First Poetry-Based Symposium on Race and Racism Elicits Thoughtful Questions and Answers
by Donna Miscolta, Department of Natural Resources and Parks.
“I didn’t expect to feel so much.”
This testament to the power of the spoken word was one of several offered by the audience at the first of four symposiums on “Reflecting on Race and Racism through Spoken Word, Story, and Conversation” on January 12. This project, innovative in its approach to an understanding of racism, is made possible by the King County ESJ Opportunity Fund.
Two poets, Quenton Baker and Casandra Lopez, presented their work to a group of 50 employees. It was a new experience for both poets and audience. Baker, upon stepping to the podium to read his poems, elicited laughter from the audience when he remarked that this was the first time he’d come to a government building to read poetry to government employees.
Quenton Baker (left) and Casandra Lopez (right).
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Employee training spurs life changing decision
King County is inspiring. Its beauty, its people and its mission inspire King County employees to make a difference in their communities. It has even inspired outgoing employee Autumn Salamack to make a difference far away in Mascota, Mexico, about 2 hours east of Puerto Vallarta. She has taken her work with equity and social justice to heart and will soon leave King County for an adventure in the Peace Corps.
Since August 2013 Autumn has served as the Sustainability Program Coordinator for King County Metro Transit. Her role soon grew to include leading the Metro’s Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Coordination team, including training to become an ESJ trainer. It’s here that her new passion began to bloom.
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A great place to look for love
Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) has recently partnered with Petco in Kirkland to bring pet adoption services to the region through the new Eastside Adoption Center facility.
“We were approached by Petco to think more broadly about how we can reach the animal-loving public in King County, and an opportunity to bring dogs and cats to our pet-loving public,” said RASKC Director Gene Mueller.
Located inside the Petco store, the 1,100 square foot location services many cities in the north King County region. Each animal available for adoption is originally from the shelter in Kent, and receives a behavioral assessment, current vaccinations and is spayed or neutered. Those who decide to adopt an animal are also provided with a full medical history.
“Regional Animal Services of King County services has such a large area that a lot of these northern cities don’t necessarily know a whole lot about us, so having a presence here is really great to have,” said Animal Placement Specialist Nickie Ford. “We get a lot of adoptions from people living in these cities.”
Watch the King County TV video below for more information about this innovative pet adoption partnership.
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Invite to the OLEO Candidates “Meet and Greet”
King County has been recruiting for a new Director of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight and has set aside dates for King County residents to meet and provide feedback on the final candidates.
Join us to “Meet the Candidates” on either:
- Tuesday, February 16 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the TAF Center/Bethaday Community Learning Space, 605 SW 108th Street, Seattle (White Center); or
- Wednesday, February 17 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the Lake Wilderness Lodge 22500 SE 248th St, Maple Valley
We are planning the two different events to give residents in different parts of the county an opportunity to meet the candidates.
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Eat healthy & support local farmers through Farm Fresh Local
Healthy IncentivesSM began on Tuesday, Feb. 2. and the program has a number of ways to help you eat healthy, including a new focus area, Farm Fresh Local. Through the Farm Fresh Local Text for Well-Being Individual Action Plan, you’ll receive tips and inspiration for eating local and making a difference—directly to your phone. During this Text for Well-Being program, you’ll learn fun facts about local food in King County, find out what’s in season, and get motivated to eat farm fresh food.
Look for Community Supported Agriculture this spring
As part of Farm Fresh Local, we’re bringing Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) to the workplace. Look for CSAs at King County facilities—coming this spring!
King County is proud to offer programs to help you achieve your health goals and be your best every day. For more information, visit Healthy Incentives.
Questions?
Contact Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations: 206-684-1556 or KC.Benefits.
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Employees talk about importance of paid parental leave
Several employees are featured in a new King County TV video talking about the importance of bonding with a new-born child and how King County’s Paid Parental Leave pilot program will help them create that bond.
“All the study shows that if you have that dedicated time that’s focused on a child you have better health outcomes for the child but also for the parents,” Councilmember Rod Dembowski said in the video. “And in this case, the program we’re talking about here, the parents are King County employees and we want to have good health outcomes for them, we want to have them return to work. So it’s also about being a good employer and a smart employer.”
King County Executive Dow Constantine’s proposal for paid parental leave was approved by the County Council on Monday, Dec. 7. Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, County employees will be allowed to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave when welcoming a new family member through birth, adoption, or foster-to-adopt placement. This supplemental benefit will be available to both new mothers and fathers.
Watch the video below and find out more about the pilot program here.
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Healthy Incentives is now underway
Healthy IncentivesSM is now underway! This year’s program offers the same great options and features as last year to help you achieve your health goals and be your best every day—while saving on your 2017 health care expenses.
We invite you to think about your reason for being healthy and celebrate the reasons of your coworkers. You’re our reason for offering this program—to help you live a long, full life doing the things you love.
By now, you should have received a welcome letter at your home with your Healthy Incentives ID and instructions on how to earn Gold—the lowest out-of-pocket medical expense level. You can also find your Healthy Incentives ID in PeopleSoft under My Benefits.
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Disability doesn’t stop dancing employee
If you happen to see a man busting a move while cleaning up hedge trimmings or emptying a trash can at Marymoor Park, it’s probably Parks Specialist Dwight Lewis.
Dwight has been with parks for 17 years and his enthusiasm for the work is showing no signs of waning.
“He actually makes people on our crew want to be better at what they do,” Andy Boland, Parks Maintenance Coordinator, said. “He pushes us, he comes in with a lot of energy, positive attitude, and it’s really what we need; he’s a spark for our whole crew here.”
Dwight is a supported employee through King County’s Supported Employment Program, which matches job seekers with developmental disabilities to jobs by identifying efficiencies and unmet needs throughout King County government. Watch the short video below that highlights Dwight and contact Christina Davidson, the Supported Employment Program Manager, to learn more about ways you can take advantage of this program.
Read Dwight’s full story here at the King County Parks Plog.
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Featured Job: Business and Finance Officer I
Opening Date/Time: Fri. 01/22/16 12:00 AM Pacific Time
Closing Date/Time: Wed. 02/03/16 4:30 PM Pacific Time
Salary: $29.82 – $37.80 Hourly
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Location: Chinook Building, 401 5th Avenue, Seattle, Washington
Department: Department of Community & Human Services
Description: The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) provides equitable opportunities for people to be healthy, happy, self-reliant and connected to community.
This position is being created to support the new Best Starts for Kids fund. The position will be responsible for day to day accounting transactions, regular monitoring of expenditures and reporting for all fund transactions.
Who May Apply: This position is open to all qualified candidates that meet the minimum qualifications. The Department of Community and Human Services values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with lived experiences.
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Five Questions with Heather Barr, Public Health Nurse
1. When did you start as a Public Health Nurse with King County? 30-plus years ago. I started out in the Jail as a Registered Nurse in 1984. I met a nurse there (Kathryn Crawford) who asked me what I wanted to do with my career. I told her I liked to work with homeless people, and people with addictions. She said “I have the perfect job for you, I am leaving a position at the tuberculosis clinic running a drug trial for the Centers for Disease Control, most of my patients are alcoholic and homeless, so you would love it!” I called the TB manager, Anne Elarth; she invited me to meet, we chatted a while and she said, “Could you possibly start tomorrow? We can do the paper work later, I need a nurse now.” That was back in the day when things were a tad bit looser in HR, and also when people still smoked at their desk, if you can imagine that. I said yes, and stayed about six years. I loved that job. I worked in the old Detox Center for a while, too. Then I worked with Health Care for the Homeless Network (HCHN) as a Public Health Nurse for Parent Child Health, for MOM’s Project, and for the Child Care Health Team. I did a short stint as a nursing supervisor for the Downtown Clinic, and filled in as manager for the Interpreter Program for a while.
We have so appreciated all that you have done for our guests at the Mission. You’ve been instrumental in providing flu shots, TB tests, trainings – all with a gracious, caring, and friendly style. We feel like you have been part of our Mission team, and are so thankful for you. You have been available for questions that we’ve had, and given us advice when there is a lot of sickness at our shelters – all with the health and well-being of homeless men, women and children in mind. Gary Fast, Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission
2. What do you do in your role? My job for the last 20 years has been with Health Care for the Homeless Network. I do a lot of teaching about reducing the risk of communicable diseases at sites that serve people who are homeless, such as shelters and drop-in centers. I wrote Best Practice Guidelines for shelters and for Tent Cities. I get to go out in the community to visit shelters and provide training and support for the staff at many places in Seattle throughout the county. I give a lot of flu shots every winter, with a lot of help from Public Health Reserve Corps and the folks who process all that data. I field questions from the community about homelessness and health, which covers a lot of issues. I also provide technical support to our contracted providers in Health Care for the Homeless, primarily nurses. Recently, I have been called on to provide training about Trauma Informed Care.
Employee News 