DATE: May 12, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Joe Prado, Director of Public Health
SUBJECT: Memorandum of Understanding with the California Department of Public Health for California Pathways into Public Health Initiative
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with the California Department of Public Health for the California Pathways into Public Health Initiative, effective upon execution through June 30, 2027 ($0).
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action, which will allow the County, through its Department of Public Health (Department), to accept placement of student interns participating in the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) California Pathways into Public Health (Pathways) initiative. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board could choose not to approve the recommended action; however, doing so would prevent the County from accepting student intern placement through the Pathways program for clinical and field experience through its Department of Public Health.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. CDPH, through its contractor, University Enterprises, Inc. (UEI), will administer payroll and workers’ compensation insurance coverage for all student interns participating in the program.
DISCUSSION:
The County regularly maintains agreements with institutions of higher education to support clinical and field experience placements. Students enrolled in various academic programs at these institutions are required to complete supervised practicums, internships, and field placements as part of degree completion. These placements are typically semester based and occur within professional settings such as active County work environments.
Such placements serve as an effective workforce development and recruitment strategy by establishing a direct pipeline of qualified candidates for classifications that are traditionally difficult to recruit. Offering local placement opportunities encourages graduates to remain in the region and transition into permanent County employment, thereby reducing long term recruitment, onboarding, and training costs.
The Pathways program provides training, support, and hands-on work experience to college and university students pursuing or interested in public health careers. Through this program, student interns will be placed in the Department for the full 2026-2027 academic year, allowing for skill development, application of public health concepts, development of core competencies, and meaningful contributions to programmatic outcomes. The year-long model provides a more immersive introduction to public health practice and offers greater continuity than semester-based internships by minimizing repeated onboarding and enabling interns to contribute to long term projects.
Interns participating in the Pathways program are employees of the CDPH’s contractor, UEI, which administers and manages payroll and workers’ compensation coverage. Interns must be concurrently enrolled at least half-time at a UEI-affiliated institution, which includes several local schools such as California State University, Fresno; Fresno Pacific University; and Fresno City College.
The proposed MOU deviates from the County’s standard agreement language, as CDPH requires the County to use their standard template for this program. The proposed MOU would be effective upon execution through June 30, 2027, with no renewal options. The MOU includes mutual indemnification provisions and does not specify insurance requirements. County Counsel and Risk Management have reviewed and approved of these deviations from the standard agreement.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with CDPH
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander