Public Health Officer

Under policy direction and in accordance with legal authorities and responsibilities, plans, organizes, and administers the County medical Public Health Program and provides oversight of selected division or divisions within Health Care Services Agency.

Responsibilities

• Provides leadership and participates in the design, development, evaluation, and implementation of departmental goals and strategies for care.
• Develops, implements, and monitors policies, procedures, systems, and standards for county-operated and contracted medical services to ensure effective delivery of services and compliance with local, state, and federal laws pertaining to the practice of medicine within the county setting.
• Enforces local, state, and federal public health laws.
• Serves as the local Registrar of Vital Records for the County.
• Provides highly complex assistance to the Director of the Health or designee.
• Represents the Agency before boards, committees, local, state, and federal health agencies, community organizations, and the general public on medical issues.
• Develops and maintains awareness of ordinances, laws, rules, and regulations related to public health issues.
• Assesses and reports on the health status of the community, using accepted epidemiological methods.
• Acts as a medical consultant to the Board of Supervisors and the Health Services Department, helping to set priorities and establish policies on health-related matters.
• Provides leadership in public health matters for the community, assessing health risks and communicating those risks responsibly and effectively to the community.
• Ensures the effectiveness of mandated health protection functions of County government, including services related to communicable disease control, maternal and child health, emergency services and disaster preparedness, sudden infant death, family planning, environmental health, vital statistics registrar for births and deaths, public health nursing, nutrition, and chronic diseases.
• Ensures a working relationship with a public health laboratory for services.
• Provides public health and medical expertise, a community perspective, leadership, and facilitation to public agencies and community-based organizations that impact public health and public policy.
• Develops and maintains an effective and cooperative working relationship with the Health Services Director in support of service delivery.
• Advises the Health Services Director about administrative medical issues.
• Works in partnership with the Health Services Director regarding the development of the department’s budget and effectively sets and follows a budget, particularly in relation to determining priorities and resource allocations for public health programs.
• Advises the California Department of Public Health via the California Conference of Local Health Officers on the development of public health-related standards, rules, and regulations, as required by statute.
• Provides for the clinical oversight of mid-level practitioners, public health nursing staff, and vital statistic support staff via medical and public health protocol development.
• Regularly travels to off-site locations to conduct Public Health information outreach.

Requirements

• Possession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate valid California Driver’s License.
• Possession of a valid unrestricted Physician’s and Surgeon’s license issued by the California Medical Board OR possession of a valid, unrestricted Doctor of Osteopathy license issued by the Osteopathic Medical Board of California.
• Must be eligible for State Skilled Professional Medical Personnel (SPMP) classification as defined by 42 CFR PART 432.
• Applicants who are eligible for a license to practice medicine and surgery in the State of California, but who do not currently have a California license may be considered, however, must obtain the license before the date of hire.
• Graduation from a medical college of good standing and repute, per California Health and Safety Code Section 101005.
• Three (3) years of full-time experience as a licensed physician OR two (2) years of full-time experience as a licensed physician in a public health agency.

Qualifications

• A graduate degree in public health is preferred.
• Certification or eligibility for certification in any of the following medical specialties is preferred: preventive medicine/public health, family practice, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, or internal medicine.

Skills

Knowledge of:

• Clinical medicine and public health, including biostatistics, environmental health, maternal and child health, sudden infant death, family planning, public health laboratory services, vital statistics, public health nursing, nutrition, and chronic diseases.
• Epidemiology and disease transmission.
• Principles, practices, and methods of public health emergency preparedness.
• Principles, methods, practices, and current trends in general and public health programs.
• Community aspects of public health, including community resources and demography and their relationship to the development and operation of public programs and services.
• Federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing communicable diseases, public health, and disabling conditions.
• Environmental, sociological, and psychological problems related to public health programs.
• Child growth and development.
• Program development, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Principles, practices, and techniques of public health administration.
• Budget development and fiscal controls.
• Unique psycho, social, and cultural issues encountered in a rural health program.
• Customer service principles and techniques.
• Written and oral communications skills.
• Proper English spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Computers and software programs (e.g., Microsoft software applications) to conduct research, assess information, and/or prepare documentation.
• Principles and techniques for working with groups and fostering effective team interaction.

Ability to:

• Plan, organize, manage, and administer Public Health programs and services.
• Select and supervise staff, provide training and development opportunities, ensure work is performed effectively, and evaluate performance in an objective and positive manner.
• Develop, organize, analyze, and interpret statistical data.
• Assist with the development and administration of budget and control expenditures.

Schedule

This position is proposed as a 30-hour-per-week role with a hybrid work schedule, allowing for a balance of on-site and remote work. However, 24-hour on-call availability is required. The hybrid work arrangement is at the County's discretion and may be modified or revoked at any time based on business needs or organizational priorities.

Benefits

• This position may qualify for a hiring incentive. The appropriate Department Head with the County of Lake can request a Sign-On Incentive payment of 10% of the annual rate of pay to a newly appointed employee, not to exceed $10,000.00. The hiring incentive will be made in two payments (the total amount to be split in half). The first payment will be made within the next available pay period following the initial hire. The second payment will be made upon successful completion of employment probation.
• The County of Lake may reimburse a new employee for relocation expenses up to a maximum of $3,500 per employee.