DATE: December 9, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: Appointment of Fresno County Health Officer
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Confirm appointment of Dr. Trinidad Solis to the position of County Health Officer pursuant to Fresno County Charter Section 16, effective December 9, 2025.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will confirm Dr. Trinidad Solis as the County Health Officer. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board choose not to confirm the appointment, the County would not have a full-time County Health Officer and the Department would continue recruitment efforts.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Sufficient funding is included in the Department of Public Health Org 5620 FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
Pursuant to Section 16 of the Fresno County Charter, with your Board’s approval of the recommended action, the appointment of Dr. Trinidad Solis to the position of County Health Officer will be confirmed.
On January 7, 2020, Dr. Rais Vohra’s appointment as extra-help County Health Officer was confirmed. This appointment will allow Dr. Solis to take on the full range of Health Officer duties which will improve operational efficiency, maximize resource allocation, and align with strategic goals and priorities.
Dr. Solis was hired as an extra-help Public Health Physician on September 21, 2020. On January 10, 2022, her appointment as Deputy Public Health Officer was confirmed and since that time she has shown strong leadership skills and a vast knowledge of public health. Dr. Solis has been an instrumental part of the Department in leading initiatives like the Rural Mobile Health Program, which received the 2024 California State Association of Counties Challenge Award and was recognized by the Board in February 2025. Dr. Solis has also been personally recognized for her work at the national level. On July 18, 2023, the Board recognized Dr. Solis for her award as Physician of the Year from the National Hispanic Medical Association.
Critical responsibilities of the County Health Officer include:
• Assisting in the development of health policies;
• Collaborating with, and serving as the public health consultant for staff and a variety of agencies at the local, regional, and State level;
• Directing and evaluating the medical oversight of public health programs;
• Assisting in assuring the enforcement of applicable public health orders, ordinances, statutes, regulations, and policies pertaining to public health and sanitary matters;
• Evaluating existing programs and initiating changes in programs;
• Assisting with advising and consulting on preparation of departmental program budgets and reviewing reports;
• Issuing and enforcing orders, including quarantine, when prescribed by the California Department of Public Health;
• Advising on and recommending matters relating to the quality and scope of medical services provided by the Department, as well as health disparities and community health systems;
• Issuing health advisories and warnings pertaining to specific illness outbreaks or threats in our community;
• Developing and approving medical protocol for the Department’s programs and services;
• Providing input to the County Emergency Services Director regarding declaration of local health emergencies and disaster response;
• Providing overall leadership and management direction for the department in the enforcement of public health laws and regulations;
• Providing medical consultation to public and environmental health programs;
• Reporting and control of communicable diseases;
• Serving as the County Registrar of Vital Statistics;
• Serving as the County Privacy Officer for the purposes of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996);
• Engaging with health care providers in the community;
• Communicating complex medical information to people with various levels of understanding;
• Providing medical leadership during a public health emergency;
• Providing peer review of County Public Health Physicians;
• Providing technical oversight of the correctional health contracted medical care provider;
• Providing and maintaining ongoing communication with local hospitals and health care providers; and
• Working with the County’s Communicable Disease, Tuberculosis and Sexually Transmitted Disease controller.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #4 February 25, 2025
BAI #6 July 18, 2023
BAI #34.1 January 7, 2020
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander