From Syria to Santa Barbara: Coffee with our Director of County Health

At the recent Budget Workshops, County Health presented their 2025-2026 budget that included $119M in spending and 539 full-time employees. Given the scale, I thought I would sit with Director, Dr. Mouhanad Hammami to learn a bit more about what they do. 

Dr. Hammami’s urbane charm and dapper style – he really is the best dressed man in Santa Barbara – were very much on display. He was born in Aleppo, Syria, ran Michigan’s Wayne County $700M Health Department and in 2022 was selected to be Director of what was then “Public Health.” This is someone you would love to have at your next dinner party (I was dying to talk Syria following al-Assad… But I digress). 

This is complicated stuff and I wish someone with a broader public platform (e.g., Jerry Roberts or an interview with Gwyn Lurie) could talk more expansively about the myriad services – not just for the “underserved” – that County Health provides. Certainly, their six Health Care Centers that stretch from Carpinteria to Santa Maria are a big part of what they do – and account for $62M of their budget, an expenditure that is ENTIRELY covered by fee-for-service revenue. But their broad mandate also includes Disease Prevention, Childcare, Emergency Medical Services and Animal Services where we spend $7M annually for our three shelters and innovative programs. As it relates to the Health Centers, however, there is a need for expansion and perhaps even 24/7 Urgent Care, things that fit into the Doctor’s vision but require funding (more on this later). Fun Fact: At the Budget Workshop, eight of the 10 public speakers discussed animals not people – my Hugo would have been gratified. 

Anyway, these Centers provide a much-needed place of treatment for those low-income residents with Medi-Cal because unlike private clinics, our Centers receive a much greater federal reimbursement, i.e., they welcome these patients. An accomplishment that Dr. Hammami is proud of is a change in our treatment culture, one that takes a more holistic care approach that CalAIM financially encourages. This state program incentivizes our Centers to develop a thorough understanding not just of the patient, but of their family and circumstances, as well. This approach enhances both care and revenue.

Since 2002, the Santa Barbara Animal Care Foundation has been doing great not-for-profit work supporting Animal Health and our four-legged friends. That said, we should NEVER forget that our County has a whopping 17% poverty rate, the second highest in our 58-county State. These ~ 70,000 residents need help too, which is why the Doctor would like to establish a similar 501(c)3 that focuses on bipeds: Calling all philanthropists!

In the end, I admired the Doctor’s deep sector knowledge (the acronyms were flowing like water) and his nod to finance, where he pointed out that just 9% of his funding was provided by the General Fund (on average, operational departments draw 36% of their “revenue” from the Fund). Indeed, one of his goals is to accept private insurance at the Centers which would further offset costs and drive revenue. It should be noted that because our Centers are “Federally Qualified” they must accept all patients, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status. 

This year is County Health’s 100-year anniversary, hence their new name and refreshed brand – congratulations! Now, this is not my area of expertise, but just an hour with Dr. Hammami left me knowing that this department is in capable hands because experience and context matters, and the Doctor has an abundance of both. Good luck! 

Jeff Giordano,
SB County Resident