Health services director hired
LAKE COUNTY >> Jonathan C. Portney, MPH, CPH, is shopping for a home in Lakeport. The Bay Area resident has been appointed as the county’s Health Services Director and looks forward to starting his new job and relocating to his new place of work. The Board of Supervisors made the appointment in a closed session at Tuesday’s meeting. Portney replaces Denise Pomeroy who resigned in October. Until Portney takes over as the county’s top health administrator on Jan. 10, 2022, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson will continue in her role as Interim Health Services Director.
Board Chair Bruno Sabatier describes Portney as a “highly motivated and energetic health executive who has shown great capacity in recent years as a community-based public health practitioner in San Francisco and San Mateo County.”
“I want to establish community-based roots and focus on outcomes,” Portney told The Record-Bee. “In a big city, everyone is going to and fro. Here you get a chance to slow down, work with leaders and make a positive impact. In the first six months, I want to engage my staff, understand what we need to do together and what to focus on. I want to lift people up and not work in isolation or do things alone. I am very much a team player and I want people to feel good.”
Portney sees his new role not as a challenge but rather an opportunity. “It’s an opportunity to bridge gaps, cross demographics and geographics. I want to work with community-based organizations to understand our community and what the barriers are to be able to address areas
of concern. Here we have a big-hearted but small community.”
Portney recognizes certain population groups are more vulnerable to adverse health outcomes, due to environmental, behavioral, social and biological factors. The diversity of contributors to people’s health is a key reason Portney emphasizes a community-focused approach to public health: “Inclusive and participatory practices are the best way to hear the community’s voice, and for staff to foster meaningful partnerships that build community capacity and bring about community empowerment. I’m truly excited to partner with residents to promote the best possible health outcomes for Lake County.”
For the past 18 months in the midst of the pandemic, Portney, who has a master’s degree in and also certified in public health, managed a medical staff, a behavioral health team, a community outreach team, and a budget of $5 million as well as increased grant-funding initiatives, and developed policy and regulatory procedures. As Director of Community Health Ambassador Program in San Francisco’s Urban Services YMCA from 2018 to 2020, he implemented a Peer Health Leadership program, and worked with Housing Development specialists to establish sustainable housing initiatives. He also did a two-year stint as Director of Hospital Family Resource Center and Rural Mobile Clinic at the Waterloo Hospital in Sierra Leone, West Africa. After earning his bachelor’s degree at Cazenovia College in New York, he spent three years working as International Special Projects Coordinator at Southern California’s Loma Linda University where he also earned his master’s degree and is working on his doctorate degree in global health information systems, emphasizing health tech and organizational development.
To the question regarding how he would handle the conflicting views on COVID-19 vaccinations and masks, Portney replied, “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I respect that. All I can do is bring the facts. I am not a public health police. I support health education and health promotion and making sure the appropriate information is available to the community.”
The health services director salary is $10,993 a month, consistent with Step 2 on the county’s salary scale.