Napa County Public Health Officer Becomes State Health Officer

News from the County of Napa:

Gov. Jerry Brown today announced the appointment of Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith to State Health Officer.

In her new position, Dr. Smith will oversee California’s Department of Public Health and provide guidance to local health officers statewide about issues such as communicable diseases, obesity prevention and how to keep communities healthy, officials said.

“Napa County is an incredibly vibrant community of people who make health a priority through partnership,” said Smith, 58, of Napa. “I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve the residents of Napa County during my time here and look forward to bringing Napa’s remarkable collaborative energy to other communities throughout the state.”

During her 10.5 years as county public health officer and deputy director for Napa County Health and Human Services, Smith was aggressive in preparedness and readiness, training for emergency response and bringing resources to the community.

“This is a huge loss for Napa County, but she will be able to take some model programs that she’s had a key leadership role in and apply that at the state level,” said Mark Diel, chief executive officer, Children’s Health Initiative of Napa County. “This will broaden her impact that we’ve benefitted from for more than a decade. It’s incredible how she’s able to bring the community together.”

Through her leadership, the Live Healthy Napa County community coalition achieved success by engaging more than 150 community partners in developing the first ever Community Health Improvement Plan, which provides shared priorities for improving health.

The Napa County Board of Supervisors will appoint an interim public health officer as the search for Dr. Smith’s replacement is ongoing.

--Image via Shutterstock

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