COVID-19 vaccination for children and teens
Everyone age 12 years and older is currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. At this time, COVID-19 vaccines are not authorized for children younger than 12 years old. Clinical trials are in process for young children.
COVID-19 vaccine options for teens
- Johnson & Johnson: age 18 years and older
- Moderna: age 18 years and older
- Pfizer: age 12 years and older
When you schedule your appointment, make sure that they offer vaccine that has been authorized for your age group. Learn more about vaccination for youth at kingcounty.gov/vaccine/youth.
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How you can get vaccinated against COVID-19
As a King County employee, we encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as you can, and there are many options for you. Vaccines are available at high-volume vaccination sites, pharmacies, and clinics. Many don’t require appointments.
Find out how to get you and your family vaccinated:
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Go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to search for COVID-19 vaccine appointments near you by zip code.
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Go to www.kingcounty.gov/vaccine for details about vaccination partnership sites throughout King County. Many don’t require appointments.
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WA COVID Vaccine Finder covidwa.com is a volunteer-driven effort to help Washingtonians find appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine
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Call your doctor’s office or health care provider to see if they have available vaccination appointments.
- Whether you’re a Kaiser Permanente member or not, King County employees can follow these steps to get a COVID-19 vaccine with Kaiser Permanente.
Find out more on our employee COVID-19 website.
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Reposted from Executive Services Express
The following is an excerpt from an account of Department of Executive Service's Barbara Ramey’s experience as a first-time foster parent for Regional Animal Services of King County:
"I checked my personal email after work one Monday recently, and there was a request from Regional Animal Services of King County. Someone had brought in a single kitten, only about two to three weeks old. It needed fostering as soon as possible. After asking a few questions by email, I replied, “I’m on my way.” Read the full furry adventure here.
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Mental Health Month week three: Processing big changes
For week three of Mental Health Month, Balanced You is focusing on the topic ‘processing big changes.’ It’s safe to say that most of us experienced significant changes in the past year, with the COVID-19 pandemic effecting almost every aspect of our lives. It still feels uncertain if and when our lives will go back to normal and that can make us feel helpless and out of control. Read the Balanced You blog for tools and a worksheet to help you process and existing or upcoming change.
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There are amazing mental health resources at your fingertips as a King County employee, but it can be a little time-consuming to understand which one is the right choice for your situation. Balanced You encourages employees to utilize two free resources, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Making Life Easier (MLE). Watch a short video to learn more about the differences of each program, and choose which one is best for a particular situation.
Crossposted from the DES Express
The third and final phase of the Records Center’s move to the South Park Warehouse is now complete. This third phase represents the culmination of a multi-year capital improvement project that ultimately will result in saving the county tens of millions of dollars over many years.
In February, the Facilities Management Division provided oversight for the final phase of the project: installation of shelving to accommodate Department of Public Defense (DPD) records historically stored with private vendors at a recurring annual cost. After factoring costs for the set-up, closing private vendor contracts and transferring records, the project is estimated to have lasting savings of more than $200,000 per year unadjusted for inflation beginning in 2023, over many years due to the long-term legal retention period for these records. Read more.
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Veterans & Military Affinity Group meeting May 19
The King County Veterans & Military Affinity Group will be hosting their monthly meeting this Wednesday, May 19, from 12-1 p.m. In honor of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday there will be a special presentation about the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and American Legion by Affinity Group member Fred Seaton, who is a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force, and the Quartermaster and Adjutant of VFW Post 2995 in Redmond, WA.
All King County employees who have served and who are still actively serving are invited to attend and learn about what the local VFW and Legion does and what they can offer to local area veterans. The Zoom link to join is: https://kingcounty.zoom.us/j/97211453325. The meeting ID is: 972 1145 3325 and passcode is: 293259.
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PeopleSoft outage maintenance May 21-23
To allow for system maintenance, the PeopleSoft system will not be available the weekend of May 21 to 23. During this planned outage, the Business Resource Center (BRC) will apply vendor updates and maintenance.
This work will begin on Friday, May 21, at 3 p.m. and is scheduled to be completed by 6:30 a.m. on Monday, May 24. The system will not be available for access by any County staff during this outage window. There will be a communication sent out to all County staff when the system becomes available.
We realize that this outage impacts all PeopleSoft users and we appreciate your understanding and support.
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How to Preserve Your Mental Health in an Ongoing Pandemic - May 20
Balanced You presents a panel discussion on May 20 about Mental Health during an Ongoing Pandemic.
All King County employees are invited to our Mental Health Month webinar, “How to Preserve Your and Your Loved Ones’ Mental Health in an Ongoing Pandemic.”
As the pandemic continues and too many tragedies have occurred, it is important we protect our mental health and that of those we love.
Join us and a dynamic panel of speakers for this important discussion.
- Thursday, May 20 from 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Register here
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Executive Constantine signs order to strengthen pro-equity contracting
King County Executive Dow Constantine issued an executive order strengthening pro-equity contracting. The county will remove barriers, implement innovative contracting methods, and take other actions to make it easier for minority- and women-owned businesses (MWBEs) to contract with King County.
"This executive order ensures every county agency focuses on increasing minority- and women-owned businesses when seeking private-sector partners. As we move forward, we want to closely partner with MWBE organizations and contractors, learn from their experiences, and ensure meaningful results," said Executive Constantine. "We expect this action to substantially increase participation in county contracts, which is consistent with the True North values of making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive." Read more.
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Career Services Support
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Creating Effective Application Materials – This two-hour virtual workshop will provide you tips and strategies on how to make your application materials stand out. Learning objectives include:
- Understanding the purpose of the job application, resume, cover letter and supplemental questions and how to make each of them more effective
- Deciding what to include in your resume and the best format to showcase your qualifications
- How to write a cover letter tailored to the specific position
- Identifying and showcasing your accomplishments
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Tuesday, May 25 from 2-4:00 p.m.
- Register here
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STAR-LA Interview Practice and Feedback – This one-hour VIRTUAL, small group workshop is designed to provide mock interview practice and feedback using the STAR-LA method as taught by King County Career Support Services. This workshop is ideal for participants who have attended the Strategic Interviewing Tips and Techniques workshop or have watched the 10 minute STAR-LA method video found on the Career Support Services website.
Training Spotlight
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Staying Steady – Online – When leaders prioritize supporting their and their team’s wellbeing, they add to the creation of a values-based culture where team members have a sense of stability, feel respected and can work more effectively. This training is free.
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Brain-based Time Management – Online – Do you procrastinate, get distracted, have a hard time prioritizing, or feel overwhelmed? What we do and how we do it are driven by how our brains are wired. Neuroscience tells us we have 10 brain skills and each one of us has skills that are strong (and skills that are not strong). In this class, you’ll hear about each of these skills so you can identify where the weak areas are for you and most importantly, learn what you can do about it. Imagine finishing your workday with confidence that you remembered and handled everything you needed to!
Please visit our King County Eventbrite website and our Learning and Development website for more learning opportunities. For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit Learning and Development at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
Tech Tip: Teams Breakout Rooms are here!
 What is a Breakout Room? Meeting organizers can use Breakout Rooms to break meeting attendees into small groups during your meeting.
When is this happening? Breakout Rooms rolled out the week of 12/7. Meeting organizers should now see the icon in your meetings.
Who is affected? Only meeting organizers can create and manage Breakout Rooms (and only meeting organizers will see the Breakout Room icon). Anyone in a Teams meeting can participate in a Breakout Room.
How do I use Breakout Rooms? As a meeting organizer, select the Breakout Rooms icon (a square within a square). Follow the instructions that pop-up in the next screen.
How can I learn more? Learn more about Breakout Rooms on the Teams Landing Page in our KCIT Training Hub.
If you have questions, Submit a ticket to the KCIT HelpDesk
View past KCIT Newsletter updates here
Featured Job: Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Project/Program Manager III
Salary: $88,937.06 - $112,732.88 Annually
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Department: DCHS - Community & Human Services
Job Number: 2021AC13404
Division: Developmental Disabilities and Early Childhood Supports Division
Closes: May 23
Are you looking for a position that directly creates programs to support community based organizations? With your education and experience within change management, systems design and social services, you can make a difference in the lives of many families.
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
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King County Headlines
King County launches $145 million Rent Assistance Program to prevent evictions and homelessness
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