New Web Portal Features Food, Pool, Lodging Inspection Reports

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HealthSpace licensing and inspection software provides public access to inspection information statewide

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.—The Oregon Health Authority has launched a new web portal that will allow people to easily find inspection reports for food, pool and lodging facilities, such as restaurants, swimming pools and hotels.

The portal is provided as part of a software update to the statewide licensing and inspection system. This updated system will also collect inspection data in a way that will help the OHA and county health departments better identify violation trends.

“It’s a step toward transparency in our service,” said Courtney Vanbragt, director of Klamath County Public Health. “We all want to know that the restaurants where we eat, the pools in which we swim, and the accommodations offered to tourists are clean and safe.”

Links for Klamath County inspections are found at http://www.klamathcounty.org/379/Environmental-Health.

“We went live with links earlier this month,” said Ramona Quinn, Environmental Health program administrator at Klamath County Public Health. “This is an important opportunity to inform the community about the vital work done in the arena of environmental health.”

“For the first time people can get inspection results for every licensed facility in the state,” said David Martin, Foodborne Illness Prevention Program coordinator at the OHA Public Health Division. “It will also give us improved data we will use to address risk factors that can lead to illness or injury.”

Oregon has about 25,000 licensed food, pool and lodging facilities. They include restaurants, mobile units, commissaries, warehouses, vending operations, swimming pools, spas, traveler’s accommodations, recreational parks and organizational camps. All facilities are licensed and inspected locally by county health departments. There are 434 facilities licensed in Klamath County.

Inspections are unannounced and focus on items most likely to cause illness or injury to patrons of these facilities, but also include items such as general cleanliness and maintenance. In a food service facility, the focus is on approved food sources, cooking temperatures, holding temperatures of food, personal hygiene of food handlers and contaminated/dirty equipment. For a public pool or spa, the emphasis is on proper disinfection, clarity, entrapment concerns, proper filtration and the pool enclosure. Tourist facilities are evaluated for safety and general sanitation concerns.

OHA’s online inspection portal can be accessed at: https://healthspace.com/Clients/Oregon/State/StateWebPortal.nsf/home.xsp.

HealthSpace replaces an Access-based system known as Phoenix that had been in use by 34 Oregon counties since 1994.

The data available for a county on HealthSpace depends on when that county began using the site. That means there may be some facilities without inspection information until they have had an inspection loaded in the new system. In addition, there is a 14-day lag from the inspection date until it is shown on the site.

The site will show semi-annual, biennial and annual routine inspections as well as reinspections.

This will be the first time that Oregon will have this information available for the public for 34 of the 36 counties. Two other counties, Washington and Multnomah counties, use their own licensing and inspection reporting sites, although Multnomah County will be using HealthSpace starting in March 2018.

“The rollout exceeded expectations,” Martin said. “HealthSpace was released on time and for less than was budgeted. It will be a great tool to use to work with our industry and regulatory partners to improve compliance and better protect the public from food, pool and lodging-related illnesses and injury.”

Press release from Klamath County Public Health