The Health Services Department is requesting to add one permanent full-time Public Health Epidemiologist/Biostatistician position in Public Health's Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation (EPE) unit. The new position will develop, plan organize and manage epidemiological surveillance efforts for communicable disease control particularly related to HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases and Hepatitis in a variety of populations. Duties include managing the epidemiological research surveys that investigate the prevalence and incidence of diseases affecting residents as well as risk factors associated with the occurrence, developing project objectives and protocols, consulting on program evaluation strategies, coordinating data collection methods, monitoring the input of epidemiological and biostatistical data and coordinating the preparation of reports. To offset the cost, the department is canceling Health Services Planner Evaluator - Level B position #9222, which has been vacant since September 2010.
Upon approval, there is an annual cost of approximately $15, 995 with $3,862 pension costs, which is already included in the 2013-2014 fiscal budget.
If this action is not approved, the Department will not have adequate staff to meet the needs of the Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation unit in Public Health.