Sonoma County has appointed Dr. Karen Smith as interim health officer for the second time in more than a year, but this is the second time in over a year that the county has appointed Dr. Karen Smith to the position on a more permanent basis since the retirement of Dr. Sundari Mace in April 2023. This is an important position that has been difficult to fill. .
Mr. Smith’s predecessor, Dr. Tanya Fares, held the position for less than a year before abruptly announcing her resignation in September. Previously, Dr. Kismet Baldwin Santana held the position on an interim basis for two months.
Smith filled the position on an interim basis from August to November of last year, before Fares took over.
On Tuesday, Sonoma County supervisors welcomed back Smith, who previously served as state public health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health.
Jennifer Solito, currently the county’s interim director of health services, told supervisors that Smith would easily fill the role and that he still had a contract with the county for a previous clinical consultation rotation. Ta.
“She is familiar with the county, familiar with the Department of Health Services, and is happy to take on this role,” Solito said.
Mr. Smith’s career spans four decades, from running a public health laboratory in Marrakech to leading public health teams in Santa Clara and Napa counties to being a top health official in California.
As health officer, she serves as the county’s medical director and head of health policy, giving the state authority to declare public health emergencies, issue health orders, and impose penalties for violations. It is being
Smith grew up in Sparks, Nevada and attended the University of Nevada before transferring to the University of Michigan, where he earned a degree in microbiology in 1980.
The following year, she joined the Peace Corps for three years, spending almost a year in Morocco, where she ran a public health laboratory in Marrakech, and another two years in Thailand, working at a small rural hospital in the middle of the country.
After his Peace Corps tour, Smith returned to the United States and earned a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. She then enrolled at Stanford University School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship.
Smith, who is on leave, was not present at Tuesday’s board meeting when her boss approved her appointment. She will assume the position on Monday.
Dr. Fares, the outgoing health officer, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. A health service spokeswoman said she was out feeling unwell.
Fares also declined interview requests after submitting his resignation on September 23. In an emailed statement to the Press Democrat on Sept. 25, she said she intended to “return to clinical practice in the future.”
Smith’s return will fill one of several leadership gaps in the beleaguered Department of Health Services, at least for now. Other recent resignations include Tina Rivera, the top administrator at the Department of Health; She resigned amid growing scrutiny of her leadership and waning criticism of the health department’s lack of oversight and payment delays on key contracts.
Other vacant health service leadership positions include behavioral health medical director and public health deputy, county officials said.
Interim Health Services Director Solito said the county has hired Berkeley Search Consultants and is conducting a national search for her permanent replacement.
“Berkeley Search has begun engaging with stakeholders to solicit input on hiring and the characteristics of the ideal candidate, and we hope to begin recruiting soon,” she said in an email.
Recruitment for a new health officer is in the planning stages and recruitment is expected to begin in November. The positions of behavioral health medical director and deputy health director are still open, she added.
“I am pleased to report that our department’s vacancy rate has decreased to 15%. We hope to have all four of these positions filled by late winter/early spring,” Solito said in an email. mentioned in.
When he was hired last year, Fares was making $315,844 a year. Smith’s contract for temporary health worker services runs through July 28, 2025, in an amount not to exceed $123,616, county officials said.
The agreement includes a provision for early termination once a permanent health officer is appointed.
Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.
