First-of-its-kind behavioral health crisis center opens in north King County  

Crossposted from Cultivating Connections

On Aug. 12, Connections Health Solutions and the City of Kirkland opened the region’s first walk-in 24/7 behavioral health crisis center along with partner cities of Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, and Shoreline.

The new crisis center will provide walk-in urgent care and continued stabilization for people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. Its opening completes the first fully connected local crisis care system for behavioral health in King County: connecting and providing our North King County community members with someone to call (988 or the Regional Crisis Connections Line), someone to respond (mobile crisis teams) and now somewhere to go plus someone to follow up (crisis care centers). This is the system we are working to create countywide through the Crisis Care Centers Initiative. Read more.

Backpack giveaway event at Overcomer Covenant Church

Last week, the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) joined forces with Overcomer Covenant Church to distribute backpacks to the South King County community.

In partnership with Mission Africa, the church generously provided 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to local children. This event also offered valuable community resources and snacks for all attendees.

Sgt. R. Nishimura and Deputy K. Ray staffed the KCSO booth, spreading joy by distributing frisbees, bracelets, and stickers to the excited kids. Officers were particularly moved by a young child who took an immediate liking to Deputy Ray and expressed her aspiration to become a police officer, showing the positive impact of our engagement with the community.

It was a heartwarming day of community support, reaffirming KCSO's commitment to partnering with faith-based communities.

New podcast miniseries explores the wide world of septic systems

Crossposted from Public Health Insider

What happens when we flush a toilet, or turn off a sink tap? For most of us, we don’t give much thought to it – out of sight, out of mind. But once we walk away, what goes down the drain begins a whole new journey through the wastewater system. 

In King County, over 85,000 homes and businesses rely on septic systems to treat their wastewater and protect their health every day. But what is a septic system? What happens when it fails, and what happens to our health and the environment when many start failing? Finally, who are the people that respond to these emergencies, and what keeps them going? 

These questions, and more, are addressed in a new environmental health podcast, Bridging the Gap. Through storytelling, we aim to bring people closer to understanding how environmental public health shows up in our everyday lives, and how we can all help keep our community healthy. Join us in listening to our first three-episode miniseries, which explores the wonderful world of wastewater known as On-site Sewage/Septic Systems (OSS)! Read more.

New discount available for Method Learning academic tutoring

King County employees can now receive a 20% discount for courses available through Method Learning academic tutoring. Method Learning is a proven college readiness service that provides tutoring and helps guide students on their academic journey.

For more details and to take advantage of the discount, click here. Services available include college admissions advising, college financial advising, ACT and SAT test prep, academic coaching, and much more.

Balanced You Self-care Series: Supporting women's health in the workplace, Aug. 15

Women face many changes in life as they age—childbirth, menopause, mental health—all of these can be challenging especially while working full time. Balanced You invites you to a discussion with Dr. Sonya Daria, board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician at Kaiser Permanente Washington. Learn the long-term value of proactive, preventive care, wellness recommendations, ideas to live your best life, and how to prioritize your mental health.

• Thursday, Aug. 15, from noon to 1 p.m. Register here.

Supervisors: Here is a printer-friendly PDF of the Self-care webinars to post at your worksites for employees who do not have access to email.