To: County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator and Department of Health Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Barbie Robinson, 565-7876
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
COVID-19 Emergency Response Strategy Update and Staffing Request
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Receive a staff update on current COVID-19 response and enhanced COVID-19 strategy efforts and vaccination coordination.
B) Adopt a personnel resolution amending the County Administrator’s allocation list to extend the term of 2.0 full-time equivalent time-limited positions through December 31, 2021, and the Department of Health Services allocation list to extend the term of 3.0 full-time equivalent time-limited positions through June 30, 2022, and convert a 1.0 full-time equivalent time-limited position to a permanent position, as detailed in the attached resolution.
end
Executive Summary:
The Department of Health Services must be prepared to respond to all emergencies, from large-scale disasters to potential illness outbreaks that occur. The Public Health Preparedness (PHP) unit in the Department plans and develops procedures, tools, trainings, exercises, and systems to establish a state of readiness for response to events that affect the community. This can only be done by having appropriate levels of staff dedicated to the program so that it can successfully respond when needed.
The County Administrator is requesting to extend the term of 2.0 full-time equivalent time-limited positions through December 31, 2021, to continue providing strategic communications and outreach support to the COVID-19 Emergency Response and vaccine mission.
The Department of Health Services is requesting the conversion of a time-limited Healthy Communities Section Manager assigned to the COVID-19 unit response be converted to a permanent Healthy Communities Section Manager.
Also, within the COVID-19 Section are three time-limited positions - Director of Public Health Nursing, Administrative Services Officer I, and Department Program Manager (Equity Program Manager). The Department anticipates that the COVID-19 Emergency Response will continue in through June 30, 2022, and is therefore requesting approval to extend their services through June 30, 2022.
Extension of staff resources will be financed with $17.8 million Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Enhancing Detection Expansion grant (COVID-19ELC107) awarded on March 2, 2021 and included in the submission to the California Department of Public Health on March 31, 2021 to secure allocation. This request will program $1.2 million of the total for the extension of staff resources. The remaining funds will fund additional resources beginning January 15, 2021 through July 31, 2023 to support lab management and COVID-19 variants specimen testing, enhance data management and analytics of the Public Lab and information infrastructure, enhance epidemiological systems for flexible dates, data collection, reporting analysis, and visualization, continue identifying cases and exposure to COVID-19 in high risk settings and within vulnerable populations to target mitigation strategies, and partner with local organization to enhance capacity for infection control and prevention of COVID-19. We anticipate that $14.7 million will be included in the FY 2021-2022 Recommended Budget.
Discussion:
The Department of Health Services must be prepared to respond to all emergencies, from large-scale disasters to potential illness outbreaks that occur. The Public Health Preparedness unit in the Department plans and develops procedures, tools, trainings, exercises, and systems to establish a state of readiness for response to events that affect the community. This can only be done by having appropriate levels of staff dedicated to the program so that it can successfully respond when needed. The conversion of the time-limited Healthy Communities Section Manager currently placed with the COVID-19 Section and utilizing that allocation for Public Health Preparedness, will provide leadership to the Preparedness unit; address highlighted gaps in the Department’s level of preparedness as identified during our recent fire response; provide program development and evaluation of the preparedness functions of the work, and direct operational support when services are mobilized.
This conversion would not affect the current work being performed in the COVID-19 Section. The position would be part of the Public Health Preparedness section and incorporate the COVID-19 work into this allocation. The conversion would allow the Department to make the allocation permanent while investing more in the Public Health Preparedness unit as it continues to respond to infectious disease and other ongoing disaster related responses which will now be coordinated at a Section Manager-level position.
Also, within the COVID Section are three time-limited positions through June 30, 2021 - Director of Public Health Nursing, Administrative Services Officer I and Department Program Manager (Equity Program Manager). The Department anticipates that the COVID-19 Emergency Response will continue on through June 30, 2022, and is therefore requesting approval to extend their services through June 30, 2022.
The County Administrator had been providing strategic communications and outreach support to the COVID-19 Emergency Response and vaccine mission with two time-limited Communications Specialists through June 30, 2021, and is requesting that the two time-limited positons be extended through December 31, 2021, to continue providing strategic communications and outreach support.
Funding for the permanent Healthy Communities Section Manager, along with the five time-limited positions, would come from the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) grant funds. The Department would like to fund the Healthy Communities Section Manager through June 2023 and will use 1991 Health Realignment in subsequent years, which based on projections presented to the Board on January 5, 2021 show that capacity for this increased ongoing Public Health resources will be available.
Extended staffing term allocations and conversion of Healthy Communities Section Manager from term limited to permanent will be included in FY 2021-2022 Recommended budget via Supplemental adjustments to be considered as part of the June Budget Hearings actions.
Prior Board Actions:
12/15/2020 - Department of Health Services COVID-19 Emergency Response
10/20/2020 - Enhanced COVID-19 Response Strategy
9/1/2020 - Coronavirus Relief Fund Community Needs Funding Plan
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 20-21 Adopted |
FY 21-22 Projected |
FY 22-23 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
611,120 |
966,356 |
225,529 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
611,120 |
966,356 |
225,529 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
190,931 |
966,356 |
|
|
State/Federal |
420,189 |
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
225,529 |
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
611,120 |
966,356 |
225,529 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The estimated cost of the Healthy Communities Section Manager ($629,048) funded through June 30, 2023, the extension of three time-limited positions through June 30, 2022, Director of Public Health Nursing, Administrative Services Officer I and Department Program Manager (Equity Program Manager) ($1,057,745) and the extension of two time-limited Communications Specialist positions ($116,202), are funded with County Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) grant funds. The Health Community Section Manager will be funded with Health Realignment or other grant funding that may become available after June 30, 2023. Costs are already budgeted in FY 20-21 with prior Board actions on September 1, 2020, and December 15, 2020. Extended staffing term allocations and conversion of Healthy Communities Section Manager from term limited to permanent will be included in FY 2021-22 Recommended budget via Supplemental adjustments to be considered as part of the June Budget Hearings actions.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) ($) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Administrative Services Officer I |
7,030.12 - 8,545.02 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
|
Director of Public Health Nursing |
10,172.97 - 12,364.45 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
|
Department Program Manager |
6,786.62 - 8,249.34 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
|
Healthy Communities Section Manager |
8,811.12 - 10,708.66 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
|
County Communications Specialist |
7,157.08 - 8,699.81 |
2.0 |
0.0 |
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
There are no staffing impacts associated with extending these time-limited positions. All of the incumbents will remain in their current positions.
Attachments:
Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None