Approved Minutes of October 25, 2023

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MINUTES-Draft ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH October 25, 2023 Dental Health Services Dr. George, Dental Director, reviewed the results of the 70 surveys received by Dental Health Services. Overall, 98% of English-speaking patients expressed satisfaction with the department and 100% of Spanish-speaking patients expressed satisfaction with the department. • In response to Dr. Jonnal's question clarifying the survey sample size, Dr. George affirmed that they received responses from a total of 70 patients, which is about how many patients they see in a week. She mentioned that the admin department had been short-staffed, which likely contributed to a decrease in responses compared to the previous year (-130 for 2022). • Dr. George attributed the highly positive responses from Spanish-speaking patients to the interpreter working with the department, Victoria Alonso. • Dr. George mentioned that the results indicated that the ease to schedule an urgent appointment had improved, rising from 50% agree in 2022 to 70% agree in 2023. In response to Dr. Jonnal's question about the wait time for urgent appointments, Dr. George explained that the department has enacted a new policy that if an appointment hasn't been confirmed within 24 hours, it will be removed, so on most days they now have at least one open appointment. She further explained that in general the wait is 5-6 weeks for a filling or extraction and 2-3 months for a cleaning. • Regarding negative comments, Dr. George said most were about the lack of hygienists and long wait times, both of which the department has been actively working to improve. • Mr. Bagby asked if the survey was available electronically, to which Dr. George replied yes, surveys are sent by text and email after the appointment and there is also a month of collecting paper surveys. Environmental Health Services Ms. Hudson, Environmental Health Director, reviewed the results of the 161 surveys received by Environmental Health Services. Approximately 90% of respondents were overall satisfied with the services they received. • Ms. Hudson explained that anyone who received an email from EHS during the fiscal year was eligible to fill out the survey, and that they also collected an anonymous convenience sample from individuals whom they regulate (e.g., restaurants, private pools, private well and septic systems). • This was the first `post-COVID' customer satisfaction survey and covered a period when EHS was facing significant staffing shortages. While new employees have since been hired, Ms. Hudson explained that onboarding can be a long process, as it involves both on-the-job training and professional credentialling. • In response to Dr. Royce's question about the total number of clients served by EHS in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Ms. Hudson said that it was impossible to estimate with certainty but there were at least 2,100 inspections, 1,200 individual permits, and 600 water samples. • Ms. Hudson said that 1:1 education is a top priority within the department, and that staff treat every encounter as an opportunity for education. This was reflected in the survey results- nearly 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the staff was knowledgeable, and 90% agreed or strongly agreed that they were kept informed and had a chance to ask questions during the inspection. • Ms. Hudson speculated that some of the more negative responses received may have been from people who were upset that their permits were denied, as Environmental S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda&Abstracts\2023 Agenda&Abstracts/ October Page 3