As part of the Fiscal Year 2013/14 budget hearings, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted to add three new positions to Public Health; a Tuberculosis Control Public Health Nurse in the Chest Clinic, a Microbiologist in the Public Health Laboratory, and a Communicable Disease Investigator in the Communicable Disease Prevention Program.
“These public health services are essential to maintaining the general health of the region’s residents,” said County Executive Bradley J. Hudson. “Increasing efforts to reduce TB, communicable disease and STD’s are a fundamental function of County services.”
The Sacramento County Public Health laboratory will add a Microbiologist who will conduct diagnostic testing for the detection, control and prevention of communicable diseases such as Anthrax, West Nile Virus, rabies and food-borne illnesses. Microbiologists are specifically trained and certified to provide diagnostic testing and this additional position will improve efficiency and turn-around time for routine and specialized diagnostic testing.
The work that the Chest Clinic does to control Tuberculosis (TB) is extremely important. Because TB is an airborne disease, it is critical that those infected get the medication necessary to eradicate the disease and to prevent its spread. Public Health Nurses visit patients to ensure they are taking their TB medication, helping to safeguard the health and safety of the community.
To combat high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Communicable Disease Investigators work with people who have been diagnosed with an STD to make sure they are receiving treatment and to help them contact partners who may also be infected. Communicable Disease Investigators are vital to reducing STD rates in the community.