September is Nationial Recovery Month — Join Us as #KingCountyGoesPurple

National Recovery Month celebrates all those on a recovery journey and spreads a message of hope to people, families, and communities.

At King County Department of Community and Human Services, particularly the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division, our shared vision is to ensure that everyone in King County has a path to achieving and sustaining recovery to live full and healthy lives. Read more.

Is your information correct in PeopleSoft?

Benefits Open Enrollment is Nov. 1-15 and it's important that you review and update your personal information in PeopleSoft to ensure you receive announcements.

You can also update your emergency contact information, receive important updates, and select the email address where you prefer to receive information.

Got to ess.kingcounty.gov and select Personal Details to make sure all items are up to date. For login help, call the IT Service Center at 206-263-4357.

Robert Dargan, Metro’s 2022 Vehicle Maintenance Employee of the Year

Cross-posted from Metro Matters

King County Metro recently announced Robert Dargan as the 2022 Vehicle Maintenance Employee of the Year. He began his career with King County in May 1999 as Transit Mechanic and has been providing excellent service at King County Metro in this position.

Dargan was surprised with the honor at a ceremony at Metro’s East Base by King County Executive Dow Constantine, Metro General Manager Terry White, and Vehicle Maintenance leadership staff. Read more.

Allen Nance confirmed to oversee the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention

The Metropolitan King County Council voted Tuesday, Sept. 6 to confirm Allen Nance as the Director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. 

The vote formally approves his leadership of the County’s jails, youth detention facility, and community corrections programs. Nance had been serving as Director-designee for just over two months. Read more.

King County District Court to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month with September events

Join these events to be inspired and learn more about the vibrant Latinx cultures and people in the United States. All King County employees are invited.

History of Latinx Heritage Month - Get an overview of the history and importance of Latinx Heritage Month by King County District Court judges and staff who serve on the Court’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

• Tuesday, Sept. 20 from noon to 1 p.m. Join via  Zoom. 

¡Ya Es Tiempo! | The Time is Now! - Join a panel discussion on this short film about the experience of the Latinx community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Tuesday, Sept. 27 from noon to 1 p.m. Join via Zoom.

Featured panelists for this event include:

• Chief Justice Steven González, Washington State Supreme Court
• Angie Hinojos, Executive Director and co-founder of Centro Cultural Mexicano, based in Redmond
• Jesús Pérez, Professor of Latin American History, Cascadia College

Balanced You presents: A Conversation on Suicide Prevention Awareness

This event is intended to provide an opportunity for King County employees to normalize the discussion around mental health, learn how to identify early warning signs of suicidal ideation, and learn more about resources available to support the mental health of employees and their loved ones. The panel will be coordinated by our employee well-being team, Balanced You, and feature a panel of King County mental health experts.

• Thursday, Sept. 29 from 1 to 2 p.m. Register here.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and it’s a reminder for all of us of the importance of checking in on each other and seeking support in times of crisis. 

This year, the new 988 number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline went into effect. Too many people are experiencing suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress without the support and care they need, and sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic only increased the mental health challenges we face. 988 offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress. That could be: 

• Thoughts of suicide
• Mental health or substance use crisis
• Any other kind of emotion distress.

988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365, connecting those experiencing a mental health, or suicidal crisis with trained crisis counselors. Those who are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support can also dial 988. Services are available in Spanish, along with interpretation services in over 250 languages. To learn more about how to recognize warning signs and risk factors for suicide, visit the Balanced You blog.

Create interactive learning experiences with Teams webinars, Sept. 30

Join KCIT for a free session on Sept. 30 as we learn to Create Interactive Learning Experiences with Teams webinars. This class explains how to create and run webinars in Teams, including how to effectively set up an event and register attendees in advance. Training inlcudes how to leverage built-in tools before, during, and after the webinar – including sharing content and recordings.

To register for the class, King County employees can click here; follow the prompts to log into Teams and download the Learn Now app to complete your registration.

• Friday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. Register here.

Recognizing Administrative Professionals

Administrative Professionals are a large part of King County government’s workforce and valuable contributors to the success of every department. They support and provide direct services to internal customers and the public.

Submissions for recognition for the third quarter is due by Sept. 30. To show your appreciation and recognize an Administrative Professional that you've worked with, click here. 

Discounted tickets for Seattle Thunderbirds Hockey Club opening night, Oct. 1

King County employees are invited to join the Seattle Thunderbirds as they open their defense of the Western Conference Championship at the Accesso ShoWare Center, in Kent.

King County employees receive a $30 ticket for only $20, plus a small service fee. Purchase discounted tickets here. Enter the discount password: county. For more information, contact Cory Howerton at 253-856-6844.  

See all available King County employee discounts on the Employee Discount webpage.

Tech Tip: Manage IT tickets with KCIT’s new omni-channel chatbot, capable of voice or text responses

KCIT and Amazon are now piloting an exciting new automated chatbot option that lets you quickly and easily manage your IT Helpdesk tickets – without waiting to speak with a live technician.

Watch this 5-minute video to see how Executive Branch employees can ask the chatbot to check the status of their open tickets, close a ticket, request a priority escalation, add a note for the technician, or transfer to a live agent. The chatbot will even answer frequently asked questions!

The new chatbot is now available to serve you 24 hours a day. Simply follow the voice prompts when you call the IT Helpdesk at 206-263-HELP (4357) from your Teams desktop app or county-assigned mobile phone, or utilize the chat option in the Cherwell IT Helpdesk Portal. 

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