With a guiding vision of “Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive,” King County employees are thinking about how best to support each other and our community through this pandemic. Though we are not all on the front lines, the actions we take are critical to the success of those who are.
Balanced You supports King County employees in living the “We Are One Team” value by providing tips on how you can do what you can, where you can to support the efforts of our front line workers to contain the virus and help those in our community who are most vulnerable.
Stay healthy so you don’t transmit the virus
- Follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for protecting yourself and stopping the spread of COVID-19.
- Boost your immune system by getting good sleep, managing your stress, eating well and exercising regularly.
Preserve the healthcare system for those who need it most (Credit: Public Health: Seattle & King County)
- Don’t buy more medical and health supplies than you need. Overstocking on facemasks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and plastic gloves make it difficult for health care providers and emergency response personnel to get what they need to take care of others.
- Consider whether you really need a COVID-19 test. The Washington State Department of Health has said that “Anyone can get tested. However, healthcare providers are focusing on people with symptoms of COVID-19. While testing supplies are still limited, they are also prioritizing certain groups of people at this time. We are working to expand testing so that anyone who gets sick with symptoms of COVID-19 can quickly get tested.” Learn more about COVID-19 testing in our state.
- Preserve the ER for critical health needs. At this time, emergency rooms are swamped. The CDC has advised that most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you might have COVID-19, follow the CDC guidance:
- Stay home. Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. Do not leave your home, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas.
- Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated.
- Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care. Be sure to get care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think it is an emergency.
- Be sure to get care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think it is an emergency. Call 911 if you have a medical emergency. See these Emergency Warning Signs from the CDC.
- Use telehealth resources available to County employees. Telehealth allows you to connect to your healthcare provider using your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Using telehealth resources helps reduce the burden on our healthcare system and helps reduce the spread of COVID-19. Due to COVID-19, more mental and physical healthcare providers now offer telehealth services.
Help a co-worker by donating leave to the county’s Emergency Leave Donation Program. To donate leave:
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- Use PeopleSoft to make donations. Learn how by viewing this PeopleSoft Emergency Leave Donation guide (SharePoint), or viewing this short video from the King County Business Resource Center to help with PeopleSoft entries.
- Complete the Emergency Leave Donation Form, which is a fillable PDF and can be submitted electronically without printing. The completed PDF form can be emailed to EmergencyDonation@kingcounty.gov.
- (To request donated leave, use the Emergency Leave Request Form. This fillable PDF form can also be completed on a computer and emailed, without needing to be printed. The completed PDF form can be emailed to EmergencyDonation@kingcounty.gov.)
Support community organizations that help the most vulnerable in our community
- Give blood through Blood Works Northwest. Public Health Seattle and King County is urging people to give blood to prevent our local blood supply from dwindling.
- Donate to a local food pantry like Northwest Harvest.
Care for your loved ones and neighbors
- Start an email group for your block or neighborhood so you can check in with each other and offer help when needed.
- Run essential errands for someone who needs to stay indoors.
- For more information on how older adults can stay connected while at home, visit the Public Health Insider blog.
Do you have other recommendations for supporting community during COVID-19? We’d love to hear them! Please contact us at balancedyou@kingcounty.gov or (206) 263-9626.
A list of King County employees’ Frequently Asked Questions regarding the coronavirus can be found here.