DATE: January 7, 2020
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Jean M. Rousseau, County Administrative Officer
David Pomaville, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Appointment of Public Health Officer
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Confirm appointment of Dr. Rais Vohra to the position of Public Health Officer on an extra-help basis pursuant to the Fresno County Charter, Sections 12 and 16, effective January 7, 2020.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will confirm Dr. Rais Vohra as Public Health Officer on an extra-help basis. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board choose not to confirm the appointment, the County would not have a county-appointed Public Health Officer.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department of Public Health Org FY 2019-20 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
Pursuant to Sections 12 and 16 of the Fresno County Charter, with your Board’s approval of the recommended action, the appointment of Dr. Vohra to the position of Public Health Officer will be confirmed.
The Public Health Officer position is currently vacant and the Department is moving forward with recruitment to fill that position.
Dr. Vohra was hired on October 7, 2019 as an extra-help Public Health Physician. On October 22, 2019 he was appointed as an extra-help Deputy Public Health Officer and has shown strong leadership skills and a vast knowledge of public health concerns. He currently provides medical leadership to the Department’s Community Health and Environmental Health Divisions, assisting with providing overall leadership and management direction for the Department in the enforcement of public health laws and regulations. His specialty is Emergency Medicine and Toxicology and he has been affiliated with both Clovis Community Medical Center and Community Regional Medical Center, practicing for approximately 18-years. Dr. Vohra is an Associate Professor at UCSF Fresno. Your Board’s confirmation of his appointment will not impact his current duties.
As extra-help Public Health Officer, his duties will include:
• Assessing and reporting on the health status of the community
• Assisting in the development of health policies
• Assuring the effectiveness of mandated health protection functions of local government
• Collaborating with, and serving as the public health consultant for a variety of agencies at the local, regional, and State level
• Directing and evaluating the medical oversight of public health programs
• Enforcing ordinances of the County pertaining to public health and sanitary matters
• Enforcing State statutes relating to public health
• Evaluating existing and initiating changes in programs
• Investigating health and sanitary conditions in the county jail
• Issuing and enforcing orders, including quarantine, when prescribed by the California Department of Public Health
• Issuing health advisories and warnings pertaining to specific illness outbreaks or threats in our community
• 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 and mental 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 of 1996), and
• Serving as the local medical/public health consultant to the Board of Supervisors
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #43, October 22, 2019
BAI #52.1, June 18, 2019
BAI #35.1, April 9, 2019
CAO ANALYST:
Raul Guerra