Balanced You Burnout and Resiliency Training: Now available as an online course

While the COVID-19 emergency order has ended, the sense of burnout has not. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Balanced You has led live trainings to teams across the county about burnout and resiliency. Now King County employees and teams can take the Burnout and Resiliency training online and on-demand through NEOGOV Learn at a time that works best for them. People managers can also take an add-on to the course to learn how to support their team in preventing burnout. Burnout and compassion fatigue are conditions that can lead to long-term… Read More

Mental Health Month Recap

As Mental Health Month comes to a close, we wanted to recap some of the key resources we shared this month. Bookmark these pages below to return back to in times of need. How to find a mental health care provider: Whether your insurance provider is Kaiser or Regence, there are robust tools at your fingertips to connect you with a mental health care provider. Mental Health resources for children and teens: We are seeing a growing concern around children and teen mental health. Washington state has a free referral service that helps families… Read More

DLS Participatory Budgeting Project Team receives 2022 Innovation Award for Equity and Social Justice

The Department of Local Services (DLS) Participatory Budgeting Project Team has been honored with the Innovation Award for Equity and Social Justice. This award, part of King County Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards, is one of the of five Innovation Awards highlighting department teams whose projects, improvements, and ingenuity deliver exceptional, measurable results. “We solve problems” and “We drive for results” are core values at King County, and these award recipients met challenges in creative and impactful ways. Read more and watch the video here.

Executive Constantine proclaims June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month

Acknowledging that King County is a leader in advancing equitable policies and practices based on sexual orientation and gender identity, King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed June 2023 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month. “I urge everyone to honor the fight against discrimination and the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people to our County and our society,” the Executive said in his proclamation. Read the full proclamation below.

KCSO Crisis Negotiation Team, Part III

Part I explored the evolution of the King County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT). Part II told the story of how a mental health professional became an official part of the team after years of volunteering. The final segment illustrates how they put it all together. An incredible partnership Over the last several years, there have been many improvements implemented in the partnership between TAC 30 and the Crisis Negotiation Team that have made KCSO into a leader in the crisis field. “We’re ahead of our peers in having a mental… Read More

Changes are coming to Fleet Motor Pool vehicles  

Cross-posted from Executive Services Express The Fleet Services team is working to update technology that will allow motor pool dispatch users to reserve and access the vehicles using their mobile phone, making access to vehicles more efficient than the current system using lock boxes in our King County garages. The next phase of the project is to pilot this new technology with customers. Fleet Services is looking for frequent users in King Street Center and Goat Hill Garage to test out the new process and provide feedback. Read more.

New IT Helpdesk feature offers faster ticket submissions, workarounds

The IT Helpdesk homepage (Cherwell) now offers a “Known Issues” section that lists non-urgent issues impacting employees. The next time you experience a tech issue, quickly scan the Known Issues list to see if the problem has already been reported. If so, you can click the “View Knowledge Article” link to learn more about any available workarounds. A handy “This Affects Me Too” button automatically generates a pre-filled Helpdesk ticket that quickly routes your ticket directly to the technicians working on the issue. This new feature is designed to streamline your ticket submissions, and… Read More

Facilities Management Division’s real estate professionals find “needle in a haystack” for Health Through Housing

Cross-posted from Executive Services Express The county’s newest Health Through Housing property is likely to be ready to house queer, transgender, Two-spirit, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QT2BIPOC) residents this fall. Securing the Capitol Hill property took more than a year of behind the scenes work and negotiation by the Department of Executive Services’ Facilities Management Division’s Real Estate Services (RES) section. To date, RES has found and bought 11 properties for the County’s Health Through Housing Program. Read more.

King County breaks ground on a state-of-the-art recycling station

King County broke ground on a state-of-the-art station in South King County that will offer enhanced waste disposal and recycling services, contributing to the Re+ initiative that will cut greenhouse gas emissions by reinventing the region’s waste system. The new South County Recycling and Transfer Station in Algona – south of Auburn – will make it safer and easier to recycle appliances, glass, metals, plastics, wood, and paper, compost yard waste, and dispose hazardous materials. The green design includes a solar array that will provide nearly half of the energy needed to operate the… Read More

Executive proclaims May 2023 as Older Americans Month

Cross-posted from Cultivating Connections In recognition of the contributions of older residents in our local communities, King County Excecutive Dow Constantine has proclaimed May 2023 as Older Americans Month. Executive Constantine encourages all residents to honor the important contributions that older adults of every race, class, and ethnic background make to the progress of our County and nation. Learn more and read the full proclamation here.