Approved Minutes of November 19, 2025

Browse Search

MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH November 19, 2025 • Environmental Health Services received 118 responses, which was a somewhat lower response rate compared to previous years. Ms. Hudson shared that there is a year- round live survey link and that each year the division attempts to collect a random sample of surveys from recent clients. • Overall, most responses were positive, with more than 90% of respondents rating their satisfaction with the services received as good or excellent. Ms. Hudson noted that it is common for responses of poor satisfaction to be received from individuals who did not get the outcome that they wanted (e.g., their permit application was denied). • Around a third of respondents said that they were not kept well informed throughout the process, the majority of whom were water sample or septic clients. Ms. Hudson explained that they conducted a focus group to investigate common trends among people who gave negative responses and that the division has drafted an action plan to address some of the common complaints. In particular, Environmental Health will be implementing a hybrid system to deliver results, meaning a staff member reaches out to clients in addition to the automated emails sent through the portal system. Ms. Hudson added that she also plans to create an alias, such as "your-water-sample-results," for the "no-reply" email address that sends the results to help stymie some of the confusion. • Ms. Hudson commented that there are also plans to improve the accessibility of the survey for clients with limited English proficiency (LEP). • Personal Health Services did not have an active satisfaction survey until mid-September, so they have only received 41 responses. However, they invited all personal health service patients who have visited the Health Department since July 1st to participate. • Overall satisfaction was good, with nearly 100% of respondents satisfied with their visit and more than three quarters of respondents planning to return or willing to recommend the clinic to their friends or family, an increase compared to last year's responses. • Ms. Hudson commented that the survey relies heavily on literacy and is not very friendly to LEP patients. She said that she is workshopping the survey to make it more straightforward and accessible to LEP patients in the future. • Ms. Hudson highlighted some efforts to address constructive feedback within the clinic's control, for example, replacing an old toddler table that was worn and dingy. Several issues patients expressed are outside the clinic's control, such as the county phone lines going down and making it hard to reach someone to call the front desk and schedule an appointment. In response to Dr. Royce's question, Ms. Hudson explained that they have limited control over the phones, as they are configured by county information technology (IT) services and that often patients hang up phone calls before the phone message ends, as it is a two-minute-long message. She shared that she plans to work with IT to reconfigure the message system to make it more user friendly. Erica Pettigrew, Medical Director, shared that they try to encourage established patients to stop at the front desk and schedule a follow-up appointment before they leave, but not everyone does. VIII. Actions Items A. ChairNice-Chair Slate Motion to elect Mr. Whitaker as chair and Dr. Crandell as vice-chair for 2026 was made by Commissioner Amy Fowler, seconded by Dr. Shielda Rodgers, and carried without dissent. B. Recommendation of Candidate to Fill Vacant At-Large Seat S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2025 Agenda and Abstracts\ November Page 4