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New Public Health Officer seeks to inform and engage Butte County

Butte County Public Health
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Butte County has a new public health officer. It’s the first time someone has been in the permanent position full-time in almost five years.

The permanent role sat empty since 2020, when the previous officer’s contract ended. The county contracted with an interim health officer after that.

Dr. Jarett Beaudoin started earlier this month and is trained in family medicine and in public health.

“I did two programs. I got trained as a primary care doctor, so in family practice,” Dr. Beaudoin said. “But then I also got trained in something called preventative medicine, which is public health.”

Public health officers are doctors who provide the medical perspective for health departments. Their input is vital in almost all decision-making.

“So in much the same way your cardiologist went and did advanced training for cardiology, I did advanced training so I could do this role,” Dr. Beaudoin said.

He said his role at the health department involves many different priorities.

“Most people have no idea all the different services that we have at the Department of Public Health that are protecting people’s health,” Dr. Beaudoin said. “Things like making sure your water is clean, things like making sure that we have emergency plans in case of a fire, making sure that there are no animals with rabies running around.”

Beaudoin said he already has priorities in mind for his new position.

"I've seen many patients who have trouble getting in to see a primary care doctor, and I think luckily, Butte County is already kind of making certain steps to try to improve that, like adding in certain training programs for physicians," Dr. Beaudoin said.

He said attracting more physicians and specialty physicians to the county could also help improve residents’ access to medical services.

Anthony started his student internship with NSPR in October 2024. He is a freshman at Chico State University pursuing a Bachelor's degree in journalism.
Ken came to NSPR through the back door as a volunteer, doing all the things that volunteers do. Almost nothing – nothing -- in his previous work experience suggests that he would ever be on public radio.