Office of Health Equity: Surgeon General.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to establish an Office of Health Equity for the purpose of aligning state resources, decisionmaking, and programs to accomplish specified goals, including, among other things, to advise and assist other state departments in their mission to increase access to, and the quality of, culturally and linguistically competent health and mental health care and services and to improve the health status of all populations and places, with a priority on eliminating health and mental health disparities and inequities. This bill would also require the office to advise and assist other state departments in their mission to increase the general well-being of all Californians, and would require the office to work toward eliminating adverse childhood experiences. The bill would require the office to advise the Governor on a comprehensive approach to addressing health risks and challenges as effectively and early as possible. Existing law requires the Governor or the State Public Health Officer to appoint a Deputy Director of the Office of Health Equity, subject to the confirmation of the Senate. Existing law requires the deputy director to report to the State Public Health Officer and to work closely with the Director of Health Care Services to ensure compliance with the requirements of the office's strategic plans, policies, and implementation activities. By executive order, the Governor established the position of Surgeon General, as a public entity within the Governor's direct executive authority, to advise the Governor on a comprehensive approach to addressing health risks and challenges as effectively and as early as possible. The executive order prescribes the qualifications of the Surgeon General and sets forth specified duties of the Surgeon General. This bill would codify provisions of the executive order to require the Governor to appoint a Surgeon General. The bill would prescribe the qualifications of the Surgeon General consistent with the executive order. Under the bill, the Surgeon General would oversee the office and would serve a 4-year term to run concurrently with the term of the Governor. The bill would make the appointment subject to confirmation by the Senate, beginning January 2023. The bill would require the Surgeon General to report to the Governor and to work closely with the State Public Health Officer and the Director of Health Care Services to ensure compliance with the requirements of the office's strategic plans, policies, and implementation activities. The bill would eliminate the position of Deputy Director of the Office of Health Equity, and would, instead, require the Governor to appoint a deputy director to report to the Surgeon General and to work closely with the State Public Health Officer and the Director of Health Care Services to ensure compliance with the requirements of the office's strategic plans, policies, and implementation activities.