HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06252013 - SD.1RECOMMENDATION(S):
1. CONSIDER waiving the 180-day "sit-out period" for Dr. Mitchell J. Applegate, Exempt Medical Staff Physician
at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center;
2. FIND that the appointment of Dr. Applegate is necessary to fill a critically needed position; and
3. APPROVE AND AUTHORIZE the hiring of county retiree Dr. Mitchell J. Applegate, as a temporary County
employee on a part time basis for the period June 26, 2013 through December 31, 2013, as recommended by the
Health Services Director.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Salary costs are included within the Department's Enterprise Fund I operating budget. Total approximate costs for the
requested period are $64,380.
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On: 06/25/2013 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
Contact: Victoria Mejia,
4-7726
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of
Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: June 25, 2013
David Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: , Deputy
cc:
SD. 1
To:Board of Supervisors
From:William Walker, M.D., Health Services Director
Date:June 25, 2013
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:Temporary Hire of County Retiree - Waiver of 180 day "sit out" period
BACKGROUND:
The Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 requires that active members who retire on or after January 1,
2013 must wait 180 days after retirement to return to work. The Act also allows the Board, based on a finding that the
appointment is necessary to fill a critically needed position, may waive the 180 day period.
Dr. Mitchell Applegate will be retiring form Health Services on June 21, 2013. He currently provides clinical care in
the Intensive Care Unit as well as the Pulmonary Clinic at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center.
Dr. Applegate has been employed with Contra Costa County Health Services for over twenty five years. He did his
training in Family Medicine here, left to do further training in critical care, and then spent approximately twenty years
as the director of the Intensive Care Unit at CCRMC. Dr. Applegate is broadly trained and experienced in hospital
based medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Perioperative and Geriatric medicine. He continues to maintain an active
role providing patient care in the intensive care unit, teaching, doing process improvement work, and mentoring
junior staff. All of the areas of his expertise are currently severely understaffed and require ongoing coverage which
Dr. Applegate provides. The need is particularly acute on weekends where traditionally patient access to these
services is challenging and where Dr. Applegate has indicated he would agree to focus his efforts.
Dr. Applegate will be working in the ICU. He will also provide pulmonary consultation, and palliative care
consultations on the weekends, which will maintain patient access and staff access to these resources. His loss would
cause a significant negative impact in our ability to provide necessary critical care services. His twenty-five years of
experience at CCRMC would be very difficult to replace. While we continue to recruit and train staff to manage the
areas of Dr. Applegate's expertise, the organization depends on his skill set, training, and experience which are
needed on an ongoing basis.
The Department requests the approval to hire Dr. Applegate as a temporary county employee on a part time basis
beginning June 26, 2013 and concluding on December 31, 2013.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Failure to receive Board approval may jeopardize efforts of the Health Services Department to provide high quality
medical care to patients.
CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:
No impact to children.
CLERK'S ADDENDUM
Removed from consideration; Dr. Applegate will not be retiring at this time.