CA AB3224

Requires the State Department of Public Health to contract with a qualified entity to evaluate the adequacy of local health department infrastructure and make recommendations for staffing, workforce needs, and resources by July 1, 2022.

Evaluation must assess the public health workforce (including barriers to recruitment and retention), health information tools, state public health laboratory capacity, and federal and state funding trends for local health departments.

Requires the department to convene an advisory group including representatives from county health executives, local health officers, public health laboratories, nurses, communicable disease controllers, and organizations addressing health disparities to oversee the evaluation process.

Report findings and recommendations must be submitted to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on or before July 1, 2022, with the reporting requirement becoming inoperative on July 1, 2026.