Nurses Week focus on good health for nurses, promotes resilience 

Crossposted from Public Health Insider Burnout is a problem in many professions – and particularly in nursing. For National Nurses Week this year, the focus is on promoting good health for nurses themselves. Within Public Health – Seattle & King County, this fits squarely with many efforts to help people overcome the impacts of burnout and “secondary trauma” (which comes with providing intensive, compassionate care to vulnerable populations). At the core of this work is resilience – the capacity to recover from adversity. Anneleen Severynen, a Public Health Nurse with Health Care… Read More

National Correctional Officers and Employees Week 

This week, May 7 – 13, is “National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.” To honor their service, today the DAJD Food Services Section will be providing King County Correctional Facility staff a specially prepared meal. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation creating “National Correctional Officers’ Week” to honor the work of corrections officers and correctional personnel nationwide. In 1996, Congress officially modified it to be more inclusive, to “National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.” President Reagan said, “Historically, correctional officers have been viewed as ‘guards,’ occupying isolated and misunderstood positions… Read More

Tech Tip: Multimedia version: The Rule of Thirds

Most of the time, you can instantly get a sense of whether or not a given photo was taken by an amateur or someone with a lot of photographic experience. This is because amateurs don’t have a feel for composition, and good composition is the soul of a great photograph. Composition is the placement of every element in a photograph. It describes how a photo is “composed,” which implies intentionality. Someone who pays no mind to composition can only take good shots by coincidence. On the other hand, once you truly have a… Read More

Exciting opportunity for motivated employees to take their career to the next level 

The Bridge Fellowship Program, or Bridge, is a multi-week program where participants are challenged by not only classroom learning, group projects and presentations, but also participate in interviews and site visits to explore King County agencies and their priorities. By stretching themselves to grow up and out, participants gain the skills needed to see the bigger picture. Bridge teaches employees who are considered “emerging leaders” to tackle issues head on and create future successes from current challenges. It’s a lesson past participants have taken to heart. Linda Morales, currently a RideShare Coordinator… Read More

9 Ounces – A social justice play that carries weight 

This article is featured courtesy of Donna Miscolta, Project/Program Manager, King County Solid Waste Division       Luna, Alice, and Saraphina are friends. They live in the same building. They’re of different generations – Luna is a kid, Alice an adult, and Saraphina a 90-year-old widow. But these three black females are bound together by something burdensome – a fear of not being safe in the world. They’re fictional characters in a one-woman play by local writer, performer, and educator Anastacia Tolbert. In 9 Ounces, the characters come alive, expressing in realistic actions and… Read More

King County commemorates May Day and International Workers’ Day 

King County employees had the opportunity to attend an April 26 May Day celebration focused on protecting immigrants and refugees that featured a panel of guest speakers and a spoken word artist. More than a seasonal holiday celebrating the arrival of warm weather in the Northern Hemisphere, May 1 has also shared its stage as International Workers’ Day since the 1880s. “It’s interesting that in much of the rest of the world, May Day is Labor Day. But, increasingly, there is more activity and things that are happening around May Day here,… Read More

Featured Job: Victim Advocate 

Closing Date/Time: Wed. 05/17/17 12:59 PM Pacific Time Salary: $27.08 – $34.33 Hourly, $2,166.40 – $2,746.40 Biweekly Job Type: Regular, Full time, 35 hrs/week Location: Maleng Regional Justice Center – 401 Fourth Avenue, Kent, Washington Department: King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Description: The  King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is looking for a highly motivated Victim Advocate to join our Protection Order Advocacy Program. This position provides advocacy for petitioners who seek domestic violence orders for protection to include: intake and interviews with petitioners; support and assistance in completing forms; general information dissemination;… Read More

Kudos to Jennifer Hills, Risk Manager, Executive Services 

This kudos is from Jennifer Ackerman, the Deputy Executive Director of the Public Risk Management Association. She is recognizing Jennifer Hills for her article published in Public Risk magazine. Hi Jennifer, Congratulations! Your article on the Risk-Crisis Continuum has been selected as Public Risk magazine Article of the Year! You were selected by the judging panel for your article. This is a big honor as you were chosen from a pool of practitioner-writers. Your name will be announced at PRIMA’s awards luncheon, to be held on Monday, June 5, during PRIMA’s Annual… Read More

Social Media Spotlight: King County, WA on Facebook 

Located on Puget Sound in Washington State, and covering 2,134 square miles, King County is nearly twice as large as the average county in the U.S. With more than 2 million residents, it is the 13th most populous county in the nation. Learn about King County services you can use, and tell us how we can serve you better. Follow King County, WA on Facebook today! Click here to view all King County social media pages.

Town halls in unincorporated King County offer residents a chance to engage with King County officials

Shared from the DCHS Touching Base Newsletter  The 2017 Unincorporated Community Service Area (CSA) series of town hall meetings kicked off in April with well-attended meetings in Snoqualmie Valley and on Vashon Island. Residents received reports on local initiatives from their Councilmember, sheriff, assessor and other leaders from King County departments, and had the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns about issues affecting their community. A few DCHS management members and Best Starts for Kids reps attended the meetings, hosting a DCHS table with information about DCHS programs. The CSA town… Read More