King County providing clear face masks to support deaf and hard of hearing people
King County will make clear face masks available to employees as part of its efforts to support deaf and hard of hearing people at work and in the community.
Clear face masks are critical for the deaf and hard of hearing community, but they are only effective if the hearing community wears them. Therefore, it’s important that our customer-facing employees and employees who have deaf and hard of hearing coworkers have access to these types of masks. King County has ordered 3,600 clear face masks for customer-facing and other employees who may need them to communicate with customers and coworkers.
For people with hearing difficulties, having the mouth covered is still a major barrier. At least 5% of the world’s population has disabling hearing loss, and reading a person’s lips and facial expressions can be an important part of communicating, even for those who use sign language. Covering most of your face can make it difficult to convey emotion and impact communication with others. Read more. Image courtesy of ClearMask.
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Wastewater Treatment Division employees help design a world for everyone
The Community Services team in King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is known for comprehensive, creative, and thoughtful outreach. CS team members solve problems and find ways to work with diverse communities throughout WTD’s 400-square mile service area. The CS team takes the County’s True North initiative seriously, engaging residents through trusted community-based organizations and expanding translation and live interpretation services every year.
Community Services (CS) team member Monica Van der Vieren found ways to address a need that all of us will face at some time in our lives: accessibility.
Monica leads community outreach for the Coal Creek Sewer Upgrade Project. This project will provide needed wastewater capacity to a growing area of Bellevue and Newcastle. It also gives King County the opportunity to move much of an active sewer pipe away from a creek with fish habitat in a beloved natural area. Read more.
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Need to see a health care provider during the pandemic? Try telehealth
To protect themselves from the coronavirus, many people have chosen to delay non-emergency doctors’ visits and therapy appointments, hoping they can pause their medical needs until the pandemic is over. Unfortunately, we now realize the virus is likely here to stay for many more months. And so, we are faced with the challenge of developing strategies for safely navigating our new reality.
Fortunately, King County employees and family members enrolled in Kaiser and Regence medical plans have access to telehealth services that allow you to virtually access board-certified, trained medical providers from your home, using a tablet, smart phone, or personal computer. Visit the Balanced You blog for more information.
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Waiting for your COVID-19 test results? Here’s what you can do
In the past few weeks, we have heard reports of longer wait times to get COVID-19 tests and delays in receiving test results in some instances. For most labs, the average time from testing to results being available has typically been one to three days, but recently it has been taking five to six days for tests done in some settings. Healthcare providers (or testers) then report results to patients. Because these are averages, some people may wait longer than these times.
We believe these delays are largely due to both recent increases in the number of people seeking testing for COVID-19 which is creating increasing workloads for laboratories, and limited supplies called reagents needed for COVID-19 laboratory testing. This is an issue nationally, not just in Washington state. Large outbreaks of COVID-19 in areas across the U.S. with high demands for testing are a factor impacting the ability to obtain the needed supplies.
Public Health is working with the Washington Department of Health and regional laboratories and healthcare providers to develop strategies to decrease the time between testing to results and to minimize disruption of the availability of COVID-19 testing locally. Labs are also working hard to increase their staffing and equipment to be able to run more tests. Read more.
Americans with Disabilities Act 30th Anniversary celebrated by ODEP
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) posted information on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of its signing on July 26, 1990. Featured is a timeline highlighting disability employment legislation enacted since the signing of the ADA and other notable related events from the past 30 years. Also included are suggestions on ways for organizations and individuals to celebrate ADA30.
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Disability history virtual tour, July 23
The U.S. Department of Defense's Diversity Management Operations Center, Disability Programs Directorate, a partner in the Office of Disability Employment Policy's Workforce Recruitment Program, will host a virtual tour of the Smithsonian Institution's disability history collection on Thursday, July 23 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
During this celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Smithsonian historian Dr. Katherine Ott will show the National Museum of American History's disability exhibit.
Register for the event and request accommodations by emailing dodhra.dmoc-dpd@mail.mil. For more information, visit the National Museum of American History's disability history website.
Primary election ballots are out
King County Elections mailed out Primary election ballots last week. Voters who have not received their ballot yet can contact Elections at 206-296-VOTE (8683).
This election, voters have the opportunity to weigh in on 52 offices including statewide offices such as Governor, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Congressional representatives, and state legislative seats. Some voters will also have measures from their local fire district on their ballots. Ballots are due by Election Day, August 4, and can be mailed with no stamp necessary or dropped in one of the 69 drop box locations across the county. If mailing a ballot, Elections recommends doing so by the Friday before Election Day to ensure the all-important on-time postmark.
There is still time to register to vote or update voter registration if voters have moved or changed their name recently. Online registration is open until July 27. After that, visit Elections in person at the headquarters in Renton or at the CenturyLink Field Event Center. Click here for addresses and hours.
For questions or assistance in making sure your vote counts, contact Elections at 206-296-VOTE (8683) or elections@kingcounty.gov.
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The new KCIT Training Hub is now live
King County Information Technology (KCIT) is now offering online trainings for employees – wherever they may be.
KCIT understands that as employees adapt to working from home, they are being asked to use new and changing technologies. The KCIT Training Team wants to support each employee to feel confident in their new, remote work environment. The “Training Hub” provides on-demand, self-guided technology trainings when and where employees need them most.
Employees are encouraged to explore the KCIT Training Hub by:
For more information about the KCIT Training Hub or available webinars, contact the KCIT Technical Training Team at KCITTrainingHub@kingcounty.gov. Note that these webinars are open to other Vitalyst customers, and as such are not adapted specifically to King County best practices.
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RASKC mobile pet food bank, made possible by public private partnerships
In addition to a small community pet food bank located at the Kent facility, Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) is proudly working with a number of public and private organizations to provide pet food and supplies to the communities we serve. Thanks to the generous donations of national charities, we are working together to distribute food to various locations. An interactive map of these locations is available here.
Mobile pet food banks are also organized throughout the King County area. These pop-up pet food banks will be announced throughout RASKC social media channels and events calendar. Read more about this partnership on the Tails from RASKC blog.
Pet of the Week: Bert
Hi! My name is Bert and I am available for adoption. My personality color is BLUE. I am a gentle and loving cat who likes to take things slow. I may get nervous in new situations, so I am looking for a family who understands that I might need some time to warm up. Once I get to know you, I will be a very devoted friend! I am an independent kitty who likes to do my own thing! I like getting attention on my own terms. I can get overstimulated with petting, so please move carefully with me and keep an eye out for signs that I might need a break. Because of my shy nature, I would do best in a calm, quiet home.
Read more and view all available pets at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Have you or someone you know adopted a pet from RASKC? Let us know. We’d love to tell your story.
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Featured Job: Personal Health Services Supervisor - Long-Term Care Facility
Salary: $96,012.80 - $124,716.80 Annually
Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp (TLT)
Department: DPH - Public Health
Closing: 7/27/2020 11:59 PM Pacific
KC Headlines
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