REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 7, 2021
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
California Department of Public Health’s Subrecipient Eligibility Form and the Local Health Jurisdiction Contact Information Form for the Disease Intervention Specialist Workforce
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve and authorize the submission of the Subrecipient Eligibility Form and the Local Health Jurisdiction Contact Information Form to the California Department of Public Health, Sexually Transmitted Disease Control Branch in order to receive annual funding in the amount of $378,476, to expand the Disease Intervention Specialist workforce to strengthen capacity to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other infections, for an anticipated grant period of July 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025.
(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
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Subrecipient Eligibility Form and the Local Health Jurisdiction Contact Information Form to the California Department of Public Health, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Control Branch (CDPH) is required prior to receiving annual funding in the amount of $378,476 for the expansion of the Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) workforce and does not require a local match. The Department of Public Health (DPH) will be a subrecipient of CDPH’s federal grant award Strengthening STD Prevention and Control for Health Departments: Enhanced Activities Grant.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CDPH announced its intent to award federal funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand the DIS workforce to strengthen the capacity of local public health departments to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other infections including STDs. In order to be eligible to receive this funding, local public health departments must initially submit a Subrecipient Eligibility and Local Health Jurisdiction Contact Information forms acknowledging compliance with the Notice of Award and General Terms and Conditions of the federal Strengthening STD Prevention and Control for Health Departments: Enhanced Activities Grant. The DIS workforce grant funds must be used to expand, train, and sustain a countywide response-ready DIS workforce for enhanced staff proficiency on STD/HIV disease investigation, as well as to support the need for rapid emergency infectious disease outbreak response for STD, HIV, COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Investigation and response to communicable diseases has been and continues to be an essential DPH function. Currently, DPH has 11 Communicable Disease Investigators conducting countywide disease case investigations, with duties that include patient interviews and follow-up visits, counseling, field investigations, coordination with private and public medical authorities, assisting with screenings, evaluations, and determining a diagnosis and treatment when necessary. DPH intends to utilize this funding to expand DPH’s DIS workforce by adding up to three additional Communicable Disease Investigator staff in order to continue to meet the increasing disease rates and associated workloads.
On October 11, 2021, DPH was notified by CDPH of San Bernardino County’s award to expand its DIS workforce in the amount of $378,476 annually, for the anticipated grant period of July 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025. Approval of this item will allow DPH to submit the required Subrecipient Eligibility Form and the Local Health Jurisdiction Contact Information Form in order to receive this funding. The request for any new positions and approval of CDPH’s State Agreement to accept the funding will be included on a future agenda item and presented to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 9, 2021; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on November 8, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on November 8, 2021.