King County’s investments in the mental health and well-being workforce
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
Supporting the well-being and mental health of our communities is a priority for King County. Even before the pandemic, community members were facing new challenges in accessing supports for mental health care. Since the pandemic, those challenges have deepened, especially for young people who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, and multilingual who have increasing mental health needs but a lack of culturally representative providers.
Among other areas of investments in behavioral health, King County is expanding funding in the workforce. The Crisis Care Centers Initiative invests in expanded licensed mental health care workers. In Best Starts for Kids, our teams are funding efforts to bring in more providers and healers who can offer culturally responsive supports: providers who are LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and multilingual. Read more.
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King County’s Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station achieves zero energy certification, with more climate successes on the horizon
Crossposted from Keeping King County Green
With installation of a new solar array and other energy-saving features completed, the Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station has been Zero Energy Certified by the International Living Future Institute, meaning that over the course of a year the facility generates as much or more energy through solar power than it draws from the electricity grid.
“This is a huge milestone for our division,” said Elly Trinh, King County’s Green Building Team Program Manager. “The Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station is the division’s first zero energy facility, and it’s one of many planned projects to make our operations more climate friendly.” Read more.
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More young people will have access to outdoor recreation, refurbished aquatic centers, and enhanced sports fields with $5 million in King County Parks funding
More young people will have access to outdoor recreation, after-school activities, refurbished aquatic centers, and enhanced sports fields and playgrounds thanks to a combined $5 million in King County Parks funding proposed by Executive Dow Constantine and approved by the County Council.
The 63 funded projects include summer backpacking trips for underserved young people, after-school sports and wellness programs in South King County cities, a new synthetic baseball infield in Seattle’s Central District, and improvements for aquatic centers in Des Moines and White Center.
“With support from King County Parks, more young people will have the opportunity to explore the outdoors, play team sports, swim with friends, and stay connected after school,” said Executive Constantine. “These 63 projects, led by cities, nonprofits, and park districts, will foster healthier kids, families, and communities.” Read more.
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Is your personal information correct in PeopleSoft?
It’s important to review and update your personal information in PeopleSoft.
Here’s why:
- You will receive important Open Enrollment and other employee benefits information mailed to you at the address you have listed as of Sept. 30, 2024.
- Your emergency contact can be notified if something happens to you at work.
- You can be notified of safety directives, building closures, etc.
- You can receive information at the email address you prefer.
Here’s how:
Watch the Updating Personal Details in PeopleSoft video or follow these steps:
- Sign in to PeopleSoft from any device at ess.kingcounty.gov.
- Go to the Personal Details
- Make sure all items are up-to-date, especially your mailing address and email.
- Save any changes.
New feature coming soon on Nov. 1, 2024
In addition to the personal details you’ve historically managed in PeopleSoft, you will soon be able to add your preferred first name and your preferred pronouns. You will also be able to share your pronouns in Teams and the rest of Microsoft 365.
These options will allow you to identify yourself authentically in the core systems of communications at King County.
Important note: Sharing this information will be strictly voluntary; however, if you do choose to share this information, your selections may be subject to public disclosure.
Look for more information on these changes soon.
If you need a new password, go to Forgot My Password. If you have any other login issues, call the IT Service Center: 206-263-4357.
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Preparing for emergencies in National Preparedness Month
Dear fellow King County employee,
King County cares about your safety and well-being and we want to help you stay safe – and keep your family and community safe – in the event of an emergency.
September is National Preparedness Month and I want to encourage you to take steps to prepare for a natural disaster or emergency. Our own Office of Emergency Management has training and resources that make preparing easy. Here are three steps you can take to be more prepared:
- Prepare for an emergency: You can find more information about how to prepare yourself and your household on our Personal and family preparedness webpage, as well as at MakeItThrough.org.
- Attend a training: I encourage you to attend OEM’s King County Employee Disaster Skills Webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 2 – 3 p.m. Register here.
- Stay informed: You can sign up for two free emergency notification systems offered by King County – KCInform and ALERT King County.
- KCInform: Add your personal email, home phone number, and work email and phone number to KCInform, King County’s employee alert and warning system to stay informed about county emergencies affecting employees. Find out more.
- ALERT King County is a regional public information and notification service that helps you stay informed about potential hazards and threats that impact your area. Learn more.
We know that as public servants we need to keep our services going even during an emergency. We also want to support you, your family, and our community to be safe in an emergency. By being prepared individually and in our homes, we are better able to continue to provide essential services to our communities while ensuring our families are safe and free from harm. This makes our region safer and more resilient and helps us do the work that moves us closer to our True North: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive, even in an emergency.
Thank you for taking action to be prepared.
Sincerely,
Whitney Abrams (she, her, hers)
Chief People Officer
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Increase connections during Suicide Prevention Month
Dear fellow King County employee,
National Suicide Prevention Month, recognized during September, is a month to bring awareness to the general public and those who are affected by suicide. Mental health struggles, such as suicidal thoughts, can happen to anyone at any time.
Mental health may be especially impacted by the unprecedented levels of loneliness many of us are experiencing. A 2023 Gallup poll indicated that one in five workers worldwide suffer from loneliness. Additionally, the United States Surgeon General issued a report in 2023 stating that our nation was experiencing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Surgeon General Murthy described how loneliness and social isolation affect our physical and mental health, noting how people who feel lonely are at higher risk for suicide.
The antidote to loneliness is connection. According to the Surgeon General’s report, “social connection may be one of the strongest protective factors against self-harm and suicide among people with and without serious underlying mental health challenges.” He also notes that our workplaces can play an important role in increasing and strengthening connection and recommends that workplaces focus on increasing social connection to improve employee health.
We can all make a difference in combatting loneliness. Here are a few ideas for each of us to try to support our colleagues:
- Check in. Reach out to teammates one-on-one or via meetings to check in on how your colleagues are doing and foster connection.
- When working onsite, build in a little time in your day for spontaneous hallway or water-cooler connections.
- Volunteer together. Volunteering offers many health benefits, including prevention of isolation. To learn more about how to use your sick days to volunteer, visit the King County Employee Giving Program webpage and click on ‘Volunteer Time Off’.
- Consider joining an Affinity Group. King County Affinity Groups provide the opportunity to connect with other people who share your identity. Many employees are eligible to participate in Affinity Groups during paid work time. To learn more about Affinity Groups and how to join them, visit the King County Affinity Group webpage.
There are also many resources available to support the mental health of King County employees. Please familiarize yourself with these resources so you can access them when needed or share with a teammate.
Four ways to learn more about King County Employee Mental Health Resources
- Watch this brief video about King County’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Making Life Easier (MLE) program.
- Explore this post about King County’s new MLE vendor, CuraLinc, including how you and your household members can access free therapy, online support groups, text coaching and more.
- Review this list of mental health benefits and resources available to King County employees.
- Consider participating in a Mental Health First Aid Training course.
Throughout the rest of September, Balanced You will continue to share information about suicide prevention. Let’s use these resources and information to connect with each other, to combat loneliness, and to promote mental health awareness and resources to reduce the risk of suicide.
Sincerely,
Whitney Abrams (she, her, hers)
Chief People Officer<
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Records Management Reminder: Transitory records should be routinely destroyed
As government employees, we are bound by various laws and policies that describe what we need to do with our records. The good news is that many of our records are considered transitory. This means that they do not have retention value and can and should be destroyed as soon as they are no longer needed.
Some examples of transitory records:
- Accepted meeting notices
- Out-of-office replies
- Cherwell ticket notifications
- Spam
- Personal / Non-work related records
- Newsletters you receive (including this one!)
- Emails you are CC’d on that do not require or result in an action from you
- External reference material
- Most drafts
- Most duplicate copies
Best practice for transitory records:
- Destroy or delete transitory records as soon as you notice them
- Where possible, delete them in bulk (for example: sort your Outlook folder by sender/From to locate groups of transitory records)
- Retain them sparingly
- But if you want to keep them as reference, store them separately from other records
- Avoid creating or sending transitory records in the first place
For more information, visit the county’s Records Management Program website or contact them at records.management@kingcounty.gov. The Records Management Program, in the Department of Executive Services, provides guidance, resources, and training to all King County employees to assist them with managing King County’s public records according to state and local legal requirements and best practices.
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Fall and winter vaccines: Q&A with Dr. Eric Chow
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
We are going to see more respiratory illnesses in the coming months with kids going back to school, more people working in person, and folks spending more time indoors. COVID-19 already has a head start. This summer we are seeing a wave happening across the country, and King County’s no exception. Here’s the good news: updated vaccines for the 2024-2025 respiratory illness season are starting to arrive in pharmacies and clinics and they’ll soon be widely available. Keeping up to date on vaccinations gives you and your loved ones the best protection for a healthy fall and winter.
We sat down with Dr. Eric Chow, Chief of Communicable Disease Epidemiology & Immunization for Public Health, to learn about the 2024-2025 immunizations for COVID-19, influenza (flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Read more.
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Onsite King County flu and COVID-19 clinics
King County is making it easy for employees to get protected by offering multiple onsite flu and COVID shot clinics at County worksites. Getting your flu and COVID-19 shots are an important part of protecting your health, your family’s health, and your community’s health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months and older get a flu shot and COVID-19 shot every year. Flu shots have many important benefits; getting a flu shot can reduce your risk of getting the flu, help protect vulnerable populations, and conserve health care resources.
Each year, King County’s Balanced You arranges onsite flu and COVID-19 shot clinics for employees who work onsite. For more information about locations, times, and how to schedule an appointment, click here.
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Executive Constantine proclaims 2024 National Payroll Week
King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed Sept. 2 through Sept. 6 as National Payroll Week, and recognizes the important role of King County’s payroll professionals.
“King County payroll professionals play a key role in maintaining the economic health of the County, in ensuring the economic security of families by carrying out diverse tasks such as processing paychecks, payments to child support, and tax withholding, reporting, and depositing,” Executive Constantine said in the Proclamation.
Employee News 