We’ve seen the media coverage of the Lumen Field COVID vaccination site, but what happens behind the scenes is like a race crew working to make their car run faster to beat a microscopic competitor who threatens to take the lead.

Staff arrive more than three hours before the doors open to set up the queues, place directional signs, and prepare dozens of vaccination stations. They put on their vests, sign in, and check out their two-way radios, getting ready for thousands of people to stream through the doors.

Two morning staff meetings one hour apart ensure that everything is ready for the day.

Volunteers arrive next to assist with wayfinding, language interpretation, and more. They put on their vests and badges and receive training for their positions. After more than two months of experience, the Lumen Field operation runs like a well-oiled engine with all the gears and pistons running in quiet synchronization.

Of course, there are times when a leader of the “pit crew” needs to step in to keep things on track. On the first day that 12-15 year-olds were eligible for vaccines, the line designated just for them became backed up since many families brought more than one child. On the fly, staff “tuned up” the operation and moved older teens to the adult lines without missing a beat.

The operation runs so smoothly because there are many people paddling like crazy underneath the surface. [Read more…]

Those of us who experienced the 2001 Nisqually earthquake may think we are ready for the next time the Earth decides to shake. But seismologists predict the next one will make the Nisqually quake look like a kiddie ride.

With up to a 25-percent chance of happening in the next 50 years, the next quake is expected to be longer and stronger. We felt about 45 seconds of shaking in 2001 and the bigger quake would shake us for up to four minutes, causing more injuries, deaths, and property destruction.

In addition, scientists predict a large tsunami would wash ashore and could cause flooding within the Puget Sound, along river channels, as well as along the coast. You cannot outrun a tsunami, which moves at 35 miles per hour, and it’s not like a typical ocean wave. It’s like a wall of concrete filled with dangerous debris.

That’s why emergency managers have implemented the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System. [Read more…]

To further the City of Seattle’s commitment to economic inclusion and contracting equity, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and the City of Seattle’s Department of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) formally launched the Mayoral Women- and Minority-Owned Business (WMBE) Advisory Committee today. The Committee, established through Executive Order 2019-06, will provide guidance and feedback on City of Seattle contracting equity initiatives. 

Mayor Durkan appointed 12 members to the advisory committee. The members represent four stakeholder sectors: vendors, consultants, construction contractors and community organizations. Members represent a range of experiences, perspectives and backgrounds. They are appointed for a two-year term.  [Read more…]

A message from FAS Director Calvin W. Goings on Milestones at the Community Vaccination Site at Lumen Field

Published April 26, 2021

View the Milestones Report Here

Dear FAS Colleagues,

It was just a little over a month ago that our department, working with partners at Swedish and First and Goal, Inc., and colleagues from across eight departments and the Mayor’s Office, stood up the largest, civilian-led mass vaccination site in the country.

The Community Vaccination Site at Lumen Field Event Center is capable of, at capacity, providing up to 22,000 vaccinations a day. The launch of this site represents the single largest mobilization of City resources in a generation and, to do it, FAS worked around-the-clock in just six weeks to convert a 190,000-square-foot event center, typically reserved for boat shows or concerts, into a mass vaccination site. We ordered more than 15,000 individual items—everything from signage and tables to computer tablets and large refrigerators to store vaccine—and now manage hundreds of volunteers and dozens of onsite staff.

The number we care most about though is this one: already, we have provided almost 60,000 potentially life-saving vaccines to our residents. And that’s just the beginning! We have thousands of appointments available this week and I encourage you, your family and friends to sign up today if you haven’t already.

Hitting this milestone is something we can and ought to be proud of; that’s why I wanted to share with you some of the impact of your work in this newsletter. I am tremendously proud of this department, and every one of you. A number of this size can obscure the individual impact of our work. It’s something I’m reminded of every time I’m at the site, working on the floor and interacting with residents who see our vaccination site as not only providing a shot—but hope.

You’re giving hope to residents like Tina and Tracy, pictured at right, two sisters who were separated during the pandemic because of health issues but were finally able to reunite at Lumen, arm-in-arm, for their vaccines.

You’re giving hope to Aogera, a resident who can’t wait to finally hold and walk with her young grandson without fear of catching or spreading the virus.

And you’re giving hope to residents like Bob, a cancer survivor who was hospitalized for COVID earlier this year and, after getting his vaccine, said he’s ready to get strong so he can finally play golf again.

These are real people who, without even knowing it, have depended on you and are thankful for your work. I am, too. I know you’re all busy and have been stretched thin the past year as we have helped lead the City’s COVID-19 response.

Even so, I hope you’ll take a moment to pause, reflect and read about the incredible impact your work is having on our City. And, if you haven’t yet, please schedule your vaccine appointment today! Thank you for all you do.

Calvin

View the Milestones Report here. 

For Lindsey Dabek, the pandemic has not only been hard because it’s kept her from friends and loved ones. Its also kept her from one of her greatest passions: performing live music with her band and dancing with friends.

“Music is such a big part of my life and it’s been soul-crushing for me and other musicians,” she said. “I’m a vocalist and a percussionist. Those are two things you really need others to be able to perform.”

Dabek is now one step closer to reuniting with her band and getting back on stage. She’s among the thousands of residents who have been vaccinated at the Community Vaccination Site at Lumen Field, a public-private partnership among the City, Swedish and Lumen Field. [Read more…]

Hosting a community-wide vaccination clinic attended by several thousand residents at a time can be like planning for and hosting multiple weddings in one week. Staff and volunteers at the Community Vaccination Site at Lumen Field have to be ready for every possible scenario and no one more so than Clinic Event Manager and Finance and Administrative Services Employee Meredith Stone.

Meredith serves as event manager of the site and is responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly. In her day job, she serves as the event manager for Seattle City Hall events, overseeing everything from City Council press conferences, demonstrations, cultural events, large internal business meetings and celebrations and blood drives. We sat down with Meredith to learn about her work and how she applies her expertise to helping manage the largest civilian-led mass vaccination site in the country.  ­ [Read more…]

Seattle resident Patrick McCain remembers exactly how it felt when he got his first COVID-19 vaccine.

He had spent the past year worrying about the virus and how it might impact his wife, who has multiple sclerosis, if either of them ever got it.

“It was always in the back of my mind and I knew I’d never forgive myself if I got it and gave it to her,” he said.

So on his drive home from getting his first Pfizer shot, he felt like a weight had lifted.

“You don’t even know you’re carrying this on you, but it felt like someone took 200 pounds off my shoulders,” he said. “And getting my second shot. That was just pure joy.”

It’s a feeling he wants others to experience, particularly communities of color where distrust of the government and historical medical mistreatment have left some hesitant to get the vaccine.

It’s also a big part of why he and members of his fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi, a global and historically African American fraternity, began volunteering at the Community Vaccination Site at Lumen Field. The vaccination site is a public-private partnership launched by the City of Seattle, Swedish and First and Goal Inc., and is the largest civilian-led mass vaccination site in the country—one that, at capacity, is capable of administering 22,000 per day.

The site was stood up and is operated by the Department of Finance and Administrative Services and brings together hundreds of community volunteers and Swedish and City staff, and has already provided 45,000 doses since opening on March 13.

[Read more…]

The Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) is calling on community to help find forever homes for animals who were rescued in two seizure cases.  

Up to 370 animals, including cats, rabbits and Guinea Pig, that were rescued from two homes are now up for adoption at the shelter.

“We have been so grateful for the generosity of our community, especially the past year when we handled one of the largest animal seizure cases of our shelter’s history,” said Jocelyn Bouchard, Deputy Division Director of SAS. “We need help finding great forever homes for these animals now that they’re available for adoption.”  [Read more…]

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced a first of its kind partnership today among the City of Seattle, the Port of Seattle and Sound Transit to invest $1.75 million to provide long-lasting construction careers for historically underserved communities, with room for upward growth. The investments aim to reduce existing racial disparities in construction and in the larger community through access to family wage jobs, training and support for workers.

“We know that the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have disproportionately impacted women and people of color. Despite the quick actions our City has taken to support workers and residents during this unprecedented time, too many families have struggled to make ends meet. Where we direct our dollars matters and this historic partnership is just one step of many toward addressing the very real displacement and inequity issues that harm underserved communities,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “This latest investment, and the continued expansion of Seattle’s Priority Hire Program, will help ensure that women and people of color from every economic background are prioritized and can attain good, livable family-wage jobs, right here in Seattle.”  [Read more…]