City of LB Health & Human Services: Communicable Disease & Emergency Response

The Long Beach Health and Human Services Department (Health Department) has been improving the health of the Long Beach community for over a century. We strive to create a safe and healthy community for all to live, work, and play.

The Health Department has 340 employees located in nine sites around the City. It operates with a $120 million annual budget, 99% of which comes from Federal, State, County, and private funds. Long Beach is one of only three city-run health departments in California, allowing for better engagement with its people, neighborhoods, businesses, and community partners, and a greater understanding of the City's strengths and needs. This local focus allows the Department to coordinate resources from all sources to best meet the needs of our City.

This is an exciting time to be working in Public Health and Human Services. We continue to focus on the core work of Public Health but the conversations and planning have expanded to include the "social determinants of health." These are the pieces of a person's life that impact their health, including poverty, safety, education, and employment. These impacts span generations. It's so important that we are working to address them now. The other conversations are around the "built environment" which include sidewalks, streets, and other infrastructure that provide opportunities for safe and healthy behaviors like walking, biking and social engagement. The greatest predictor of a person's health is where they live.

The Health and Human Services Department, alone, cannot address all of these areas. We must work closely with our many partners at all levels of government, schools, existing collaboratives, non-profit agencies, communities, business and individuals. To reach our vision of a healthy Long Beach, all of us must work collectively, establishing goals and working collaboratively to achieve them.

Every year the Department provides over 350,000 public health visits, 16,000 immunizations, 300,000 food nutrition vouchers, 7,800 food facility inspections, 5,400 miles of spraying for mosquitoes, 2,700 public health nurse visits and 780 recreational water tests. Over 7,000 homeless individuals are assisted with housing and other services.

Our Strategic Plan and the Community Health Improvement Plan outline the health-related goals for our Department and the community.

It is a pleasure to work with my talented staff and our many amazing partners. We look forward to working with you on our journey toward a healthier Long Beach.

All the best,

Kelly Colopy, Director of Health & Human Services