REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 15, 2022
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Award from the California Department of Public Health for Disease Intervention Specialist Workforce Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve grant award agreement (Grant Agreement No. 21-10580) from the California Department of Public Health for Disease Intervention Specialist Workforce funding to expand the Disease Intervention Specialist workforce to strengthen capacity to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other infections, in the amount of $1,892,380, for the period of July 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025.
2. Designate the Chairman 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 the Disease Intervention Specialist Workforce grant award agreement (Grant Agreement No. 21-10580) on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Chief Executive Officer, or Director of the Department of Public Health to transmit all amendments in relation to the Disease Intervention Specialist Workforce grant award agreement (Grant Agreement No. 21-10580) 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
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The grant award in the amount of $1,892,380 from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) for Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) Workforce funding does not require a local match. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) 2022-23 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CDPH provides Federal funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand the DIS workforce to strengthen local public health departments’ capacity to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other infections, including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The DIS Workforce grant funds must be used to expand and maintain a countywide response-ready DIS workforce with enhanced staff proficiency on STD/HIV disease investigation, as well as to support the need for rapid emergency infectious disease outbreak response for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Investigation of, and response to, communicable diseases continue to be essential public health functions. Currently, DPH has 11 Communicable Disease Investigators conducting countywide disease case investigations, with duties including patient interviews and follow-up visits; counseling; field investigations; coordination with private and public medical authorities; assisting with screenings and evaluations; and recommending treatment when necessary. DPH will 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 December 7, 2021 (Item No. 37), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved and authorized the submission of the Subrecipient Eligibility Form and the Local Health Jurisdiction Contact Information Form required by CDPH in order to receive the DIS Workforce funding.
On April 12, 2022, DPH received the grant award agreement (Grant Agreement No. 21-10580) from CDPH for the DIS Workforce funding, in the amount of $1,892,380 for the period of July 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025.
Although DPH provided the grant award agreement to CDPH timely, due to administrative error, it was not received by CDPH on August 23, 2022. Upon review of the grant award agreement, CDPH discovered clarification of one of the documents was necessary. This resulted in additional processing delays, which were resolved on September 15, 2022. DPH has implemented new tracking measures to ensure items are properly routed for approval and presented to the Board in a timely manner.
This item is being presented at this time, as this is the first available date following the required operational, fiscal, and legal reviews. Approval at this time will not impact DIS Workforce services and activities.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 25, 2022; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on October 27, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on October 31, 2022.