Beginning Monday, January 23, there will be increased security presence in the Administration Building. Facilities Management Division (FMD) security officers will be permanently assigned to posts at both the 4th Avenue and 5th Avenue entrances. These officers will also patrol the Administration Building and respond to calls for assistance. These positions come from a request for additional security in the Administration Building. In response, FMD sought additional funds in the 2017-2018 budget to increase the security presence in the Administration Building to be equitable with the other large buildings in the Downtown… Read More

The staff in the King County Public Health Lab, tucked into the basement of Harborview’s West Clinic wing, literally hold people’s lives in their hands. In fact, at times they even hold entire cultures. Working with the public and performing tests every day, the lab runs tests on tuberculosis to the flu virus and everything in between. Staff also coordinate with other public health clinics and offices, STD and TB clinics, law enforcement and even the Washington State Public Health Lab to ensure community health. “We’re keeping the community safe, making sure… Read More

Crossposted from the Best Starts for Kids Blog We’d like to thank the 4,000+ parents and caregivers who have completed the Best Starts for Kids (BSK) Health Survey! The BSK Health Survey is still open, and we’ve extended the deadline to late January to make sure all voices are heard. We asked Sheila Capestany, King County Strategic Advisor for Children and Youth and lead of Best Starts for Kids, to answer some of the common questions we are hearing from families. Read more at Best Starts for Kids Blog

King County’s food safety employees want to ensure that the County’s restaurant safety ratings are as simple and user-friendly as possible for residents so they turned to a new system that everyone understands: emojis. “[Diners] were telling us that they wanted the information to be easy to understand, and to see it at the restaurant, helping them make decisions on the spot,” Becky Elias, Food Program Manager with Public Health – Seattle & King County, said. “People can walk down the street, see a window sign outside of a restaurant and be able… Read More

King County is harnessing the power of the sun and the innovations of its employees to provide lighting at its bus shelters. King County Metro Transit is one of the largest transit systems in the country, and its network of more than 8,000 bus stops and 1,800 bus stop shelters is growing! Metro’s employees are using solar power as a climate- and budget-friendly solution to providing lighting at bus shelters. Solar lighting is being installed in about 50 new shelters each year, as well as in another 50 shelters through refurbishment. “Solar… Read More