Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a county may by ordinance establish a department of the county which may combine in the department any or all of the functions specified in this section or related functions. The duties of the department shall be specified in the county ordinance establishing the department. Such duties may include the following:

(a)  The performance of any function which is authorized by Section 1257 to be delegated to local health departments, to the extent delegated by the state department to the department established pursuant to this section. For purposes of this section and Section 1257, a department established pursuant to this section shall be deemed to be a local health department.

(b)  The performance of any function which is authorized by Section 1511 to be delegated by the state department to a county, to the extent delegated by the state department to the department authorized by this section.

(c)  The performance of any function in connection with, or related to, the certification of health facilities or community care facilities for participation in programs conducted pursuant to Title XVIII, Title XIX, or other provisions of the federal Social Security Act.

(d)  The performance of any information and referral activities which are authorized by law to be performed by a county or any of its departments or officers in connection with health facilities or community care facilities.

(e)  The performance of any function authorized by law to be performed by a county or any of its officers or departments in connection with the sanitation, maintenance, occupancy, or other aspects of the physical plant or environmental management of or concerning any health facility or community care facility. For purposes of this section, the department authorized by this section shall be deemed to be a county health department under the control of a county health officer with respect to any provision of law authorizing the performance of any function concerning any health facility or community care facility by a local health department or health officer.

(f)  The determination of the suitability for county use, placements, or referrals of particular health facilities or community care facilities.

This section shall not be construed as authorizing the performance of any activity by any county which the county would not otherwise be authorized to perform. This section shall not operate as an independent grant of authority for the performance of any function by a county, but shall permit the consolidation in an existing or new county department of any or all functions which counties are authorized to perform in connection with the matters specified in this section.

For purposes of this section, “health facility” means a health facility as defined in Section 1250, and “community care facility” means a community care facility as defined in Section 1502.

(Added by renumbering Section 1339.50 by Stats. 1985, Ch. 106, Sec. 79.)