Health Department
1140-401100
Division Overview
Public Health is a department within the County Health and Human Services Agency. Our mission is to promote and protect health and well-being in Tuolumne County.
We have over 25 programs within the department which focus on the ten essential public health services. Ten Essential Functions of Public Health:
• Assess and monitor population health status, factors that influence health, and community needs and assets
• Investigate, diagnose, and address health problems and hazards affecting the population
• Communicate effectively to inform and educate people about health, factors that influence it, and how to improve it
• Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships to improve health
• Create, champion, and implement policies, plans, and laws that impact health
• Utilize legal and regulatory actions designed to improve and protect the public’s health
• Assure an effective system that enables equitable access to the individual services and care needed to be healthy
• Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce
• Improve and innovate public health functions through ongoing evaluation, research, and continuous quality improvement
• Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health
Allocated Positions by Year
Adopted Budget By Year
* Each department is part of a "Fund". Many times a department or even a fund may show greater expense then revenues for the current fiscal year. This does not account for money that was not spent in prior years, also known as "beginning fund balance". When creating the annual budget Counties are required by law to adopted a balanced budget, meaning the total expense can not exceed the sum of revenue plus beginning fund balances.
Recent Departmental Accomplishments
A focus for Public Health over the past year has been the COVID-19 pandemic response. This includes an ongoing broad activation of our Department Operations Center and as an example:
- Investigation of approximately 3,000 community cases this does not include Sierra Conservation Center inmates
- Contact tracing and symptom monitoring for tens of thousands of contacts and cases to help mitigate further spread of the virus
- Administered approximately 21,000 doses of COVID vaccine with the help of 55 Disaster Healthcare volunteers who donated almost 1,500 hours, as well as local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and other assisting agencies.
- Writing, receipt, and ongoing management of multiple COVID grants
- Recruitment, orientation, and training of many new COVID response staff
- The Local Oral Health Program
- Formal partnership with UCSF to host Dental Public Health Residents. The Tuolumne LOHP is one of six counties/clinics that was selected by UCSF and the Office of Oral Health as a “host” site.
- Working with the Office of Oral Health and state dental director to continue piloting DMFS (decayed, missing, filled, sealed) screening form. Next step is rolling out the digital screening platform.
- Being selected by the Office of Oral Health to present on Smile Keepers Partnership and school-based services
- Grant for sealant and referral program
Top Departmental Concerns
- Potential financial liability for increased jail medical costs funded by Public Health
- Expansion of chronic disease prevention programming
- Recruitment and retention of qualified medical and fiscal staff
- Diversion of staff from regular Public Health programming to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response
- Planned relocation to the former Tuolumne General medical facility
Looking Forward- Planning Goals
- Board of Supervisors took action to limit jail medical contract liability costs not to exceed $1.2 million for Public Health
- Research and successful award of grants to focus on chronic disease prevention and community health improvement planning
- Contracting with outside recruiting firm for the Health Officer recruitment. Planning and identifying solutions for successful recruitment and retention strategies, including hiring incentives and search for new funding sources to sustain recruitment and retention efforts
- Utilize grant funding to hire full-time and part-time COVID related grant funded positions to allow permanent full-time staff to focus on regular Public Health programming
- Participate on relocation committee (Project Cheetah) as it pertains to communication, preparation, strategic planning, and problem-solving. Leading to an efficient move with little or no disruption in services to the public and ensure continued positive morale for our staff.