COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

County Manager’s Office

DATE:

April 30, 2008

BOARD MEETING DATE:

May 20, 2008

SPECIAL NOTICE:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

None

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

John L. Maltbie, County Manager

SUBJECT:

2007-08 Grand Jury Response

Recommendation

Accept this report containing the County’s responses to the following 2007-08 Grand Jury report: San Mateo County Health Department’s Protocol for Communicable Disease Response at San Francisco International.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government.

Goal 20: Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.

This activity contributes to the goal by ensuring that all Grand Jury findings and recommendations are thoroughly reviewed by the appropriate County departments and that, when appropriate, process improvements are made to improve the quality and efficiency of services provided to the public and other agencies.

Discussion

The County is mandated to respond to the Grand Jury within 90 days from the date that reports are filed with the County Clerk and Elected Officials are mandated to respond within 60 days. To that end, attached is the County’s response to the Grand Jury report on San Mateo County Health Department’s Protocol for Communicable Disease Response at San Francisco International, issued on February 28, 2008.

San Mateo County Health Department’s Protocol for Communicable Disease Response at San Francisco International

Findings:

Staff is in partial agreement with the Grand Jury's findings. While there may be general support of the spirit of the findings, it is necessary for the County to complete the study recommended by the Grand Jury before it is able to express whether there is general agreement with the findings about staffing levels.

Recommendations:

The Board of Supervisors should:

1. Undertake a study to determine staff, facility, and equipment requirements necessary to accommodate a large scale health emergency that may occur at the San Francisco International Airport.

Response: Concur. The Health Department will undertake a study to address the requirements of a large scale health emergency at San Francisco International Airport. It is expected that the outcome of the study, or a status report of the progress made to complete the study’s scope, will be available for presentation to the Board of Supervisors at its September 2008 final budget hearing.

2. Explore opportunities to work in conjunction with the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, State of California, and the City and County of San Francisco to meet whatever requirements are defined by the study in recommendation 1.

Response: Concur. The Health Officer and Health Department staff have good working relationships with the health-related and operations-related staff assigned to San Francisco International Airport from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the State Department of Public Health, and the City and County of San Francisco. Health Department staff will work with staff from those other jurisdictions in developing the study in recommendation 1.