SANTA ANA, Calif.—Clayton Chau was relieved of his County Health Officer role and Deputy Health Officer Regina Chinsio-Kwong was appointed as his replacement, following a vote by the Orange County Board of Supervisors on March 8.
Chinsio-Kwong will assume the County Health Officer title on March 11.
“I know that having experienced the last two years in the deputy health officer position has more than prepared her [Chinsio-Kwong] for taking on the role of public health officer. ... She’s more than qualified,” Supervisor Katrina Foley said during the March 8 meeting.
The change would allow Chau, who is also the director of the Orange County Health Care Agency, to focus on the county’s state’s CalAIM initiatives, the largest health care reform in recent California history, according to the meeting agenda.
Although Chau is relieved from the role of the County Health Officer, he will remain to be the director of the county Health Care Agency.
After the previous County Health Officer Nichole Quick resigned in June 2020, the board of supervisors and County Executive Office appointed Chau to the role of county health officer in August 2020.
County Executive Officer Frank Kim told the Orange County Register that Chau “hasn’t had a week where he’s worked less than 60 hours.”
The county praised Chau in the agenda for maintaining “lower COVID rates” in Orange County in comparison to other neighboring counties.
On the other hand, Chinsio-Kwong has been serving as the Deputy Health Officer since November 2020 following competitive recruitment. She has been overseeing clinical operations and has been a critical contact for the media related to COVID.
After being promoted to county health officer, Chinsio-Kwong will need to provide management oversight to the deputy health officers and chief nursing officer. In addition, the role also requires her to be responsible for the county’s disease surveillance and control activities.
Chinsio-Kwong earned her medical degree in osteopathic medicine from Western University and completed her residency training at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, according to the health care agency.
