Job Description

What Success Looks Like In This Job

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Adams County Health Department is a newly-formed, local public health agency in the State of Colorado and part of the Adams County Government. The department was formally formed on January 1, 2023. As of September 1, 2025, the department is composed of 6 Divisions including Performance and Business Excellence, Strategic Health Initiatives, Epidemiology and Data Science, Public Health Nursing, Environmental Health, and Nutrition and Family Health, and employs approximately 220 staff and has an annual operating budget of approximately $30M.



The Adams County Health Department's (ACHD) Medical Officer is a public health executive responsible for advising, planning, and administering medical decisions and public health projects and services intended to protect and improve the health of individuals who live, work, and play in Adams County. The Medical Officer advises the Executive Director, clinical nursing, environmental health, emergency response, and nutrition and family health programs. This position provides general oversight and planning, and develops and executes policies, procedures, and performance criteria. This position develops, recommends, and promotes public health policy at a program, local, state, and national level and represents the department in efforts to improve service delivery and performance. The Medical Officer must possess an active medical license in the State of Colorado.



The following statements are illustrative of the duties and responsibilities of the job. The organization retains the right to modify or change the duties and responsibilities of the job at any time.

Examples of Duties for Success

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Public Health Medical Consultation (65%)

Advises and briefs ACHD leadership, Board of Health, and public health staff regarding public health issues requiring clinical expertise. Serves as the medical consultant for clinical services and develops, reviews and approves clinical protocols and standing orders. Serves as the prescribing physician and provides authorization for vaccine and other public health medications, as needed. Provides physician/medical consultation on public health surveillance, environmental health, nutrition, community health assessment and planning, project evaluation, community epidemiologic study, disease investigations, emergency preparedness, and preventive health services. Works closely with the ACHD Communicable Disease Epidemiology Team on disease investigation, outbreak response, and occurrence of diseases and reportable conditions of public health importance. Provides expertise to ensure appropriate interventions are taken to address public health threats, not limited to communicable diseases. Works with ACHD Communications Team to develop, deliver, and disseminate relevant public health and medical information. Responses to media inquiries as needed and provides media interviews at the request of the Executive Director. Support ACHD's visibility and credibility in the media and public arenas. In consultation with the County Attorney's Office, analyzes and reviews federal, state, and local laws, regulations, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance. Advises and consults with policymakers, other officials, organizations, and agencies concerning public health matters. Collaborates and works with Local, State, and national organizations, community agencies, and community leaders. Engage with community health care providers of all types to support ACHD initiatives. Advocates for local public health department autonomy, local community health priorities, and policies that improve population health outcomes. Train and mentor staff in infectious disease prevention and clinical best practices. In collaboration with ACHD policy subject matter experts, prepare and deliver testimony at legislative sessions or other committee hearings, providing medical and public health expertise. Provide timely, evidence-based and/or evidence-informed guidance to the public and to stakeholders on emerging issues.

Clinical Services Consultation and Service Delivery (25%)

Assesses and plans for future needs for direct clinical and medical services, develops and organizes services offered in partnership with ACHD's Public Health Nursing Division and Nutrition and Family Health Division staff and ACHD leadership, provides input on organizational structure, utilizes community input to meet needs, utilizes strategies in continuous quality improvement to assess and improve all clinical and public health practices within the department, assuring equitable access to care. Provides medical direction and oversight for community health programs, while simultaneously supporting autonomy of mid-level providers employed by ACHD and provides active support of nursing scope of care in public health settings. Offers clinical oversight on complex population health issues, infectious disease management, and diagnostic methods. Depending on specialty area, may carry medical case load within ACHD clinics such as sexual health, infectious disease, or chronic disease. Support innovative approaches to care delivery and health systems integration. Ensure alignment of all clinical practices with ethical standards and cultural understanding. Provide on-call consultation for emergencies for clinical and epidemiology staff. Provides oversight and guidance of clinical documentation for billing and compliance purposes using chart audits and other methodologies. Supports sustainable financial models for clinical service delivery and expansion. Brings forward sustainable, visionary concepts on new methods of clinical service and community health improvement activities. Skilled at building and maintaining strong relationships with healthcare providers, health systems, professional associations, community-based organizations, and fellow public health agency Medical Officers across the Denver Metro area and the State of Colorado to advance coordinated care, strengthen the safety new, and promote best practices.

Public Health Science, Planning, Evaluation, and Research (10%)

Leads or participates in public health research and/or program evaluation (i.e., process or outcome). Contributes to public health and medical literature. Guides departmental workplans, identify opportunities to align initiatives with community needs and state and regional priorities, represent the department in workgroups and health alliances. Leads and participates in local, state, or national groups and organizations to represent the department and provides expertise on internal and external groups and special projects. Supports ACHD as a training site for public health workforce development and applied research.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Duties:

Responds, as required, to support public health emergencies, incidents and events. Participates in all exercises and drills on emergency preparedness and response, as required. Completes trainings identified as appropriate for this level employee.

Innovative Practices

Embraces creativity as core function of leadership and encourages breakthrough ideas from those around them. Embraces process improvement, change management, project management, and evaluation as critical leadership tools, and recognizes the benefit that these practices bring and champions application of these tools within the Divisions and programs supervised and across the department as a whole. Attends and participates in Gemba walks and other quality improvement activities for community-based services at all locations. Deputy Executive Director, Community Based Services Adams County Health Department Creates a safe environment for staff to bring forward and test breakthrough ideas, innovative practices, creates an openness for learning from mistakes, and commits to supporting staff as they support the community

Additional Duties

Participates in continuous process improvement and program evaluation as required. Participates in performance management activities for the department as a whole. Utilizes performance management in informed decision-making. Participates in various committees and boards related to public health programs, activities, and responsibilities. Performs other duties as assigned.

HIPAA Statement

Maintain sensitive and confidential client and case patient information according to HIPAA policy confidentiality requirements.

Hours, Location, Travel

Hours- Typical work hours are 8am-5pm, but work schedule is flexible and based upon the needs of the organization. This position qualifies for flexible work schedules. Location - This is a hybrid positions that is currently based out of the Adams County Government Center in Brighton, Colorado. ACHD has 5 client-facing locations, and this position may require work at all ACHD sites. Travel - The individual hired for this position should anticipate work in multiple locations within the Denver metropolitan area. Travel overnight may also be required multiple times per year.

Equipment Used

Standard office equipment including, but not limited to, personal computer and associated hardware and software, telephone, copier, calculator, and audio-visual equipment.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

Work is primarily conducted indoors with occasional time spent in an outside environment. Incumbent experiences routine exposures and hazards of a typical office environment. Incumbent is occasionally required to work after normal work hours to attend governmental meetings. o Requires sufficient hearing and speech ability to communicate verbally in response to inquiries, complaints, and to speak to groups of people or the media in an informational or training situation o Requires the ability to sit and perform administrative and computer work for significant periods of time.

Qualifications for Success

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Knowledge of the scientific principles, method, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, and the reporting of results. Knowledge of public health principles, practices, methods and trends. Knowledge of the social justice underpinnings of public health, the social determinants of health, and the ability to articulate the public health imperative of eliminating health disparities. Knowledge of public health laws, codes, precedents, regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the political process. Demonstrated personnel management skills, including the ability to motivate, encourage, support, and coach staff to optimum performance. Ability to make quick, clear decisions which may include tough choices, after considering risks. Sets high standards for quality, quantity, and timelines. Ability to gain agreement and commitment from others by persuading, convincing and negotiating. Strong communication skills with the ability to translate medical and public health science for diverse audiences. Commitment to community-centered care. Ability to be strategic and systems-based thinker.

More Qualifications for Success

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EDUCATION

Graduation from an approved medical school.

EXPERIENCE

Ten (10) years of experience in progressive clinical or public health leadership experience, including work in governmental public health, community medicine, or population health.

LICENSURE & CERTIFICATION

Possession of a license to practice medicine in the State of Colorado at the time of application. Licensure in another state may be accepted in lieu of this requirement, provided that the applicant has Colorado licensure at the completion of probation or within six (6) months.

BACKGROUND CHECK

Must pass a criminal and credit background check.
Adams County complies with Colorado's Job Application Fairness Act ("JAFA"). JAFA prohibits employers from asking individuals to disclose their age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation on an initial employment application. However, additional application materials such as certifications and transcripts containing this information may be required for certain positions; if such additional materials are requested, applicants may redact information that identifies the applicant's age, date of birth, or dates or attendance or graduation.