REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 28, 2023
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Public Health Program Coordinator Employment Contract for the Department of Public Health
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve employment contract with Robert Gonzales as a Public Health Program Coordinator for administrative support, for an estimated annual cost of $141,788 ($93,475 Salary, $48,313 Benefits), for the period of April 8, 2023 through April 7, 2024.
2. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer or the Director of the Department of Public Health to execute amendments to extend the term of the contract for a maximum of two successive one-year periods on behalf of the County, subject to County Counsel review.
3. Direct the Chief Executive Officer or the Director of the Department of Public Health to transmit all contract amendments to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Joshua Dugas, Director, 387-9146)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Provide for the Safety, Health, and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The estimated annual cost of $141,788 will be funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Response Through Community Collaboration Grant. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the 2023-2024 Department of Public Health (DPH) budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The CDC has provided grant funding to support local health jurisdictions’ COVID-19 response activities, with a specific focus on health equity and community collaboration. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted multiple underserved populations within San Bernardino County, placing a higher risk on them. This includes racial and ethnic minority groups, as well as people living in more rural communities who have disproportionate rates of chronic diseases that increase the severity of COVID-19 infection.
DPH is utilizing CDC COVID-19 Response Through Community Collaboration grant funding to support COVID-19 response activities and needs additional support staff to ensure effective use of grant funding. The position is responsible for providing oversight to service providers via technical assistance provision; reviewing/approving invoices and reports; and completing and submitting quarterly federal progress reports regarding grant progress and performance.
PROCUREMENT
In order to expedite the hiring process, in lieu of a formal recruitment, Robert Gonzales was selected due to his background with the department’s COVID-19 response activities and his familiarity with leading department processes regarding COVID-19 response efforts, with the support of the Human Resources Department. It is anticipated this expedited hiring process will also limit the displacement of current extra help staff with knowledge and skill in relation to COVID-19 response activities, which is beneficial to the administration of the grant.
Based on his skills, expertise, and experience, DPH recommends an employment contract with Robert Gonzales as a Program Coordinator at an hourly rate of $44.94. A contract position is recommended as the funding is expected to end May 31, 2024. Either party may terminate the contract at any time without cause upon 14 days prior written notice to the other party. The County may terminate the contract immediately for just cause.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on March 1, 2023; Human Resources (Gina King, Deputy Director, 387-5570) on March 9, 2023; County Counsel (Cynthia O’Neill, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 8, 2023; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on March 13, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on March 13, 2023.