Over the last several weeks it’s not been a secret that multiple LA County Department of Public Health employees have been speaking to RedState and other news outlets, bringing forward information exposing the hypocrisy and corruption of Director Barbara Ferrer, who is using her post to effect her brand of social justice instead of simply concentrating on, well, Public Health.
(EXCLUSIVE: Underground Moms Group Exposes LA Public Health’s Plan to Return to Mandates the County’s Own Doctors Say Aren’t Needed, INSIDER: LA County Health Orders Employees to Prepare to Enforce Anti-Science Mask Mandate, EXCLUSIVE: Ferrer Gave Patronage Job to a Felon Convicted on Charges Related to Corruption and Drug Trafficking, EXCLUSIVE: Whistleblower Claims LA County’s Ferrer Is Using State of Emergency to Abuse and Retaliate Against Employees, Shakedown Businesses)
As those who’ve paid attention to Ferrer’s career both in Boston and Los Angeles are aware, she does not like to be challenged, and she does everything she can to control the narrative coming out of her office. According to a series of open letters published by RedState 2020, Ferrer was the one who first isolated her staff from all other departments in Los Angeles when she moved in. She also insists that communication only be done through their heads.
So, it’s not surprising that she’s pretty perturbed at the continual leaks out of her office, and after backing down from her pledge to reinstitute a countywide indoor mask mandate last week, she sent a long email to all department employees letting them know just that. The email also revealed what Ferrer’s public relations strategy will be in terms of dealing with critics.
The email was sent Friday at 5:05 PM; I received a copy by 6 pm.
This email is being printed in full; the bolded parts were in the original email. Ferrer praises her staff:
To begin, I’d like to say a big thank you to the entire Public Health staff for all their hard work in protecting and improving the health of our 10 million County residents.
These were, without doubt, extremely difficult and uncertain times. You’ve been here every day to offer essential, life-saving support and services. You are or were part of community response to the pandemic. Many others sustained core operations in our home programs, ensuring continuity of services, with lean staffing, and meeting growing community demands. We are grateful for the dedication of our workforce, which is our greatest resource.
Next, she pivots to show the public relations strategy that will be used in dealing with critics. She decries that their “mission has become polarized,” (which is what happens when one politicizes the job), then claims that polarization is leading to “harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence,” echoing a curious tweet sent just hours earlier from LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis. Perhaps there was some sort of messaging coordination?
Our efforts in fighting the pandemic brought more appreciation to public health, and those who worked in it. However, our environment for achieving our Departmental Mission has changed. Unfortunately, many workforce members have been subjected to intimidation, harassment and threats of physical violence, even though they are performing essential and assigned tasks. Our top priority is the safety of our employees.
Undoubtedly, public health inspectors face unhappy business owners as they’re out doing their jobs, and undoubtedly they faced that even before the pandemic. Ferrer’s handwringing over employees who are harassed or intimidated is extremely odd considering the aggressive and retaliatory way she manages the department. Ferrer has an odd way of showing that safety of the workforce is her priority. We learned that hundreds of inspections were sent out by her during lockdowns, without using any PPE.
Employees of public health should not remain in danger to complete their work.If you have been a victim or witness to violence or are concerned about it, seek immediate safety.
- Your supervisor should be notified.
- Inform any security guards on site.
- You can call 9-1-1 for emergency assistance.
- Alert potential victims
Ferrer had the inspectors send out without PPE. Their protests failed to be heard.
As a reminder, Public Health has a “Zero Tolerance” policy as to any threats or acts of violence against our workforce and the clients we serve. Everybody is encouraged to review the Workforce Violence Prevention Program (Policy Number. The intranet has 902 and online training is available on Learning Link.
De-escalation trainings are provided by the Department to field employees. The Department is actively seeking to increase those opportunities. We will share additional information over the next few weeks as the sessions become available. In the meantime, we have the County’s De-Escalation Guidelines on our COVID-19 Resources page.
Public Heath staff members have also been targeted by social media in this age of social networking. Do not hesitate to notify us if you have been a victim of, witness to or are aware of someone harassing a Public Health colleague online. [email protected]Report the incident. The Office of Communications and Public Affairs continues its collaboration with social media partners in order to remove any threatening or illegal material. If necessary, we will work with the County Counsel and the local police to explore other possible options.
The last paragraph there is notable, especially the part that says that DPH’s comms team “continues to collaborate with social media partners to flag and remove, where feasible, threatening or illegal content” and that they are working with County Counsel and law enforcement to determine what other options may be available. This is Ferrer’s warning to media members, as she already knows the email could be published.
Also, with the frequent dissemination of misinformation regarding public health protective guidance, it is essential that we stay aligned with the Department’s Public Health messaging and guidance when serving in our official public health capacity. Public Health ambassadors should keep informed about COVID-19 and direct residents and clients to this information. Please be reminded that all requests from media should be forwarded to and reviewed by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs. [email protected]
Ah, yes, the “frequent dissemination of misinformation.” Ferrer is still living in 2020 and believes that she can just call something misinformation or call people anti-mask or anti-vax and immediately discredit the information or the people. Actual medical professionals disagree with Ferrer’s assessment of the COVID situation in Los Angeles, and despite Ferrer’s stompy-footed protestations that “masking works,” scores of well-designed studies show that it does not work to prevent COVID transmission.
Even more important, though, is the last paragraph reminding employees of the “Departmental policy” that “all media requests for information should be relayed to and vetted by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs.” There’s the warning for employees to keep quiet and let her propaganda officials handle the media.
Ferrer concludes by sharing resources for employees who are “experiencing such vitriol as public servants for just doing their job,” and at least one of them includes the ability to for employees to, once again, bill the COVID fund for their time. Unfortunately, all of the people who have been standing up for children over the last two years and faced extreme vitriol from people like Ferrer and from community members basing their hatred on Ferrer’s misinformation have no access to taxpayer-funded “wellness resources.”
Finally, it’s disheartening to see our coworkers experiencing so much vitriol for simply doing their jobs. As needed, we encourage all to take advantage of the Wellness Resources provided by the County.
- The Department of Human Resources’ Employee Assistance Program offers special virtual live training to County employeesThe program includes a session specifically for managers and executives. EAP is run by dedicated mental health professionals, who offer individualized support and resources to employees with issues both on the job and off. They also provide training and support for specific departments when needed. Limit 50 people can attend each session. Please register early at https://bit.ly/37j8sap to reserve your virtual seat. For more details, please see the attached flyer.
- The 30-minute wellness opportunity is available to all employees, permanent, contract, volunteer, and interns. The 30-minute Wellness Learning Opportunity is not to be used in conjunction with your lunch breaks. For coverage to be assured, employees should discuss their work schedules with their supervisors. Please contact us to discuss your requirements. Contact [email protected]Any questions?
- Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health created the LA County Wellbeing Line. Support for frontline personnel, first responders and county employees is provided free of charge(833) 307-0509 Daily, 11am-7pm
- DMH and iPrevail have partnered to offer customized support for Los Angeles County residents. This is to help them re-emerge from and overcome stress due to COVID-19 and other issues. iPrevail delivers traditional methods of talking therapy via any Internet-connected device, smartphone, or tablet. LA County residents have access to online programs for mental health. These include peer coaching, group support, self-paced courses on various topics, as well as on-demand counseling by certified peer experts. Visit iPrevail and sign up for free at https://lacounty.iprevail.com.
You can find written and audio resources to help you manage stress and sleep better. Calm is available to Kaiser members at www.kp.org/selfcareapps and at Apple or Google App Stores.
Sincerely,
Barbara
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