(224) Public Health Fund

Division Mission/Vision

San Benito County Public Health Services works in partnership with the community to ensure optimal health and well-being of all people by preventing disease, injury and disability, promoting physical and mental health and protecting from health hazards. We accomplish this through identifying community health needs, assuring the availability of quality health services and providing effective leadership in developing public health policies. We are committed to working in partnership with our communities to eliminate health disparities.

Division Overview

Public Health Services identifies community health needs and obtains necessary health resources to meet the needs of the community, assuring the availability of quality health services and developing public health policies. The Environmental Health program reflects the continued assessment, preservation, and improvement of environmental conditions and circumstances that affect the health and safety of our community. Public and Environmental Health is committed to working in partnership with our most vulnerable communities to eliminate health disparities.

STRATEGIC PLAN FOCUS AREAS

Strengthen surveillance, early detection and response efforts to prevent and control infectious disease.
Assess and address health disparities and health assets in the community.
Enhance the department's ability to respond to public and environmental health emergencies.
Support initiatives that reduce the burden of chronic diseases through nutrition, physical activity, tobacco cessation, and policy changes that encourage healthier lifestyles.
Maintain operational excellence in public and environmental health services.
Invest in training and retention of public and environmental health professionals.

RECENT DIVISION ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Hiring of an epidemiologist and a public health nurse to address ongoing staffing needs within the division.
Submission of an abstract to the American Public Health Association on attitudes and use of nicotine pouches among teens.
Implementation of ADA doors, improving access to our community’s handicapped/disabled population.
Received a federal scholarship to train two communicable disease staff in R programming, supporting staff professional development and applied epidemiology skills.
Implementation of an agency-wide naloxone policy.
Submitted the Local Agency Management Program for review to the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

TOP DIVISIONAL CONCERNS:

The ability to hire, expand, train, and retain a high-quality workforce, especially public health nursing and emergency preparedness staff.
Limited funding and support for competitive salaries, especially public health nursing staff.
Continued funding availability for all programs through federal and state sources.
To cover the rising costs of staff and compliance it is important we ensure various fees for environmental health are assessed and modified as appropriate.

LONG RANGE PLANNING GOALS (3-5 YEAR) FOR DIVISION:

Strengthen recruitment, retention, and training efforts to build a sustainable workforce, with a focus on public health nurses and environmental health inspectors.
Address and reduce health disparities within San Benito County through our community health equity program work.
Enhance public health data systems and processes to improve surveillance and analytics.
Partner with local community-based organizations, coalitions, and neighboring counties to address regional health issues such as the opioid crisis.
Secure long-term funding and advocate for policies that support public health initiatives and infrastructure.

NEW REQUESTS FY25/26:

None

Due to the nature of the funding, the Public Health division's operation and program information are recorded in a separate special revenue fund 224.

Recommended Budget