On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors will once again vote whether or not to hire a candidate for the position of Shasta County Health Officer.
It will be the fourth time supervisors have considered a candidate since the board ousted former health officer Dr. Karen Ramstrom by a 3-2 vote in May 2022.
The latest candidate is James Mu, a family medicine doctor with a Redding practice.
If a majority of supervisors vote for him, Mu would move into the position on Oct. 23, according to the board’s agenda. Mu’s compensation would be $18,522 per month, according to the agenda.
Mu, an outspoken opponent of COVID-19 vaccination mandates, was one of 12 medical doctors who signed an “Open Letter on COVID-19” in February 2022.
Among 10 concerns listed, the group’s letter said they were opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and mandatory testing of asymptomatic people and also were “deeply concerned” about negative impacts of mask wearing on children.
A total of 44 Shasta County doctors and healthcare workers signed the declaration, gastroenterologist Paul Dhanuka told the Redding City Council on Feb. 17, 2022.
Mu, according to his profile in doctor databases in Medical News Today and Health Grades, has 34 years of medical experience. Mu graduated from in Medical College of Wisconsin in 1989 and completed his Family Medicine Residency training at Mercy Medical Center, according to a staff report to the board.
A simple majority vote by supervisors would approve Mu for the position.
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In May 2022, the board voted 3-2 to fire Ramstrom. That decision came a little over two years after the COVID-19 pandemic spurred an economic shutdown.
After failed attempts to find a pool of viable candidates, the board of supervisors voted 4-1 in June to revise job qualifications for the health officer position.
The health officer still must be a physician, Shasta County Public Health Director Robin Schurig told the Record Searchlight in February 2023.
Minimum state requirements for a health officer require successful candidates be medical school graduates eligible for a California medical license, according to the state.
More:Not an ‘appropriate fit:’ Back to square one to find a new Shasta County health officer
It appeared that the county had found Ramstrom’s replacement in August, but the preferred candidate declined the job offer after an interview with community officials.
In February, county officials were set to interview a finalist, but the candidate pulled their application and took a similar position in another state.
Then in June, supervisors rescinded an offer to the top candidate after they received the results of a background check on the candidate, Supervisors Garman and Rickert said in June.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter@RS_JSkropanic and onFacebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work,please subscribe today. Thank you.
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