To: County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Department of Health Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Tina Rivera, 707-565-4774
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Recommended Action:
Title
Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board Appointments and Reappointments for a term beginning December 12, 2023 and ending December 31, 2024.
End
Executive Summary:
The Sonoma County Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Program promotes the physical and mental health of childbearing and parenting people, children, and adolescents in Sonoma County by sharing resources, coordinating activities, and advocating with the Department of Health Services, and Board of Supervisors for the needs of this community. The Program’s Advisory Board, created in 1982, as required by state legislation, acts in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors through the Department of Health Services. The Sonoma County Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board bylaws specify that members will be appointed by the Board of Supervisors.
The Department of Health Services is recommending the Board of Supervisors appoint Jerri Leighton and Dr. Milana PeBenito to the Sonoma County Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board for a new two-year term beginning December 12, 2023, and ending December 31, 2024.
Discussion:
The Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board Program interacts with community systems as a partner in providing direct safety net services to high-risk maternal, child, and adolescent populations, as a coordinator of community-wide services and programs, and as a convener of the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board and other collaborative groups to address emerging health needs in the community. The Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board has been an important vehicle for implementing prevention strategies and coordinating services that benefit the entire community. Collaborating with local organizations and individuals is critical to reducing disparities and improving the overall health of women, children, and adolescents in Sonoma County.
New Appointments to the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board
The Sonoma County Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board bylaws specify that members be appointed by the Board of Supervisors. When vacancies on the Sonoma County Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board occur, the openings are posted on the County website in accordance with the Maddy Act, and replacements are recruited from the community. Following procedures outlined in the bylaws, all applications are reviewed by the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson, who then make recommendations to the Department of Health Services.
The Department of Health Services requests that the Board appoint the following individuals to the Sonoma County Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board for a new two-year term beginning December 12, 2023, and ending December 31, 2024, are as follows:
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Candidate |
Representation |
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Jerri Leighton |
Community Representatives; Child Care & Development |
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Dr. Milana PeBenito |
Health Professionals: Health Specialist |
Jerri Leighton earned her bachelor’s degree in early education from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa. She has forty-five years of experience in the early care and education field and with non-profit agencies. She is currently employed with the Community Child Care Council (4Cs) of Sonoma County as the Assistant Director of Resource and Referral Provider Services, and she has lived in Sonoma County for over ten years. Upon joining the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board, her goal is to support the board’s mission as the agency (4Cs) partners to support community actions and activities that benefit families and young children. Jerri adds that the advisory board’s mission aligns with the mission of 4Cs which is to support families and children’s wellbeing. She believes that nothing is more important than ensuring that children have their physical, emotional, educational, and developmental needs met, that every child and family is unique, and our community is strengthened by diversity.
Dr. Milana PeBenito earned her Bachelor of Science in molecular and cell biology at the University of California at Santa Cruz and her Doctor of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. She served her residency at UCSF, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and then a Maternal and Child Fellowship at UCSF Fresno, Community Regional Medical Center. Currently, she works as an attending physician of Family Medicine and Obstetrics at the Petaluma Health Center, Department of Family Medicine. She has experience as a Faculty Instructor, a Lead Coordinator for Encampment Healthcare, and an Advocate for Universal Healthcare in California and the Protection of the Affordable Healthcare Act. Her goal in working with this board is to integrate her current role as a behavioral health clinician lead for perinatal women and collaborate with the counselors to advance the care of our patients with mood and substance use disorders and advance the landscape of services available to our county’s most vulnerable residents.
A table listing the full Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board membership is provided as Attachment 1.
Prior Board Actions:
The Board of Supervisors appoints/reappoints Sonoma County Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board members as needed. Most recently, on May 9, 2023, the Board A) appointed Erin Reed, and Allison Murphy for a term beginning May 9, 2023, and ending December 31, 2024, and B) reappointed Melissa Apuya to the Sonoma County Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board for a new term beginning March 14, 2023, and ending December 31, 2024.
Fiscal Summary
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FY 23-24 Adopted |
FY 24-25 Projected |
FY 25-26 Projected |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Advisory Board Membership Composition - October 2023
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None