Santa Barbara County Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso will be moving on to a new role at CenCal Health after serving the county for five years. She was honored at the July 12 Board of Supervisors meeting for her work to ensure public health and safety during the pandemic as well as other disasters.
“I’m completing 20 years in county service with five years in Tulare County, 10 years in Madera County, and the last five years serving Santa Barbara County,” Do-Reynoso said during the ceremony. “I hope my colleagues in Madera aren’t going to judge me, but my five years in Santa Barbara is my apex in my experience in my public career. The last five years have been the best ever because of the talented and committed individuals in my career.”
Director of Social Services Daniel Nielson stepped in as the interim public health director until the county can find a replacement, Nielson told the Sun.
“I worked very closely with Dr. Do-Reynoso during the five years she was here. I think she did a great job, and I’m happy she’s moving on to CenCal. She will certainly be missed, but [with] all of our connections at CenCal … we will still be interacting with Van [Do-Reynoso] in the future,” he said.
Nielson volunteered for this role because of his prior experience as El Dorado County’s director of health and human services where he oversaw public health, mental health, social services, and community services—which will serve him well for this role, he said. The permanent director search will take approximately six months and Nielson will oversee both the Public Health and Social Services departments in the meantime.
“At my prior county—overseeing four departments—I found that I was very good at balancing. I have a very analytical mind and [can] prioritize what needs to be done in terms of my activities and directing the activities of others,” he said.
Although it’s been nine years since he’s dealt with public health directly, Nielson said his previous experience gives him familiarity with the department’s issues and will help him as he gets up to speed with Santa Barbara County’s priorities.
“I’ve been a director for 19 years; I have a lot of administrative experience at that level. Being here for nine years, I have relationships and connections with everybody throughout the county from the supervisors to the CEO’s office. It’s just an additional angle for what I’ll be interacting with them because of Public Health’s responsibility,” Nielson said.
He wants to get to know his staff better and hear how he can best support them, and predicts that his continued support will be what’s needed for the next six months, he added. For ongoing COVID-19 issues, he said he wants to make sure there’s clear communication coming out of the Public Health Department with useful information in order to support medical professionals and the general public.
“My goals are to support staff and to make sure the work of the department has no slowdown or impediment because of a lack of a permanent director,” he continued. “I’m very happy to have this opportunity to help out the Public Health Department and pleased the CEO’s office decided to give me this opportunity. I like to be able to use my talents and strengths when needed, and I’m very [honored] to step into this role during this transition time.”
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 4, 2022.
