To Improve the Statewide Inspection of Software to Collect Statewide Data to Move to

<p>Project Summary/Abstract: Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Public Health Services Advancing Conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (OHA-PH-12-10) The funding received from this grant will be used to improve our data collection software so we can better prevent foodborne outbreaks and come closer to meeting the criteria set forth in FDA Voluntary Program Standards #1 and #5. OHA currently maintains a software system for tracking restaurant inspections by local health departments across the state. This grant would enhance that software by providing funding to build a complaint tracking component in our software as well as an improved inspection report for restaurant operators. These software updates will improve the data that health departments have available when working with restaurants; will streamline the work of local health departments; and will allow quicker identification and response to suspected food borne illnesses. This grant will also bring Oregon closer to meeting the national Voluntary Program Standards that are a measure of excellence for foodborne illness prevention programs. There are two parts of the statewide licensing and inspection software that will be improved with these grant funds. The first is to add a 'checklist' form that will be automatically filled out by the inspector electronically at the time of inspection to tie violations to risk factor items. The second is to build a comprehensive complaint module that will better track foodborne illness complaints and be able to tie them to information needed by our epidemiologists and county partners during outbreak investigations. At this time, Oregon's inspection software is tracking only out of compliance observations. By enhancing the software to include a 'checklist' form that mimics the FDA Food Establishment Inspection Report, we will be able to expand our inspection data to include in compliance, not observed and not applicable observations as well. This 'checklist' will print out as the first page of each inspection report to provide restaurant operators with more information about their facility in addition to allowing the counties throughout Oregon to tie food service violations to the five CDC Risk Factors. Oregon would like to incorporate this checklist in conjunction with the adoption of the 2009 FDA Food Code, which adds provisions such as Consumer Advisory in an effort to come closer to meeting Standard #1 for the State of Oregon as well as its 36jurisdictions within the state. Since the statewide licensing software support is funded directly by license fees, this project will be able to be maintained indefinitely once the initial improvements are built and implemented.</p>