Santa Barbara Supervisors prepare for next potential pandemic

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The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution to prepare for the next pandemic on May 20. 

In response to the 2024-25 Santa Barbara County grand jury’s March 10 report that identified a need for the county Health Department to develop a proactive approach to the next potential epidemic, board members Laura Capps, Roy Lee, and Joan Hartmann—the only members in attendance—all voted to support pandemic preparations at the meeting. 

“Another epidemic in Santa Barbara County is not merely a possibility—it is an inevitability,” the grand jury wrote in its report, titled “Is The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Prepared for the Next Epidemic?” 

“The emergence of new infectious agents that may cause devastating outbreaks is occurring at an alarming rate. The 2024-2025 grand jury has identified shortcomings in Santa Barbara County’s readiness for a new epidemic,” the report states. “Our county must adopt a proactive approach to preparedness.”

Public Health Director Dr. Mouhanad Hammami said the department actively monitors global, national, and statewide viral variants for trends, risks, and mutations that could potentially cause the next outbreak. He said the Health Department also receives biweekly updates from the California Department of Public Health [CDPH] on emerging threats.

It may not be feasible to develop a response plan for every known bacteria and virus existing in the world, but the county department has policies in place to address some specific pathogens like anthrax or hepatitis A, Hammami said.

He said that Public Health Officer Doctor Henning Ansorg meets biweekly with Theiagen Genomics to discuss the genetic makeup of disease-causing organisms in California and with the CDPH’s Clinical Laboratory Technology Advisory Committee to analyze forecasts of potential emerging viruses.

Last June, the Public Health Department implemented a countywide infectious disease emergency response plan with a tiered-risk profile for known pathogens of concern, Hammami said.

“The [infectious disease emergency response] plan is flexible and scalable to meet the needs of multiple pathogens,” he said during the supervisors’ meeting. “We also have a mass dispensing plan for vaccinations, prophylaxis, and testing and a continuity of operations plan that ensures sustainable operations during a disaster or disease outbreak.”

The Health Department uses surveillance tools like the California Immunization Registry for monitoring circulating diseases, but Santa Barbara County residents would benefit from more comprehensive software to detect potential epidemic risks earlier, Hammami said. 

So, per the grand jury’s recommendation, the Health Department will join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Syndromic Surveillance Program, hopefully before the end of the year, Hammami said, giving the county access to a much more extensive database to monitor public health threats. 

He said Santa Barbara also has an infectious disease task team representing each hospital in Santa Barbara County that meets quarterly to discuss epidemic preparedness. 

 “Additionally, we coordinate and lead the Santa Barbara County Disaster Healthcare Partners Coalition, which meets monthly to incorporate infectious disease preparedness topics,” Hammami said.

 “Looking in the rearview mirror on COVID,” board chairwoman 2nd District Supervisor Capps said she was concerned that “so much disarray at the top of the CDC” might affect Santa Barbara’s local public health system. 

County Health Officer Ansorg said the CDC continues funding wastewater testing and its National Syndromic Surveillance Program remains robust, despite disputes between leaders and federal politicians that have been appearing in national news.

“I’m hopeful that it will continue in the same fashion, but we’re always prepared to pivot and go more regional,” Ansorg said. “Believe it or not, even our state health department has a lot of red tape and is much, much slower than we sometimes would need to be.”

Ansorg said he’s trying to develop an approach to communicating with counties throughout the region about viruses spreading.

“Potential pandemic viruses don’t care about county limitations,” he said. “If it’s in Ventura or Los Angeles, it’s here. We have to collaborate with those counties, and we do.”

This article appears in May 29 – Jun 8, 2025.