for children, pregnant women, and victims of domestic abuse or individuals with significant mental or physical disabilities. The policy does not say that immigration agents cannot enter these locations, only that enforcement actions at these locations are discouraged and that immigration agents have to go through a supervisory review process before they are undertaken.
King County is training our employees to be prepared in case of a visit from immigration agents.
The two keys to preparation:
- Designating “Private Areas”: Immigration agents, like anyone else, may freely access all public areas of King County facilities, but in order to access private areas of our facilities, they will need to present a warrant signed by a federal judge in the last 14 days. Our team will be working immediately to determine the most appropriate areas to designate as “private”.
- Designating managers/supervisors to be leads: Each department and site will designate a specific person or persons as responsible for handling contacts with law enforcement officials. All other staff are to inform immigration or other law enforcement officials that only a Designated Lead is authorized to review a warrant or to consent to their entry into private areas. We will develop trainings for designated leads immediately.
A few important points:
- Federal Law prohibits you from knowingly harboring or hiding undocumented individuals or interfering with an ongoing investigation.
- Federal law also prohibits King County from adopting ordinances or policies that restrict employees from communicating information about an individual’s immigration status with federal immigration officials.
- However, absent a warrant signed by a federal judge, King County employees are under no obligation to provide immigration agents with information about an individual’s immigration status, or assist immigration agents in their duties.
- Staff should document the name/contact information of the immigration agents they interact with (ask for their cards) and, if possible, record the interactions with immigration agents (but they should announce they are making a recording). After any interaction, staff should prepare a thorough report of the interaction.
Below are highlights of steps that the County has taken towards continuing our commitment to equity and social justice:
1. Language access executive order of 2010
King County is committed to translating public communication materials and vital documents for those with limited English proficiency. A person who does not speak or read English proficiently has the right to ask government agencies, and health clinics for translation or interpretation services. It is generally inappropriate for children or relatives to be used as interpreters in many matters. Many government agencies are also required by law to provide language access in languages other than English.
2. A commitment to carrying out the 2009 Ordinance
I am sure that most of you are aware of the ordinance in place relating to ascertaining immigration status as it relates to the public health and safety of the residents of King County. I want to ask each of you to please take 5 min to read the full ordinance here. Some important points are:
- This ordinance affirms the right of undocumented immigrants in King County to access and interact with the courts and employees of King County regardless of immigration status.
- This ordinance states that otherwise required by law, any County office, department, employee, agency, or agent shall not deny access to services to any individual or family based on immigration status.
- The Sheriff’s Office and Public health employees of King county will not request specific documents relating to a person’s immigration status to determine if an individual has violated federal civil immigration laws.
3. All are Welcome here posters, Know Your Rights and other resources for your clients
Your office should have posters put up in the building as a first step. Please contact the Office of Equity and Social Justice if you need access to these posters.
Next Steps:
- Executive staff have already started working with the public health team to develop the necessary guidance for employees in clinics. We will use this as a template to support all other departments.
- Review and Revise policies/practices to mitigate any potential negative impacts on undocumented populations.
- Review existing policies and assess how to avoid collecting patient data that can be used to identify or deport undocumented people.
More Information and Resources:
- You want to know more about immigration? Watch this video containing critical information produced between City of Seattle and Northwest Immigrant Right Project http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos?videoid=x71498
- Taking Back the Narrative: How to Talk About Immigrants and Immigration http://www.ilctr.org/promoting-immigrants/ilc-workshops/taking-back-the-narrative/
- New American Economy (NAE), has launch a map to highlight the power of immigrants in communities across the country. Featured in an interactive map that also includes state- and sector-specific data, NAE’s quantifies every locality’s foreign-born population, tax contributions, spending power, home ownership, and voting power, among other items.
- Finding information to help your clients: we have established a Tools and resources page for King County with know your rights pamphlets and videos in multiple languages. http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice/Immigrant-and-Refugee/Tools-and-Resources.aspx
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Book your next camping adventure online!
Reservations and payments for camping sites, yurts and container camping at King County’s popular Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground can now be booked online.
Earlier this year, the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, the Department of Information Technology (KCIT) and membership management software company PerfectMind launched the online reservation system for King County Parks.
Tolt MacDonald is the first park to offer online booking and payments. All sites can be reserved up to one year in advance with a one week notice. Sites for recreational vehicles and tents that have not been reserved in advance are available on a first-come, first-served basis using the campground’s self-registration system. Yurts and the camping container require a reservation at least one week in advance.
There are plenty of activity options at Tolt MacDonald. The picnic shelters and restored barn can be rented for company picnics, weddings or other special events. The grass ballfields are available for softball, baseball and soccer. There are plenty of trails to explore. Don’t forget your mountain bike! Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is a partner, and Tolt is a favorite site for mountain biking. An extensive network of trails on the Ames Lake Plateau can be accessed from the park.
Visit DNRP’s site to book your site. A complete list of fees is also available. Visa, MasterCard and Discover may be used to pay. To rent other facilities, contact the Regional Scheduling Office at 206-477-6150 or by email. For more information, visit the King County Parks Plog.
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Administrative Professionals Recognition Event a huge success
Career Support Services and the Administrative Professionals Advisory Committee sponsored the second annual Administrative Professionals Recognition Event on April 26. More than 200 employees attended the event, which is an impressive increase over last year’s attendance of about 100.
As part of the festivities, attendees enjoyed tasty treats, networked, learned valuable information from guest speakers including an introduction to Career Support Services’ new online career development tool, and of course had a great time.
Many administrative professionals expressed their gratitude:
“Thank you for the efforts involved with organizing today’s second annual King County Administrative Professionals Recognition Event. It was my first time attending and the event was worthwhile and engaging. This acknowledgement and recognition has reaffirmed that King County is a wonderful place to work. I’m glad to be here.”
“Thanks for hosting such a successful event yesterday that clearly helped folks to feel honored, valued, appreciated!”
“Thank you guys so much for sponsoring this wonderful event for us – Administration Day! 🙂 I truly enjoyed myself.”
“I was at the great Admin event today. Thank you very much for having us there!”
“There are some staff that didn’t get to attend the event and asked where I got my awesome MLK pin.”
To learn more about the Administrative Professionals Program, visit www.kingcounty.gov/administrativeprofessionals or email administrativeprofessionals@kingcounty.gov.
Individuals recognized at the event were nominated before March 24, 2017. They are:
From Adult and Juvenile Detention: Cathy Bossett, Lisa Burden, Traci Case, Anna Ponder, Jimmy Serrano, Mistica Straight. From Assessments: Kay Koitzsch. From Community and Human Services: Mindy Hawkins. From District Courts: Stephanie Ramirez. From Elections: The Voter Services Team, Signe Chan. From Executive Services: Teresa Brown, Ben Gannon, Amanda Gudmunson, Sandra Netwon-Hinton. From Natural Resources and Parks: Sylvia Aro, Proceso Bihis, Robert Edsforth, Roxanne Malatesta, Paige Meyers, Kris Nielsen, Kristin Painter, Anna Pennington, Robin Robinson, Michael Stella, Karen Yoshioka. From Public Defense: Kieran Alho, Patty Berry, Marcella Clement, Mickayla Rogers, Stephanie Sellers, Charlotte Smith. From Public Health: Caroline Aaron, Danica Boss, Patricia Christie, Robin Cowan, Shirley Dickerson, Senkanesh Gizaw, Donna Hale, Julie Hasz, Leah Holland, Lena Louie, Jennifer Loyd, Claire Magbanua, Lila Mota-Loza, Leslie Martin Pruneda, Angela Rutledge, Keith Siebler, Vince Webb. From Transportation: Lisa Dove, Linda Eaves, Judith Price, Kerri Tsujii, Mirla Santiago.
Click here to see a video of the event, or watch it below.
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Big Backyard 5K on June 11
The eighth-annual King County Parks Big Backyard 5K presented by Kaiser Permanente will take place on Sunday, June 11 at Marymoor Park. King County employees can take $5 off their registration fee with the promo code KC5off. Register today as an individual or team for this fun family friendly event and refer a friend to receive a cool BBY5K branded coffee mug!
Participating in the Parks Fitness Challenge for this year’s Healthy Incentives? Don’t forget to swing by the King County Parks information booth after the race to get your code word.
Employee News 