Poulson in Charge at Health Agency

After years of leadership shifts and vacancies, Orange County’s Health Care Agency has a new permanent administrator.

Julie A. Poulson, a registered nurse who rose through the ranks to various administrative jobs, was chosen Tuesday to lead the agency, which with a $361-million annual budget and more than 2,400 employees is one of the county’s largest.

County Executive Officer Michael Schumacher’s choice of Poulson for a post he once held is his biggest decision since taking the reins from former CEO Jan Mittermeier nine months ago.

“I feel confident that Julie will provide the leadership needed,” Schumacher said of the appointment, which was announced at the Board of Supervisors meeting. No wide search was done to fill the agency’s top position, he said, and none was necessary because he has personally worked with Poulson, who rose through the agency’s ranks to become a division manager, assistant director, then interim director. As the permanent director, Poulson, 53, will earn $145,808 a year.

She takes over an agency that has seen a number of executive changes.

In January 1999, Donald R. Oxley, an administrator with a Cleveland health plan, was hired to lead the agency, which had not had a permanent director for two years and had seen the departure of several key staff members. When Oxley himself resigned seven months later, Supervisor Todd Spitzer recommended a review of the county’s hiring process.

Poulson was chosen as interim director until Schumacher moved from the county’s Probation Department to take the job. Since he became CEO last June to succeed Mittermeier, Poulson was tapped again as interim director.

During her career, Poulson has been active in health care programs for children, expanding behavioral health services at Orangewood Children’s Home and sitting on several health care boards.

“I’m excited and appreciate the opportunity,” Poulson said. “We have a great team in the Health Care Agency, and I feel privileged to be in a leadership position.”

Poulson recently earned high marks from community and health care leaders when she helped broker a deal to keep half of this year’s $28.4-million tobacco settlement funds to the county for health needs.

Spokesman Jon Gilwee of the Healthcare Assn. of Southern California, a hospital trade group in Orange County, said Poulson’s appointment is a positive step.

“From a hospital perspective, that’s good news,” Gilwee said. “We have known and worked with her for years. I think this will be positively received.”

In other action Tuesday, the supervisors agreed to beef up agenda listings on the county’s World Wide Web site, which critics have said does not offer enough information.

Darlene J. Bloom, clerk of the board, said that beginning in April, two departments--Planning and Development and the clerk-recorder’s office--will post their entire agendas on the Web, rather than the current abbreviated versions that give only two or three lines for each item, some of them major projects costing millions of dollars.

The $200,000 Web upgrade will be expanded to all county departments by the next fiscal year, Bloom said.