Field Placement: Los Angeles County
Department of Health Services -- Communications Office
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Preceptors: Maria Iacobo, Director of Communications
Student Name: Joslyn Matthews
Year: 2003
In February 2003, I
joined the four-person staff of the communications office at the Los Angeles
County Department of Health Services (LADHS). Under the supervision of Maria
Iacobo, LADHS’ Director of Communications, I worked on publicity campaigns,
wrote press releases, and handled media relations for all of the county’s
clinics, hospitals, and public health programs.
The LADHS offices are located at 214 and 313 N. Figueroa St. in downtown Los
Angeles. The Figueroa street buildings are home to the most influential people
at the DHS, including Thomas Garthwaite (DHS’ Director and Chief Medical
Officer), John Wallace (Director of External Relations), and Dr. Jonathan Fielding
(Director of Public Health). Some of the county’s biggest programs are
also based in the Figueroa St. offices. One of the largest county programs is
Acute Communicable Disease Control (ACDC), which has a Disaster Preparedness
division. The communications office receives some of its funding from a bioterrorism
grant awarded to the ACDC’s Disaster Prepardness division. In addition,
the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the governing body of the DHS,
is just a block away from the Figueroa street offices.
During my tenure at the DHS, one of the key communications staff members took
an extended leave of absence. From that point forward, I took on a number of
her responsibilities, including editing and writing for the DHS’ publications,
overseeing the work of other staff members, and writing press releases. With
the help of Tony, our in-house graphics guru, I designed the Summer, Fall and
Winter issues of Your Health, the county’s award-winning newsletter.
In addition, I took on three larger projects: producing a quarterly media clip
book for the organization, updating and revising all biographies for key staff
members, and working with local hardware and garden stores on a West Nile virus
public education campaign.
The LADHS serves 10 million Los Angeles County residents on a $2.9 billion budget,
$600 million of which is allocated to its Public Health division.
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