Ian Hoffman will be Humboldt County’s next health officer, pending the Board of Supervisor’s confirmation Tuesday.

In a press release, the Joint Information Center said Hoffman is expected to step into the role recently vacated by Teresa Frankovich, who stepped down Tuesday after holding the position since January.

Hoffman holds a medical degree and a masters in public health from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers, according to the release, and comes to Humboldt County Public Health after stints at Kaiser Permanente in Portland and San Francisco, Open Door in Arcata, Southwest Community Health Center in Santa Rosa and La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland. According to the release, Hoffman is an avid outdoor enthusiast and moved to Humboldt County to raise his children near extended family.

In the release, Hoffman noted that Humboldt’s COVID-19 response infrastructure is “robust and cohesive,” with much work already done to expand testing and contact investigation capacity.

“I am new to the fight against COVID in Humboldt County, but know the community is not,” he said. ““Many of you have been at this since February and are frankly exhausted by it. I want to listen to and understand those experiences and continue the level of community involvement and openness that has been set by everyone who has been part of the emergency response team.”

Hoffman was selected from a pool of 18 applicants after going through interviews with both a panel of “multi-disciplinary stakeholders” and the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors.

Hoffman also is stepping into the role as cases are surging throughout the nation, state and county, with Humboldt having confirmed 265 cases over the past 11 days, which have seen a series of record setting days and weeks. The county is also currently grappling with a large outbreak in a skilled nursing facility and is expected to soon fall under a regional stay-at-home order aimed at slowing the spike in infections in the coming days.

Read the full press release regarding Hoffman copied below:

Dec. 4, 2020 - County Set to Name Dr. Ian Hoffman New Health Officer

Dr. Ian P. Hoffman is expected to be named the county’s new health officer, pending confirmation by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. He replaces Dr. Teresa Frankovich, who stepped back from the position earlier this week.
Dr. Hoffman holds both a Doctorate of Medicine and Masters of Public Health from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers. He has worked previously for Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Ore. and San Francisco, as well as at Open Door Clinic in Arcata, Southwest Community Health Center in Santa Rosa and La Clinica de La Raza in Oakland.
Dr. Hoffman worked with the Latino community in the Bay Area for more than a decade and said he looks forward to continuing that work in Humboldt County. “Yo trabajé por los últimos 12 años con la gente Latina,” dijo el Dr. Hoffman. “Espero seguir ayudando y trabajando con las personas que hablan español en mi trabajo como oficial de salud pública.”
Dr. Hoffman moved to Humboldt County to raise his children near extended family. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Hoffman spends his time hiking, surfing, backpacking and skiing in addition to his work within the community.
The doctor acknowledged the challenges inherent in taking on this role in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The COVID response in Humboldt County has been robust and cohesive,” he said. “We are well positioned going into the winter with increased contact investigations staff, expanded testing, an Alternative Care Site and planning underway for a vaccine rollout in the coming months.”
He also noted that this has been a challenging time for the community. “I’m new to the fight against COVID in Humboldt County, but I know the community is not,” Dr. Hoffman said. “Many of you have been at this since February and are frankly exhausted by it. I want to listen to and understand those experiences and continue the level of community involvement and openness that has been set by everyone who has been part of the emergency response team.”
Public Health Director Michele Stephens welcomed Dr. Hoffman and said despite the timing of the transition, she had every confidence he is up for the challenges ahead.
“It’s not just COVID,” Stephens said. “As a local health jurisdiction, we’ve maintained our programs and services despite the pandemic. Our community health improvement planning continues as well. Some of Dr. Hoffman’s time will be spent engaged in improving outcomes related to adverse childhood experiences, housing and homelessness and behavior health and substance abuse.”
Dr. Hoffman’s hiring will be official once the Board of Supervisors confirms the appointment.
Dr. Hoffman expressed gratitude that he would not be doing the work alone. “We have the full and ongoing support of the well-established team of Public Health and Emergency Operations Center staff who will continue the work. I will be coming in to lead this already strong team and will work hard to make the transition seamless.”
For the most recent COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours by contacting [email protected] or calling 707-441-5000.
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Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert