DATE: June 22, 2021
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: David Luchini, RN/PHN, Interim Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Salary Resolution Amendment
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve Amendment to the Salary Resolution adding one Division Manager - Public Health Services position, one Senior Staff Analyst position, one Staff Analyst I/II/III position and one Office Assistant I/II/III-Confidential position, and deleting one vacant Office Assistant I/II/III position from Public Health’s Org 5620, effective June 28, 2021, as reflected in Appendix D.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will amend Public Health’s Salary Resolution adding the following positions to help the Department’s mission to promote, preserve, and protect the community’s health. The Division Manager - Public Health Services will oversee a team that helps with policy, systems and environment change that allow for healthy choices to be more accessible and attractive. The Senior Staff Analyst will oversee the Fresno County Public Health Laboratory (Lab). The Staff Analyst I/II/III will help the Department’s COVID Division with research, analysis, planning, evaluation and administrative duties. The Office Assistant I/II/III - Confidential position will assist the Department’s Human Resources Unit with clerical functions. Approval of the recommended action will also delete an Office Assistant I/II/III position from the Department’s Administration. This item is Countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the Board does not approve the recommended actions, the Department would not have the Division leadership in place to expand its efforts to make policy, systems and environment change, the Lab would not have adequate management to oversee all aspects of administration, the COVID Division would not have a dedicated analyst to conduct administrative duties and the Human Resources Unit would not have additional assistance to help with clerical needs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The total annual cost for these positions is estimated at $428,000 and will be funded with the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity - Enhancing Detection grant funds, federal and state grants as well as Health Realignment. Should funding for these positions be exhausted, the positions will be deleted. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5620 FY 2020-21 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
The Department has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic since February 2020. As detrimental as this pandemic has been to our community, to help mitigate its impact, the Department has grown its partnerships with schools, community-based organizations and other entities dedicated to the community’s health. These efforts have increased the Department’s footprint in the community, which has generated a lot more interest in Public Health.
Moving forward, the Department’s vision is to expand partnerships and grow our Office of Health Policy and Wellness (OHPW) to become its own Division. This strategic move will allow the Department to become more proactive in moving the needle to a healthier community. In order to accomplish this, a Division Manager is needed to help manage and provide leadership to this expanding area.
Since the flood of 2018, the Lab has been in the process of being rebuilt and our expectation is that it will open in 2021. The Senior Staff Analyst will oversee the administration of Lab operations, which include invoicing, contracts, supply management, equipment, employees, documentation, ordering, grants and software.
COVID response efforts have created a significant increase to the workload on the Department’s staff. The Staff Analyst position is necessary to prepare policy and procedures, contracts and correspondence for the COVID Division. The position will also assist with preparing budgets, reports and researching grants and work on other necessary administrative projects.
Throughout the pandemic, the Department added staff to help in COVID-19 response efforts. Despite these additions, the Department’s Human Resources Unit has remained the same size. The addition of an Office Assistant I/II/III-Confidential position would assist in mitigating any delays in the clerical work associated with responding to employees’ needs.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Salary Resolution - Appendix D
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander