Supervisors honor retiring county health officer
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County’s retiring health officer received honors during her last appearance in her official capacity before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
Dr. Karen Tait, who has served as health officer since April 2008, is retiring this week.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors presented a proclamation expressing thanks and gratitude to Tait for her years of dedicated service to Lake County.
Vice Chair Jim Steele read the proclamation to Tait, who was joined by county staff, including Department of Health Services Director Denise Pomeroy and Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski.
The proclamation lauded Tait for her mentorship to her department and other county agencies on issues including cyanobacteria, H25, rabies and West Nile virus, her services as board commissioner with Partnership HealthPlan and the support she gave to Public Health nursing staff.
As part of the emergency preparedness program, she’s worked to make sure Lake and its neighboring counties “strengthened their ability to effectively respond to public health threats including infectious diseases, natural disasters, biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological events,” and also was medical health operational area coordinator during Lake County’s
disasters in order to assess immediate medical needs and coordinate medical and health resources, Steele said.
In her capacity as health officer, the proclamation said Tait has worked closely with both the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and California Forensic Medical Group to assure the health and medical care of jail inmates meets inmate needs and state regulations, while also working with local hospitals and clinics, fire districts and the American Red Cross.
The proclamation said Tait also was instrumental in identifying Rickettsia 364-D, a tickborne condition that causes illness associated with eschars, which are instances of dead tissue, according to a paper she co-authored in 2010 which can be found at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41027089_Rickettsia_364D_A_Newly_Recognized_Cause_of_Eschar-Associated_Illness_in_California.
The county proclamation also credited Tait with pulling together the first Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response, or CASPER survey.
Tait also is a member of a local ham radio group.
Steele said Tait will be greatly missed.
“I think you’ve convinced me I am just a workhorse and I’m ready for a rest,” said Tait, who explained that when she became health officer she resolved she would work hard until retirement.
She said Lake County has a lot of community members and groups who support public health and which gave her a tremendous amount of help, in addition to the assistance she has received from her staff.
Pomeroy thanked Tait for her 10 years of service, describing her as “courageous, spunky, funny and one of the most intelligent people I’ve had the opportunity to work with.”
Board members also specifically thanked her, including Supervisor Rob Brown who recalled her work during the county’s fires, which he called “amazing.”
Afterward, Tait, joined by Ruminski, received the board’s extension of a proclamation of a local health emergency she initially made in October in response to the Sulphur fire.
Tait said she recommended the proclamation – which must be continued every two weeks – be extended until the fire debris removal is completed.
The board has authorized the appointment of Dr. Gary Pace to act as Lake County’s interim health officer. Pace takes over the roles as of Dec. 2 and continuing until Tait’s successor is selected.
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