Longo will ‘step down’ in February; Egan asks board to discuss reorganization of HHS
Lassen County Health and Human Services Director Barbara Longo announces she will “step down” in February..According to an agenda item for the Lassen County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Nov. 12, meeting, Barbara Longo, Lassen County’s Health and Human Services Director has “announced her intent to step down from her position on or around Feb. 28, 2025.”
In response to that announcement, Lassen County Administrative Officer Richard Egan, who will retire in December, asks the board for direction regarding the future management of the department.
Lassen County Administrative Officer Richard Egan and the board of supervisors will discuss a possible reorganization of the the Health and Human Services Department Tuesday morning.According to Egan’s report, HHS is currently managed as a “super-agency having an agency department head (HSS Director) providing management, policy and fiscal supervision over agency directors (i.e. director of public health, director of behavioral health, and director of community social services.) In previous years, the board of supervisors has also supported an independent agency model of having an appointed Department Head for each program area (e.g. Community Social Services,
Public Health, Behavioral Health) who are responsible independently for planning, directing, managing and supervising programs and staff, and receiving general direction from the CAO and/or Deputy CAO.”
Egan advised the supervisors, “In previous years, the board of supervisors has also supported an independent agency model of having an appointed department head for each program area (e.g. Community Social Services, Public Health, Behavioral Health) who are responsible independently for planning, directing, managing and supervising programs and staff, and receiving general direction from the CAO and/or Deputy CAO … Implementing reorganization will require evaluations of job descriptions, including discussions with employees, and review of edits by employee bargaining units. These discussions have started for exploring, defining and clarifying supervision, essential duties and responsibilities, that may or may not change for HSS employees working under the direction and supervision of the HSS Director.”
Egan also offered this alternative to the supervisors: “Implementing reorganization will require evaluations of job descriptions, including discussions with employees, and review of edits by employee bargaining units. These discussions have started for exploring, defining and clarifying supervision, essential duties and responsibilities, that may or may not change for HSS employees working under the direction and supervision of the HSS Director.”
