DATE: June 9, 2020
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: David Pomaville, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Retroactive Ratification of Agreement with the City of Fresno
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Retroactively ratify the agreement with the City of Fresno for the temporary use of staff previously executed by the County Administrative Officer, acting as Emergency Services Director, effective April 13, 2020 through April 12, 2021.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will ratify the agreement between the County of Fresno for the temporary use of a City of Fresno staff for the purpose of lab testing Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) specimens executed by the County Administrative Officer, acting as Emergency Services Director, May 11, 2020. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
No viable options are available. Should your Board choose not to ratify the agreement, COVID-19 lab testing would be delayed.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The estimated annual cost of $82,000 is funded through Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds received by the County. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Departments Org 5620 FY 2019-20 adopted budget and will be included in future budget requests.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The Agreement is retroactive to April 13, 2020, due to the immediate need for staffing and prompt set up of the lab at California State University, Fresno to test COVID-19 specimens.
DISCUSSION:
A Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the virus to be a very serious public health threat. The exact modes of transmission, the factors facilitating human-to-human transmission, the extent of asymptomatic viral shedding, the groups most at risk of serious illness, the attack rate, and the case fatality rate all remain active areas of investigation. The CDC believes at this time that symptoms appear two to fourteen days after exposure. Currently, there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19.
Due to the serious nature of COVID-19, the State of California declared a State of Emergency on March 4, 2020, the County declared a State of Emergency on March 15, 2020 and the City declared a State of Emergency on March 6, 2020. At the writing of this Agenda Item, there are 1,338 cases in Fresno County, and it is expected that numbers will go up daily. A total of 15,181 test results have been received and processed by various labs across the County. With the addition of multiple new testing sites around the County, there is an increase in the need for lab testing.
Currently, the City of Fresno staff member is assigned to the County operated lab at California State University, Fresno, working alongside County staff with the following responsibilities: equipment set up, equipment operation, data interpretation, receiving and inactivating samples in preparation of the extraction process, disposal of biohazard waste, and reporting results to County Public Health personnel. The City of Fresno staff member was sought after by the County because of her previous experience in the Fresno County Department of Public Health lab, which allowed her to immediately begin work with little training.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI # 3, March 17, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with the Clerk - Agreement with the City of Fresno
CAO ANALYST:
Raul Guerra