Using the online Security Incident Report form and staying safe at work
Every King County employee should feel safe and secure when at work. To achieve this, we remind you to report any threatening behavior or non-emergency incidents for follow-up to the FMD Security Unit using the online Security Incident Report form. You can report incidents that happen at work or on your commute. Also notify your supervisor, manager, and/or director as soon as you can. Additionally, if you see anything or anyone that looks unusual or out of place, please call Facilities Management Division (FMD) Security at 206-296-5000. If it’s an emergency, call 9-1-1 first, then call… Read More
2020 Innovation Award for People honorees
The King County Innovation Awards seek to honor employees and teams whose projects, improvements, and ingenuity deliver exceptional, measurable results. These honorees have considered challenges within their delivery of services to King County residents, and developed solutions that address an important need. These honorees met each challenge in a creative and forward-thinking manner that reflects our True North values. This year’s People Innovation Award recipient is the Department of Human Resource’s Mental Health Initiative. “With the twin public health crises of COVID-19 and racism, it became imperative that we were taking care… Read More
The CFJC Youth Action Team is now accepting applications
The Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC) Youth Action Team is an opportunity for young people ages 14 thru 18, from a variety of backgrounds, to come together to find and share their voices as it relates to community resources, planning, and engagement. Who can apply? King county youth, ages 14 thru 18. No previous experience needed to be a member, only a willingness to get involved. Must possess a passion for taking an active approach to create a united community within King County. The Youth Action Team meets at the Child… Read More
How do COVID-19 vaccines work?
COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness. When you get the vaccine, your immune system makes antibodies and other infection-fighting cells that protect you in case you are infected with the virus. How do the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines work? Vaccines that have been authorized from Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA vaccines. mRNA vaccine technology has been studied and worked with for decades. There is no virus in the mRNA vaccines, so you cannot get a COVID-19 infection from… Read More
What to do if contacted by media
If you are contacted by a member of the media in your professional capacity as a King County employee, you should know what steps to take and who to reach out to in your department. Your first point of contact should always be your department’s Public Information Officer, who can work with the reporter to answer their questions and connect them with the best person to represent the county on an issue. We have put together a brief reference guide to help you if you are contacted by a member of the… Read More
Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month: Environmental Health Services hosts event with Chief Justice Gonzalez of the Washington State Supreme Court, Sept. 9
A few years ago, when Environmental Health Services (EHS) Program Manager Greg Wilson was asked to create a program that looked for the future workforce for Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC), he not only ran with it, but wholeheartedly embraced the opportunity. Today he serves as the Program Manager for the EHS Division’s Education Engagement Strategy Program. The Program focuses on providing Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) opportunities for middle school to college-age students that include internships, work study, and job shadow opportunities. It also offers an… Read More
2020 Innovation Award for Service honorees
The King County Innovation Awards seek to honor employees within department teams whose projects, improvements, and ingenuity deliver exceptional, measurable results. This year, however, the Service award honors not individuals, but teams who pulled together to address the urgent needs of the COVID pandemic in our community. The True North values of “We are one team,” “We solve problems,” and above all, “We respect all people” drove these teams to come up with creative and effective solutions that truly aided some of the most vulnerable in our community. Due to the pandemic,… Read More
September is National Recovery and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Dear fellow King County employee, September is National Recovery and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and it comes at a time when anxiety and pandemic-fueled trauma are on the rise nationally after some recent improvements. At King County we have seen a similar trend in a recent survey of employee well-being and belonging. I know this is a worrying time, with COVID-19 once again surging, new restrictions being put in place, and parents getting ready to send their kids back to school after so many months. We need to continue to pay particular… Read More
Getting vaccinated is more important than ever
When you’re exposed to COVID-19 today in King County, it’s most likely that you’re being exposed to a highly contagious variant of the virus. Of the recent COVID-19 test samples genetically sequenced in King County, about 90 percent represent a variant of concern and not the original strain of the virus, and about 60 percent of these are the Delta variant. This is concerning because the Delta variant is so contagious. The large majority of recent cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are among unvaccinated residents. Almost 95 percent of recent hospitalizations and deaths… Read More
Stay home when you’re sick or have symptoms
There is an increase in COVID-19 cases among county employees, reflecting the rise in cases in the community. You can help slow the spread of COVID-19 at work by staying home when you’re sick, even if your symptoms are mild. COVID-19 symptoms may include but are not limited to fever or chills, a cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. Vaccinated people can still get COVID and unintentionally spread it,… Read More
Employee News 