New Placer County health officer: residents can’t get ‘complacent’ about COVID-19 spread

The Placer County Board of Supervisors appointed a new public health officer on Tuesday, two weeks after the previous health chief for the county resigned in protest of the board’s decision to end its local COVID-19 emergency.

Dr. Robert Oldham, a veteran of the county’s public health department, was appointed in a unanimous vote as the interim public health officer.

Oldham assumes the role Saturday; he previously served as the county’s public health officer from 2014 to 2019. He left public service last year to work as the medical director of acute psychiatry services for Sutter Health’s Center for Psychiatry in Sacramento. Oldham then returned to Placer County earlier this month as its new director of Health and Human Services.

“It’s familiar territory,” Oldham said of taking on the position of public health officer. “It’s definitely different with COVID being the biggest challenge in public health and probably the biggest challenge of our lifetime.”

Oldham said he was confident he could work successfully with the board of supervisors, taking into account the community’s concern with the economic impact the pandemic has had on local businesses.

“I understand our board’s position and our numbers are improving, and I think we’re heading in the right direction,” Oldham said in a phone interview with The Bee. “The spread of COVID is still a concern, but we’re also hurting from the business restrictions.”

Placer County had seen 3,507 coronavirus cases and 42 deaths as of Tuesday.

“I would encourage residents to not get complacent and work together to get our numbers down and minimize the impact of the spread of the disease on other elements of the community,” he added. “We understand all the sacrifices everyone is making and appreciate that.”

Before approving Oldham’s interim appointment as public health officer, Supervisor Jim Holmes spoke about the departure of Dr. Aimee Sisson, who resigned after the board voted unanimously to end its COVID-19 emergency declaration that had been in place since March. Sisson said in a letter to the board that the board’s “action made it clear that I can no longer effectively serve in my role as Placer County Health Officer and Public Health Director.”

“I just want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Aimee Sisson for her service to Placer County,” Holmes said. “Talk about a trial by fire. Dr. Sisson had not been in her position for very long when the worldwide COVID-19 health crisis landed on our desk. I think she performed admirably during her presentations to the board and to the community.”

Board Chair Bonnie Gore echoed Holmes, saying “I do appreciate all the hard work Dr. Sisson provided for us, for our county, for our residents. It was a very challenging job.”

With Supervisor Robert Weygandt absent, the board voted 4-0 to appoint Oldham to the interim position.

“Rob is a proven, trusted leader who embraces a collaborative and innovative spirit,” said County Executive Todd Leopold in a news release at the time. “The credentials he holds are invaluable to the county as we not only continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, but through his strategic engagement with our community partners.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM.