Jail employees boost COVID-19 vaccinations with benefit program
Jail Health Services recently wrapped up a successful month of COVID-19 vaccinations, building on a program that used financial incentives to encourage vaccine uptake among people in custody. As part of the COVID-19 Vaccine Benefit Program, people detained at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle and the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent were provided a $50 credit to their commissary accounts (“books”) for any dose as part of their overall vaccine series. Anyone receiving a first, second, or a booster dose was eligible. From May 19 to June 21, staff… Read More
Connecting families with support
Originally posted in King County Sheriff’s Office News Recently, Sound Transit Resource Deputies Steve Wright and Marshall Smith were assisting BNSF Railway police with contacting the occupants of the pictured encampment, located on rail property near Skyway. As the photos show, the encampment wasn’t suitable for anyone to be living in or around. However, Deputies Wright and Smith found a woman and her 21-month-old son living here. The woman said she and her son had been living in the encampment for over a year. Deputies Wright and Smith knew they needed to… Read More
Executive Constantine, Mayor Harrell appoint experienced leader as Director of Public Health
King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell have appointed Dr. Faisal Khan, a 25-year leader in public health at global, state and local levels – as the Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Dr. Khan has the experience and expertise to lead Public Health into the next phase, and he brings a fresh perspective to serving the people of King County,” said Executive Constantine. “We look forward to his leadership as our dedicated employees continue our national reputation for excellence in public health and health equity… Read More
Is my baby ready for COVID vaccine? Answers for new and expecting parents
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider Babies and young children ages six months and up recently became eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. If you’re the parent of a child under age five, you may be cracking open the champagne, or you may be still wondering if getting vaccinated is the right move for your child. Either way, we understand where you’re coming from. It’s normal and natural to have questions, especially when it comes to children’s health and Public Health Insder has answers to common questions. Read more.
One year later: Collaborative Case Management program houses Veterans in King County
Cross-posted from Cultivating Connections June 18 marked the one-year anniversary of the first Veteran being housed through the Collaborative Case Management (CCM) program. King County launched a first-in-the-nation pilot program to help veterans experiencing homelessness connect to safe and stable housing in April 2021. Since the launch of CCM to date, the program has helped 75 Veterans find and move into permanent housing and 133 (out of an initial allotment of 142) VASH vouchers were issued for Veterans to utilize to find housing so far. Read more.
July is Disability Pride Month
Disability Pride celebrates the important history of the disability civil rights movement and recognizes contributions that people with disabilities make in workplaces and communities. All King County employees are welcome and encouraged to participate in Disability Pride Month events. Join the conversation that honors the lived experience of King County employees with disabilities and highlights continued efforts to advance disability equity and justice in King County. Movie and Discussion: Crip Camp Watch and discuss the Sundance Festival award-winning documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, which tells the story of Camp Jened,… Read More
Inaugural Muckleshoot Pride event
Originally posted in King County Sheriff’s Office News The King County Sheriff’s Office and Muckleshoot Tribal Police partnered and participated in a recent Pride event at the Muckleshoot Pow Wow grounds. This event was monumental as it marked the first Pride event for the community. In attendance were Chief Val Kelly, MRO Sergeant Corbett Ford, and Communications Liaison Zoe Birkbeck. Muckleshoot Tribal Police Detective Jason Rich and Deputy Damian Walburn were also there to hand out pride beads and bracelets and meet with community members.
Free admission to Emerald Downs July 10
King County employees and their families are invited to attend the Emerald Downs racetrack for King County Day on Sunday July 10. They will receive free admission and should check in at Will-Call to receive their tickets. Employees will need to show proof of current employment, such as an employee badge or recent paystub. Part of the Family Fun Weekend event, gates open at 9 a.m., and the first race of the day is at 2.15 p.m. Throughout the day from 1-5 p.m. children can also participate in several games and activities… Read More
Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics
Originally posted in King County Sheriff’s Office News On Thursday June 16, law enforcement throughout the state participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for the Special Olympics. The mission is to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics movement, and several King County contract city partners also participated. Shoreline, Burien, Sound Transit, Sammamish, Maple Valley, and Covington ran or walked alongside community members and King County Deputy Kristi Bridgman, who led the effort. There were also two Special Olympic athletes in attendance, both of whom have been participating in… Read More
Commander Todd Clark retires after 40 years with Adult and Juvenile Detention
Originally posted in the June edition of Roll Call, the newsletter for the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention Commander Todd Clark’s deep experience working for King County jails made him a wealth of institutional knowledge. At the end of April, Clark stepped down from the commander’s role for both the Seattle and Kent divisions. He had been leading the Seattle Division since 2020, following Gordon Karlsson’s retirement. In the fall of 2021, he took on the added role as commander of the Maleng Regional Justice Center, after Ed Bautista retired. Clark’s… Read More
Employee News 