Making informed decisions is your priority, and El Paso County Public Health is providing you with a new tool: online access to inspection reports for retail food establishments.State law requires Public Health to conduct unannounced inspections of the 2,300 retail food establishments in El Paso County, including restaurants, school cafeterias, grocery stores, burrito vendors and more. Our inspectors focus on providing food safety education while conducting very thorough inspections that benefit the establishment owner or operator and the publicís health.Until recently, if you wanted to check on your childís school cafeteria or your favorite restaurant, you visited our office to review paper files. But now you can go to our Web site and review inspection reports completed since January 2009.Contrary to what some people may think, you canít judge a businessí food safety practices by the cleanliness of the restrooms or eating areas. Public health inspectors are trained professionals with college degrees and backgrounds in the natural sciences, and they focus on educating food handlers to assure the best food safety practices.Here are just a few examples of the factors that our inspectors review when conducting an inspection:* Is the food from an approved source and free of spoilage?* Are employees working while sick? Do they wash their hands often and correctly?* Is food cooked hot enough and stored cold enough to kill germs or prevent their growth?* Are water and sewer systems operating appropriately to provide for sanitation?* Are pests present at the facility, and are toxic or poisonous materials stored properly for safety?Violations that have a greater chance of causing foodborne illness ñ critical violations ñ often are corrected before the inspector leaves the establishment. You will find a great deal of information on our Web site to help you understand more about these inspection reports, including fact sheets that explain the differences between critical and non-critical violations.We will be adding to these reports going forward, so keep checking back on our Web site at www.elpasocountyhealth.org for more information.____________________________________________________________________The Health Department has a new name: El Paso County Public Health. ìWe have been known to our community as ëthe Health Departmentí for many years, and that isnít going to change,î said Kandi Buckland, executive director. ìBut we have chosen to simplify our formal name, and to bring focus to our mission, which is ëpublic health,í or the protection of the health and wellness of our entire community.î El Paso County Public Health will transition to its new name gradually over the next few months, in advance of the agencyís planned move to the county building on Garden of the Gods Road. The agencyís Web site and printed materials will be updated gradually, as possible, to make efficient use of resources. The mission of El Paso County Public Health is to promote and protect public health and environmental quality in the community through people, prevention and partnerships. El Paso County Public Health is governed by the El Paso County Board of Health, which establishes policy, approves budgets and appoints the executive director. The nine-member Board of Health is appointed by the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners.
