Elizabeth Falade, the health officer for San Benito County’s
Public Health department, is set to retire Dec. 30 after 18 years
of service. The part-time position will be taken over by Alvaro
Garza, who will start Jan. 4.
Elizabeth Falade, the health officer for San Benito County’s Public Health department, is set to retire Dec. 30 after 18 years of service. The part-time position will be taken over by Alvaro Garza, who will start Jan. 4.
“One thing that strikes me is that she is very passionate about public health,” said Kathy Flores, the director of San Benito County’s Health and Human Services. “I’ve had the chance to observe her over the last five years (since Flores was promoted to head of HHS), in her role in mass vaccination clinics. She was an incredible leader during those times.”
Samela Perez, the public information officer for the Public Health department, said that Falade was instrumental in coordinating events that brought the department’s services directly to the public or helped make the public more aware of health issues. Working with Janet Graham, Falade helped start Kids in the Park, an annual event that promotes health and nutrition for children.
In recent years, the department has also sponsored flu clinics that are open to the public that serve two goals – it allows residents to get a free flu vaccination and also serves to allow the staff members to practice for possible disaster situations.
“Through her efforts we’ve been able to conduct flu clinics,” Perez said. “The annual flu clinics serve a huge part of our population’s needs.”
Perez, whose direct supervisor is the health officer, worked closely with Falade to organize flu summits, starting in 2006. The meetings were held with different stakeholders, such as school administrators and staff or nonprofit agencies, to discuss preparations for a pandemic flu outbreak. They also worked together, with other stuff, during the H1N1 outbreak to keep the public informed about the illness as well as to coordinate clinics as vaccinations became available.
“I’ve never worked with someone with so much knowledge and dedication to public health as Dr. Falade,” Perez said. “Her passion and commitment to this community is commendable.”
Alvaro Garza, who will take over as health officer in January has extensive experience working in public health, according to Flores. He has worked as a part-time deputy health officer in San Mateo County and previously served as the health officer in Stanislaus County. Garza is bilingual, bicultural, which Flores said is a plus for the community.
“They need to be a medical doctor and have public health experience,” Flores said, of qualifications for the position. “Frankly, I am really pleased we have someone who is bilingual and bicultural, which is hard to find when looking for a health officer that would really consider working in a small, rural agriculturally-based area with a large Latino population like our community.”
Flores said she does not foresee any major changes in the department, though she said any time a new person steps into a leadership role that person will bring their own personal experiences and philosophies.
“I’ve had conversations with him and the staff have had conversations with him and they’ve all been very positive,” Flores said.
For the first few weeks on the job, Flores will introduce Garza to different people in the community to help him form the connections that are important for the department.
“I certainly wish Dr. Falade well,” Flores said. “She did bring a lot to our community, but as with most relationships, sooner or later, people do move on. When that happens there is also an opportunity for others to come into your world and Dr. Garza is giving us that opportunity.”
The Health and Human Services is also in the process of recruiting for another department, Environmental Health. Bob Shingai, an environmental health specialist, retired in November.
“He brought a lot to San Benito,” Flores said. “I really appreciated his hard work and work ethic. He kept me on top of the pulse in environmental health in our community.”
