A roundup of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

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✨Gleaming This Week✨

• Survey of Seattle Commuters Offers Insight Into Teleworking and Commuting Habits
• Public Health Shares Advice to Help Apple Health Clients Avoid Potential Lapses in Coverage
• Write for the Emerald! Accepting Pitches

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Survey of Seattle Commuters Offers Insight Into Teleworking and Commuting Habits

The newly redesigned Seattle Commute Survey, released in March 2023, by the Mobility Innovation Center at the University of Washington and Commute Seattle, offers insight into commuting and work tendencies across the City of Seattle, including how COVID-19 has affected trends. While it is focused on the downtown area, the survey polled 64,000 people — or 1 out of 10 people who work in the City of Seattle — and hence has implications for the entire city, including South Seattle. 

“Our survey looks at the people beyond the percentages. It reveals that where we work, what kind of homes we live in, and how much we make shapes how we get around Seattle,” said Commute Seattle Executive Director Kirk Hovenkotter in a press release. “Now is the opportunity to leverage investments in transit, biking, walking, and rolling for everyday trips, not just commute trips.”

The Seattle Commute Survey was initially named the Center City Split Study and has been conducted since 2010. Changes in data collection from this year include data from workplaces citywide rather than simply Central Seattle, demographics, and modes of transportation for trips outside of work.

Teleworking

For instance, those who worked remotely jumped from 6% in 2019 to 46% in 2022, with those in higher-income households — including those earning $150,000 per year or more — as most likely to telework or have hybrid options. Those who live in households earning less than $60,000 per year are more likely to work in person. Along those lines, individuals who live in “single-detached housing” are more likely to telework while those in apartments and condos are more likely to work in-person, which aligns with earned annual incomes.

“People who live in apartments, condos, or townhouses are more likely to walk to work, take an employer-provided shuttle, and use Uber/Lyft to commute,” notes Commute Seattle’s press release. Their key findings stress that “time and money are the leading influence of trip choice.”

Furthermore, those who are less likely to telework include women and individuals who are Black, Latino, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander.

Commuting

Shared modes of transportation have also reduced significantly since pre-pandemic years. Those who rideshare have decreased from 9% in 2019 to 3% in 2022, while those who take public transport have decreased from 46% in 2019 to 22% in 2022 — with those who live in households earning less than $90,000 a year more likely to take transit than those who make over $90,000 a year. In comparison with pre-pandemic studies, these trends show a reversal.

See the full report at ​CommuteSeattle.com/2022Survey​.

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Public Health Shares Advice to Help Apple Health Clients Avoid Potential Lapses in Coverage

According to a recent article published by Public Health—Seattle & King County (Public Health), due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years, more than 100,000 King County residents have not needed to reconfirm their eligibility every year to maintain their enrollment in Apple Health insurance coverage.

While some Apple Health clients will be automatically re-enrolled if their income and citizenship status can be confirmed through automated systems through state and federal governments, those who cannot be automatically reenrolled should receive renewal notices on a monthly basis, based on when they were first enrolled. If requested, clients who need to renew their insurance coverage will be required to submit their renewal form as well as proof of income. 

Public Health notes that those who are no longer eligible for Apple Health may have the option to enroll in a different Qualified Health Plan — including new low-cost health insurance options such as Cascade Care and Cascade Care Select — through Washington Healthplanfinder. 

Step-by-step directions and potential options for assistance, courtesy of Public Health, are as follows:

Steps to Take for Apple Health Clients:

• Check your account to make sure your contact info is up-to-date (at WAHealthplanfinder.org).
• Be on the lookout for a letter or electronic message about renewal.
• If you get a letter or message, take action.
• If you have any confusion or questions, get help from a Navigator.

How to Get Help From a Navigator:

• Call Public Health for assistance at 1-800-756-5437.
• Email questions to chap@KingCounty.gov.
• Find in-person enrollment locations  www.KingCounty.gov/Enroll.  
• Make an appointment with a Navigator at www.KingCounty.gov/Outreach (Registration form is at the bottom of the Outreach webpage).

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Write for the Emerald! Accepting Pitches

The Emerald is looking for new writers and video or photo journalists to help cover a number of specific focus areas of importance to us. Please email interim Managing Editor Vee Hua at Editor@SeattleEmerald.org if you have interest in writing on any of these topics:

• Environmental justice.
• Indigenous rights and Indigenous people.
• Resilience of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
• Other historically marginalized communities building solidarity with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
• General news stories.

Pitches can pertain to news stories, opinion pieces, arts and culture, video features, and more. Please send along your resume and three related samples of your work.

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