Department of Public Health

Next week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will vote on a motion aimed at “enhancing” and “expanding” the county’s patchwork of home visiting programs. In L.A., like across the country, the concept of home visiting takes many forms.

Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion instructing a handful of agencies to report back in 30 days on whether or not to move 103 public health nurses employed by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to the Department of Public Health (DPH).

Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors is moving quickly to address the role of public health nurses in child protection. On July 19, Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis will issue a motion that would direct a handful of county agencies to determine the “feasibility, benefits and detriments, if any, and fiscal viability” of moving the 103 public health nurses employed by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to the Department of Public Health (DPH).

A June 30 report calling for the termination of Los Angeles County’s experimental public health nurse program has sparked a rich debate about the role of such nurses in child abuse investigations.