Dr. Karen Relucio was presented with a proclamation from the Napa County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting on December 6, 2022, in recognition of 16 years of public service, seven of which were dedicated to the residents of Napa County.
Appointed by the Board of Supervisors to serve as Deputy Director of Health and Human Services Agency-Public Health and Public Health Officer in 2015, Relucio will be retiring from public service on December 30, 2022.
During Dr. Relucio’s tenure, Napa County experienced two wildfires and a historic worldwide COVID- 19 pandemic in 2020. She played a critical role, steadfastly guiding the County’s emergency response, helping to save lives and mitigate negative impacts to residents and visitors.
“Napa County’s successful response to an unprecedented public health crisis was due in large part to Karen’s leadership,” said Ryan Gregory, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “She rose to the challenge and was instrumental in leading our response to the coronavirus pandemic. We owe her a debt of gratitude for her unwavering devotion to public health and to the residents in our community.”
As Napa County Public Health Officer, Dr. Relucio and county staff coordinate testing, perform case and outbreak investigations and contact tracing, analyze and publish COVID-19 data, provide supportive housing, and plan for medical surge and mass vaccinations. Relucio has kept health equity at the forefront for the Public Health Division and HHSA through collaborative efforts to improve policies, systems, and environments in ways that promote “health for all” in Napa County, resulting in an “Advancing Health Equity” award from the Committee for California’s Health.
Relucio has served on the board of directors of the Health Officers Association of California, the California Conference of Local Health Officers, the Association of Bay Area Health Officials, the California Emergency Medical Services Commission, the Napa Opioid Safety Coalition, Live Healthy Napa County (LHNC), and the Honoring Choices Napa Valley Executive Committee. She is the past president of the California Conference of Local Health Officers and Health Officers Association of California and is an active member of the County Health Executives Association of California and Napa/Solano County Medical Society. In 2019, she was appointed to the state’s Commission on Emergency Medical Services by Gov. Jerry Brown and in 2021, she was honored as “Woman of the Year” by State Senator Bill Dodd.