REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 14, 2022
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Laboratory Director Employment Contract for the Department of Public Health
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve employment contract with Linda Ward, Public Health Laboratory Director, for an estimated annual cost of $206,824 ($137,883 Salary, $68,941 Benefits), for the period of July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023.
(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 cost of the contract, estimated at $206,824 annually, is funded by laboratory fees and 1991 Realignment. Adequate appropriation and revenue will be included in Department of Public Health’s (DPH) 2022-23 recommended budget and in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Per California Code of Regulations 22 CCR §64817, DPH is required to designate a Laboratory Director for each laboratory facility. By Federal law, all hospital and public health laboratories have the same requirements for lab directors: a doctoral level degree, laboratory work experience, and board certification. Additionally, California is the only state that also requires Laboratory Directors to also be certified Public Health Microbiologists. This limits the number of otherwise qualified applicants that may apply from out of state.
Due to the critical nature of this position and the requirement for a designated Laboratory Director, DPH is recommending an employment contract with Linda Ward with an initial wage of $66.20 per hour. Ms. Ward’s current contract expires June 30, 2022. Ms. Ward is currently filling this position on a full-time contract basis. Her knowledge, expertise, and experience is critical in managing the Public Health Laboratory. Additionally, Ms. Ward possesses the required certification of Public Health Microbiologist.
The employment contract shall be effective July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023, subject to the termination provisions of the contract. Notwithstanding the foregoing, 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.
PROCUREMENT
On October 27, 2020 (Item No. 60), the Board of Supervisors approved Contract No. 20-999 with Linda Ward, Public Health Laboratory Director, for an estimated annual cost of $201,147 for the period January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on April 19, 2022; Human Resources (Gina King, Deputy Director of Human Resources, 387-5570) on May 2, 2022; County Counsel (Cynthia O’Neill, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 4, 2022; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on May 26, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on May 31, 2022.