Executive Constantine thanks retiring Public Health Director, names interim director
Following a distinguished seven-year tenure as Director for one of the largest metropolitan health departments in the country, and capping a 30 year career in public health service, Public Health – Seattle & King County Director Patty Hayes announced her retirement, effective May 28.
King County Executive Dow Constantine, in consultation with Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, named Dennis Worsham, currently Prevention Division Director, as the department’s Interim Director.
“Patty Hayes has served our community as an exemplary public servant and led through some of the most challenging times imaginable with professionalism and compassion. Under her watch, King County’s response to the pandemic led the nation, holding illness and death rates to the lowest among major counties, and set the pace for community vaccinations while focusing on equity as a guiding principle in our work in communities hit hardest by the virus. During her tenure with King County and throughout her entire career, Patty’s dedication to lifting up our entire community has been a hallmark of her legacy,” said Executive Constantine. ”We’re fortunate to have another experienced and trusted public health leader within our ranks with a commitment to equity and social justice to continue the health department’s vital work, and I thank Dennis Worsham for stepping into this role as we emerge and begin to recover from the pandemic and sustain our public health response to racism.” Read more.
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"Where Are You Really From?" Anti-Asian Violence and Discrimination: A Legal and Historical Perspective
The Courts and Community Committee of the King County Superior Court is proud to present a discussion on Anti-Asian Violence and Discrimination. All are invited to join our distinguished guests and moderator for this important event.
Panelists:
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Justice Mary Yu, Washington State Supreme Court Professor
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Margaret Chon, Seattle University School of Law Donald & Lynda Horowitz Professor for the Pursuit of Justice
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Naomi Ishisaka, Assistant Managing Editor and Social Justice Columnist, Seattle Times
Moderator: Mimi Jung, News Anchor and Reporter, King 5 News
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month recognition event
On behalf of the Asian and Pacific Islander Affinity Groups of the Legislative and Executive Branches, please join us virtually in commemoration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!
We will be honoring local leaders past and present to include:
- Lalita Uppala, Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs
- Judge Mark Chow, District Court, King County
- Nikita Ares, artist
- Quynh Pham, Executive Director, Friends of Little Saigon
- Row Chew, Consultant & Organizer
This virtual event will be livestreamed:
- Friday, May 21, 2021 at 1 p.m.
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KCTV Livestream on Channel 22 and 322 (Vimeo and YouTube Links will be provided post-event)
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Balanced You celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
This May, Balanced You celebrates the significant contributions the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have made in our region. We encourage all employees to learn more about the rich cultural heritage within the AAPI community. Balanced You stands in solidarity with all AAPI people and recognizes the resiliency and strength that lies within community. Read the Balanced You blog for upcoming events from the API affinity group and a list of collective care and well-being resources.
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Vax to the Future: Using arts to help vaccinate the King County community
Crossposted from the Public Health Insider
What’s art got to do with vaccinations? Why should we care about people’s experiences with getting a COVID-19 vaccine?
Since the first COVID-19 vaccines were delivered in December 2020, we’ve learned a lot about what moves people to get vaccinated. Evidence has shown that a prosocial approach, people sharing positive, personal experiences, is an effective way to encourage others to get vaccinated.
To that effort, Public Health—Seattle & King County is partnering with 4Culture to launch a new pilot program at vaccination sites: Vax to the Future. Read more.
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A Conversation on Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Resiliency
Grab your lunch and join Balanced You for this interactive training and conversation. Employees will learn to identify burnout and compassion fatigue in their own lives and learn strategies to build resiliency to help carry themselves and their community through these difficult times.
Registration for this event is through NeoGov Learn, King County's new eLearning system. Click registration link below and press 'enroll' to register. We will email you a Zoom link the day before the event.
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King County launches construction of future RapidRide H Line
King County Executive Dow Constantine joined city, county, and community leaders to mark the launch of construction of the future RapidRide H Line. Transit improvements spanning 13 miles from downtown to Seattle to Burien will upgrade the speed, reliability, and customer experience for the current Route 120.
Read the full announcement here.
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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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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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Mentorship Lunch & Learn – Online – Would you like to have a mentor, someone who can help you grow professionally? Do you want to strengthen your coaching skills? As a Mentee, you will have a trusted advisor who can help you navigate complex situations, and as a Mentor, you can uncover new or forgotten skills and build influence. This Lunch and Learn is free
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Meeting Anxiety with Mindfulness – Online – Feeling anxious? Overwhelmed? Exhausted? You're not alone. Take a break with this calming session. You'll learn simple, effective tools to manage stress at work and home. This class is free.
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: How Secure is Your Mobile Device?
Most of us have a smartphone, but how many of us really think about the security threats faced by these mobile devices? Mobile devices are vulnerable to many different types of threats. The bad guys are increasing attacks on mobile devices and targeting your phone using malicious applications. Using these methods, they can steal personal and business information without you having any idea what’s going on. Even if you’ve downloaded a security or antivirus application, securing your smartphone goes beyond these services. Improving your mobile security practices is your best defense against the privacy and security issues associated with your mobile device. How can I improve my mobile security practices? Always remember these best practices to minimize the risk of exploits to your mobile devices:
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Ensure your phone’s operating system is always up to date. Operating systems are often updated in order to fix security flaws. Many malicious threats are caused by security flaws that remain unfixed due to an out of date operating system.
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Watch out for malicious apps in your app store. Official app stores regularly remove applications containing malware, but sometimes these dangerous apps slip past and can be downloaded by unsuspecting users. Do your research, read reviews and pay attention to the number of downloads it has. Never download applications from sources other than official app stores.
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Ensure applications are not asking for access to things on your phone that are irrelevant to their function. Applications usually ask for a list of permissions to files, folders, other applications, and data before they’re downloaded. Don’t blindly approve these permissions. If the permission requests seem unnecessary, look for an alternative application in your app store.
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No password or weak password protection. Many people still don’t use a password to lock their phone. If your device is lost or stolen, thieves will have easy access to all of the information stored on your phone.
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Be careful with public WiFi. The bad guys use technology that lets them see what you’re doing. Avoid logging in to your online services or performing any sensitive transactions (such as banking) over public WiFi.
Pet of the Week: Elyas
Hi! My name is Elyas and I am a neutered, five-year-old gray kitty with beautiful medium length hair. I was brought in by a good Samaritan on April 22, 2021.
When I came into the shelter I had a few wounds on my face and my hair was missing. I was super scared and clearly had not been socialized with humans. I have been spending time with the staff at RASKC and they have helped me to build trusting relationships and my hair is even growing back on my face! I'm a little bit shy, but I warm up very quickly with calm and quiet humans and will get my motor purring for you in no time at all!
I have a condition called Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Infection (FIV). FIV is a viral infection that is transmitted between cats usually through fighting. This is a lifelong infection with no cure. FIV cats can have shorter lifespans, however many of them can live many years in good health with proper management and care. Please refer to the information handout provided. I get along great with other cats so if you have a cat at home with FIV, I’d make a great friend!
I am neutered and microchipped. You can find out more about me and my other friends on our website at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Note that RASKC has moved to adoptions by appointment only. If you have more questions, you can contact RASKC via phone at 206-296-7387 (PETS) or email pets@kingcounty.gov.
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Featured Job: Registered Nurse Mobile Assessment Team (MAT) Registered Nurse
Salary: $68,390.40 - $95,742.40 Annually
Location: Various Locations throughout King County, WA
Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp (TLT)
Department: DPH - Public Health
Job Number: 2021AC13432
Division: Community Health Services
Closes: Ongoing recruitment
Mobile testing is an integral part of Public Health’s response to Covid-19. As an RN with experience in Covid-19 disease management and control, you can provide proactive and reactive mobile testing for people unable to access standard testing sites.
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
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King County Headlines
King County Wastemobile to be in Kent May 28-30
Vaccinated or not, keep your mask on, King County's top health official urges
King County launches $145M rent assistance program
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