Health department debacle

The rapid changes at the San Bernardino County Department of Health are enough to make anyone's head spin. Today, the Board of Supervisors named a new health officer, the third new appointment in little more than a year.
Also today, Chairman Paul Biane released a statement addressing the turnover and internal department tensions that the media has been reporting on. You can read his statement here first:

The County of San Bernardino seeks out and welcomes any opportunity to work with the public and community groups who seek to improve services provided by the county. However, it is patently false to contend that the departures of Dr. Eric Frykman, Dr. Margaret Beed, and Dr. Maury Manligius are an indication that the department is failing to carry out its vital public health missions, as each of the doctors separated from the county under vastly different circumstances:

-Dr. Frykman left the county to pursue a career opportunity that was not available to him in San Bernardino County, specifically a position as both a county public health officer and public health administrator. The County of San Bernardino does not have such a position.

-Dr. Beed's departure was based purely on private personal reasons the county is not at liberty to disclose. Her separation had nothing to do with the operations of the department or any disagreement she had with the county's administration of Public Health.

-Dr. Manligius, who was appointed interim health officer in June 2008 and who knew he would hold that position only as long as it took for the county to find a qualified physician to serve as health officer, did raise concerns before resigning.

The county disagrees with many of his accusations and, clearly, his approach did more harm than good in terms of resolving issues that may deserve attention. However, the county immediately honored his request that his concerns be forwarded to the grand jury, and the county is examining the concerns he raised concerning the style of management currently being employed by the department's leadership.

The County Administrative Officer on Thursday, August 7, 2008, visited the San Bernardino Public Health Clinic and met with about 50 doctors, nurses, and other employees for more than an hour. He listened to their concerns, explained the county's philosophy concerning Public Health services, and invited employees to bring their concerns directly to him via e-mail or private meetings.

The Board of Supervisors is on track to name a highly qualified physician to the post of Public Health Officer on Tuesday, August 12, 2008.

The County of San Bernardino Department of Public Health is running well and is actually increasing the services provided to the community despite a reduction in local, state, and federal revenue. During the past year the county has expanded services at Women, Infants & Children nutrition clinics from four to five days a week.

The department has also recently been lauded in the news media for its efforts to combat lead paint poisoning, West Nile Virus, heat-related health issues, and to promote healthy eating among children and the African-American community.

The county believes much of any discord among Public Health staff people revolves around the county's efforts to form partnerships between Public Health, Behavioral Health, and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Some staff people mistakenly view this as a threat to traditional Public Health methods and as an effort to place ARMC "in charge" of Public Health - which is not the case.

The county will remain committed to strengthening the bond between the county's three health departments for the benefit of the public and in the interest of efficiency. I said the Board has always and continues to make the public's health a well-being one of the county's top priorities every time it adopts a budget, sets goals, and initiates various public health programs.

Barely a week goes by without a major newspaper highlighting a specific innovative and effective Public Health program. As far as management is concerned, every manager at Public Health has strong public health credtials with the exception of Jim Lindley. His position, however, is designed to be administrative in nature and work in cooperation with other managers who have strong public health backgrounds.

Regarding programs for minority communities, I said the department has several program that cater to minority communities (the black infant health care program, the black women's nutrition program highlighted in the PE last weekend, WIC Espana, etc.), as well as countless programs that by their nature benefit minority communities because of the specific issues they address.

I also said the county would welcome any specific examples of how Public Health may be falling short so that the county may address them. I also said the county welcomes the opportunity to work with organizations that have concerns, and that a press conference is no substitute for collaboration.