SACRAMENTO COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH IS CELEBRATING A NATIONAL ACCREDITATION. IT WAS A RIGOROUS AND VOLUNTARY REVIEW IN WHICH HEALTH DEPARTMENTS MUST DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY MEET OR EXCEED NATIONAL STANDARDS OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE DEVELOPED BY PUBLIC HEALTH. THE ACCREDITATION BOARD. AND THIS MORNING, WE WELCOME SACRAMENTO COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER, DR. OLIVIA KASIRYE. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. OF COURSE. WE WERE JUST CHATTING. I KNOW OUR VIEWERS WILL PROBABLY SAY THIS TOO. I FEEL LIKE YOU AND I TALKED QUITE A BIT OVER ZOOM, THOUGH. SO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE’RE MEETING IN PERSON. SO THE PLEASURE IS ALL OURS. THANK YOU. LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS ACCREDITATION. HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THIS FOR THE COUNTY? THIS IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT. IT’S A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION. WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR MANY YEARS. WE DID HAVE TO STOP DURING COVID BECAUSE WE HAD TO FOCUS ON THAT, BUT STARTED OFF AGAIN IN 2022 AND HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD TO MEET ALL OF THE STANDARDS THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR US TO GET ACCREDITATION. SO A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT. AND WHAT ULTIMATELY DOES IT MEAN? AND YOU MENTIONED THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TOOK SIX YEARS REALLY TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS. COVID WAS KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT 200 DOCUMENTS. IT WAS VERY RIGOROUS. BUT WHAT DOES IT ULTIMATELY MEAN FOR YOU? SO THE NATIONAL STANDARDS THAT WE HAVE TO MEET IN ORDER TO GET THE ACCREDITATION. SO BASICALLY THIS IS TELLING US AND TELLING EVERYBODY ELSE THAT WE ACTUALLY MEET AND EXCEED MANY OF THOSE STANDARDS. MANY OF THEM ARE BASED ON THE TEN ESSENTIAL SERVICES OF PUBLIC HEALTH. SO SHOWING THAT OUR PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS HAS ALL OF THE SERVICES AVAILABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. SO YOUR PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER, I COULDN’T LET YOU LEAVE WITHOUT ASKING. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY RIGHT NOW IS THE GREATEST PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY? SO WHAT WE’RE MONITORING RIGHT NOW IS, OF COURSE, THE RESPIRATORY VIRUS, BECAUSE WE’RE GOING INTO THE HOLIDAYS, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE MEETING FAMILY, A LOT OF TRAVEL, AND WE DO TEND TO SEE AN INCREASE IN THOSE RATES. SO THE FLU, THE REGULAR FLU, COVID AND THEN THE RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS, WHICH USUALLY AFFECTS SMALL CHILDREN, WE USUALLY CALL IT RSV. SO WE ARE MONITORING THOSE NUMBERS. AND DEFINITELY WE’LL PUT INFORMATION OUT WHERE ASKING EVERYBODY TO GET VACCINATED. WE DO HAVE VACCINES AVAILABLE FOR ALL THREE OF THOSE VIRUSES. WE ARE ALSO MONITORING THE AVIAN FLU. WE DON’T HAVE ANY HUMAN CASES HERE, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT IT IS A CONCERN BECAUSE IN CALIFORNIA, WE HAVE SEEN COW HERDS THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF BIRD FLOCKS THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED AS WELL. SO THAT’S SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT. ANY TRENDS AT THIS POINT THAT YOU’RE CONCERNED ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE RESPIRATORY VIRUSES RIGHT NOW, IT’S STILL TRENDING LOW, BUT IT USUALLY PICKS UP AFTER THE HOLIDAYS AGAIN, BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF TRAVEL. SO WE ADVISE PEOPLE GET VACCINATED, WEAR A MASK. IF YOU’RE USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, LIKE GOING TO FLY OR GOING IN CROWDED PUBLIC PLACES, BECAUSE USUALLY THAT’S WHERE PEOPLE GET INFECTED. AWESOME. WELL, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. AND A BIG CONGRATULATIONS, OF COURSE, TO YOU AND THE REST OF