New public health officer selected
Aimee Sisson has found a home in Yolo after leaving Placer County
Aimee Sisson will be appointed by the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 29, according to a statement from the county.
Yolo County selected Aimee Sisson as the new public health officer, who will be appointed by the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 29, according to a statement from the county.
Sisson will replace Interim Public Health Officer Larissa May, who has been serving in the role since former Public Health Officer Ron Chapman stepped down in June. May Ann Limbos will continue to serve as deputy public health officer.
Sisson is scheduled to start on Oct. 26.
“I am honored to be given this opportunity to protect and promote the health of all people living in Yolo County,” Sisson said. “Being a local health officer is challenging during a pandemic, but this is what I have trained for. I look forward to using my skills to keep the community healthy, whether the threat is COVID-19, obesity, mental illness, wildfire smoke, or poverty.”
Sisson previously served as public health officer in Placer County but resigned earlier this month after the Placer County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to terminate the local health emergency they passed dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
The board’s decision led to Sisson’s resignation.
“Today’s action by the Placer County Board of Supervisors made it clear that I can no longer effectively serve in my role as Placer County Health Officer and Public Health Director,” Sisson stated in her letter of decision.
In an interview with the Sacramento Bee, Placer County Board Chairwoman Bonnie Gore said that while she respects Sisson’s stance, the board “is taking a broader view of public health than Sisson’s.” She said that because the county’s case numbers are so low, a shutdown is not warranted.
“At the end of the day, our board had a direction that she didn’t believe she could support,” Gore said. “The difference is, she and the governor and the state have been very focused on COVID health and I have looked at this as a public health issue (beyond) COVID. How it is affecting our mental health and our emotional health of our residents.”
Placer County issued a local health emergency March 3. Since then, there have been 42 deaths in the county and 3,507 reported cases.
Placer County officials cited low level of COVID-19 transmission and concerns about the county’s economy in their decision to lift the health order. The county is classified by the state in Tier 2, or the substantial risk category, which means more businesses have eased restrictions and reopened in limited capacity.
This draws a stark comparison to Yolo County, which remains in Tier 1, the widespread and most restrictive category. As of Tuesday, the county is reporting 2,765 total cases and 54 deaths.
Sisson is a UC Davis graduate — where she serves as an assistant professor on the volunteer clinical faculty, teaching graduate students about public health — and has previous experience running a small urban farm in West Sacramento.
“Dr. Sisson’s unique qualifications and experience make her an ideal fit for Yolo County,” said Chairman of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors Gary Sandy. “Her insights and expertise will be a great help in combatting COVID-19 and a range of other issues commonly associated with ag counties in California.”
Prior to her role in Placer County, Sisson served as public health medical officer at the California Department of Public Health for over 10 years.
While in that position, she oversaw the training of future public health leaders, led a mental health disparities project, helped start the interagency Health in All Policies Task Force and raised awareness of public health impacts from climate change, according to the county’s statement.