Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) provides public health services to Los Angeles County residents. Barbara Ferrer is the Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser is the Interim Health Officer and Medical Director for Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Department overview
FormedJuly 6, 2006 (2006-07-06)
Preceding department
JurisdictionLos Angeles County
Headquarters313 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, California
34.10145°N 117.978133°W / 34.10145; -117.978133
Employees4 ,258 (2010)[1]
Annual budgetUS$893,000,000 (2012–2013)[2]
Department executives
  • Barbara Ferrer, Director
  • Jeffrey D. Gunzenhauser, Interim Health Officer and Medical Director
Parent departmentLos Angeles County Health Agency
Websitepublichealth.lacounty.gov

With a budget of 893 million dollars, Public Health has 39 programs and 14 public health centers to serve 10 million LA County residents.[2]

On March 27, 2014, former director Johnathan Fielding announced that he will retire from the department and go back to UCLA "to help train future health leaders and do research on how we can be even more effective."[3]

Public Health programs include:[2]

  • Environmental Health: operates restaurant rating system and grading systems for apartments and rental homes; inspects sewage treatment and water plants; enforces state and local environmental laws
  • Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention; including Tobacco Control and Prevention, Nutrition, Senior Health, Physical Activity Promotion and Injury and Violence Prevention
  • Communicable Disease Control & Prevention; including Acute Communicable Disease, Immunizations, Veterinary Public Health, Tuberculosis Control Program, and Public Health Laboratory.
  • Substance Abuse Prevention & Control
  • HIV & STD Programs
  • Community Health Services
  • Health Assessment & Epidemiology
  • Health Facilities Inspection
  • Children's Medical Services
  • Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health
  • Emergency Preparedness and Response

History

Until the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of Public Health on May 30, 2006, public health functions were assumed by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.[4] the Department of Public Health was formally established on July 7, 2006.[4]

On May 10, 2013, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) submitted 70,000 signatures to qualify a City of Los Angeles ballot measure, the "City of Los Angeles Public Health Protection Act," on creating a separate Los Angeles City Public Health Department to be placed on the June 2014 ballot.[5] AHF claims that the Department of Public Health has fallen short in managing several public health issues, including tuberculosis and syphilis, accusing it of having a corrupt, bloated and inefficient bureaucracy.[6][5]

However, the Los Angeles City Council has opposed this proposal, as Los Angeles City has contracted for public health services with the County since 1964, as part of a consolidation effort to reduce duplication and improve efficiency of services, and the city's desire to transfer financial responsibility for public health services to the County tax base.[7][8][9]

The city is considering a lawsuit over the validity of the AHF-backed ballot initiative, as it does not have the necessary funds or expertise to effectively enforce public health laws.[10] The annual costs of operating an independent public health department would be roughly $261 million.[10] On September 17, 2013, the County Board of Supervisors also voted unanimously to oppose that ballot measure.[8] AHF is a longtime County contractor with a strained relationship to the County—an audit in August 2012 found that AHF had overbilled the Department of Public Health by more than $1.7 million.[11]

On January 13, 2015, the Board of Supervisors by unanimous decision approved the concept of integrating all health departments: Department of Health Services (DHS), Mental Health (DMH), and Public Health (DPH) to create a unified health agency (Health Agency). It was later motioned by Micheal D. Antonovich on August 11, 2015.

The cities of Long Beach and Pasadena have their own public health departments, while the City of Vernon has a health department.

References
  1. "Assessor" (PDF). County of Los Angeles Annual Report 2009-2010. Public Affairs, Chief Executive Office. p. 43. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  2. LA County, Annual Report 2012-2013, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 2012–2013
  3. Abby Sewell, Top L.A. County public health official announces he's retiring, Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2014
  4. "Department of Public Health Fiscal Condition and Separation from the Department of Health Services (Item No. 72, Agenda of June 30, 2009)" (PDF). Chief Executive Office. County of Los Angeles. 29 June 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  5. "AHF: Ballot Measure for Separate Los Angeles City Public Health Department Qualifies". AIDS Healthcare Foundation. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  6. Abram, Susan (19 February 2013). "UPDATE: AIDS Healthcare Foundation seeks vote to create City of L.A. health department". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  7. Fielding, Jonathan E. (1 April 2013). "Impact of "City of Los Angeles Public Health Protection Act"" (PDF). Department of Public Health. County of Los Angeles. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  8. Mehta, Seema; Anna Gorman (18 September 2013). "L.A. County supervisors oppose separate city health department". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  9. Walton, Alice (28 May 2013). "LA City Council opposes creation of its own public health department". Represent!. KPCC. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  10. Gorman, Anna (17 September 2013). "Separate L.A. city health department put on June ballot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  11. "AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Inc. – A Department of Public Health HIV/AIDS Care and Prevention Service Contract Provider" (PDF). Department of Auditor-Controller. County of Los Angeles. 16 August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
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