Is Santa Barbara County ready for the next epidemic? That was the question asked in a report by the county Grand Jury.
The county Board of Supervisors heard Tuesday from Health Director Mouhanad Hammami and Dr. Henning Ansorg, public health officer, on preparedness in the scenario of future pandemics and health crises.
The report said the county Health Department is the “front line” and needs to proactively prepare to respond.
“This includes utilizing up-to-date technologies, implementing proactive risk assessment and disaster planning strategies, strengthening early detection and improving communication to prepare for bioterrorism threats,” the report states.
Even though Hammami acknowledged the thoroughness of the report and that it raised good points, he said the department disagreed with some of the findings and recommendations.
“This field isn’t black and white, and there are so many things that we need to act upon or be flexible whenever this, God forbid, happens or we want to respond,” Hammami told the board.
In response to the finding that the county has not taken any proactive steps to be aware of potential illnesses, Hammami said the county monitors global, statewide and local trends to see whether any diseases are a risk. He added that the county also meets weekly with officials from the local, state and federal levels to assess any threats.
Hammami also disagreed with an assessment that the county had not made any disaster plans for diseases. He pointed out that the county implemented the Infectious Disease Emergency Response Plan in June 2024.
On the issue of surveillance software used to catch potential epidemics, the county stated that it does monitor risky diseases. In its response to the report, the county acknowledged that it could be doing more and said it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to use its programs.
In response to the request that the Health Department require wastewater testing, Hammami said his office doesn’t have the authority to force local cities to test wastewater.
Wastewater service providers are regulated by the California State Water Resources Control Board, and some local water districts are doing that testing.
“It is worth noting that we do get from the state regular results of wastewater testing for those that are being reported,” Hammami added.
On the issue of bioterrorism, which the report called a “growing threat,” Hammami said that the county’s Joint Terrorism Task Force oversees terrorist threats and includes the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and multiple local, state and federal partners.
The final issue identified by the grand jury was communication between the county and other health care providers in the region. The county said it does communicate with health care providers through email and fax, but added that it will be working to standardize its communications and reach out more regularly.
The three county supervisors in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting voted to approve the Health Department’s response to the Grand Jury report.
County Changes Since COVID-19 Pandemic
Ansorg, who was the public health officer during the county’s COVID-19 pandemic response, said local health protocols have changed since 2020.
One of the major changes is wastewater testing, which the county tracks to see whether any diseases are spreading.
“It’s become a valuable tool because we can see when we analyze things in the wastewater what is basically going to come into the emergency room eventually, so that’s a huge advantage,” Ansorg told Noozhawk.
Another change Ansorg noted was better collaboration among the Health Department and other local agencies and groups. During COVID-19, the department began meeting with hospitals, UC Santa Barbara, laboratories and other groups as part of a task force.
The task force has started again and worked on recent issues such as the avian flu infecting cows. During that time, the task force met with people in the agricultural field to determine how to protect public health.
“That’s a good collaboration effort that will help us in the future,” he said.