REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 22, 2024
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding with the California Department of Public Health for the California Pathways into Public Health Initiative
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Amendment No. 1 to Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding No. 23-33 with the California Department of Public Health, to add an additional year, for a total term of January 31, 2023 through June 30, 2026.
2. Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Chief Executive Officer, or Director of the Department of Public Health to execute any subsequent non-substantive amendments in relation to this Memorandum of Understanding, on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Director of the Department of Public Health to transmit all non-substantive amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding 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
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
The recommended Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is non-financial in nature and, as such, does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The fundamental responsibilities of the California Pathways into Public Health Initiative program (Pathways) are to assign fellows and interns to health departments, to locally develop the workforce, as well as provide support in carrying out public health activities. These activities include infectious disease control and prevention, environmental health and safety, laboratory services, emergency preparedness and response, chronic disease prevention, family and maternal health, and health equity.
In the last several years, the health care field has faced staffing challenges which demonstrated the need for a well-trained and versatile public health workforce. To respond to this need, the Pathways program was developed in partnership between the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the local health jurisdictions throughout the state.
There are two separate CDPH Pathways programs from which DPH may receive participants: the Fellowship Program and the Internship Program. The Fellowship Program is a training and job placement program for early-career public health professionals to gain experience working at program host sites. The Internship Program runs semester to semester, as is designed for community college, undergraduate, and /or graduate students from historically underrepresented and diverse backgrounds to gain exposure to public service.
On January 24, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved a MOU between DPH and CDPH to establish a fellowship and internship program, for the period of January 31, 2023 through June 30, 2025. Since its implementation in 2023, DPH has hosted 6 interns and/or fellows who have been assigned to the Healthy Equity program, or Surveillance and Response Division, and have had the opportunity to explore a variety of public health career options.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 10, 2024; Finance (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4205) on October 4, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on October 4, 2024.