After three years as Stanislaus County's public health officer, Dr. Alvaro Garza is resigning.

Garza has accepted a position with the California Department of Health Services. His last day with the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency will be Nov. 17.

Garza was in Santa Barbara on Wednesday at a conference and could not be reached. He gave notice to Stanislaus County Chief Executive Officer Reagan Wilson and Health Services Agency Managing Director Bev Finley last week.

An interim public health officer has not been named. Finley said a national search is under way to find a permanent replacement.

Before Garza's arrival in 1996, Stanislaus County hadn't had a full-time public health officer since Dr. Jean Woo resigned in 1992.

"It can be difficult to find public health officers for small counties," Finley said. "It would be aggressive to think we would have someone by early spring, but maybe we'll be lucky."

Finley said Garza "has made significant contributions to the health of this community."

"He has set plans in motion that will serve our county well."

Garza was a leader in the effort to put together the county's health report card, published each April.

In assembling the report, health officials analyze data that include infant mortality, low birth weight, heart disease, live births to teens, childhood immunization rates, suicides and communicable diseases to measure the overall health of county residents.

After the report indicated that heart disease was a big problem in the county, especially among Hispanics, county officials established a task force to reduce heart disease by educating the public about diet and exercise.

For the past two years, Garza was involved with the Hispanic Leadership Council's annual Community Health Fair, which provided free screenings to people without medical insurance.

"He is going to be sorely missed," said Sallie Ayala-Perez, council president. "He did so much good for the county, and especially for the Hispanic community. He understands the needs."