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January 18, 2010
Every day, Environmental Health Officers working for the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) inspect an average of 23 food vendors, 2 drinking water sources and 2 pools/whirlpools across the VIHA region. Their work touches on all aspects of community health, such as food safety and hygiene, water quality, air quality, community sanitation, and emergency management.
Did you know that VIHA’s over 40 Environmental Health Officers:
- Regularly conduct follow-up interviews with cases of reportable communicable diseases that are transmitted through food, water, as well as through insects and animals in their efforts to reduce the incidence of these illnesses?
- Approve and inspect public recreational swimming pools and hot tubs to ensure the safety of bathers on Vancouver Island?
- Review, approve, and inspect foods sold publicly at special events, farmers markets, and the rapidly expanding local food manufacturing industry?
- Inspect personal service establishments ranging from hair salons and barbershops to tattoo parlours and body modification establishments?
- Respond after winter floods and windstorms to ensure community water systems and local food supplies remain safe?
- Inspect restaurants to ensure British Columbians continue to safely enjoy a well-deserved meal out?
“Environmental Health Officers play an important role within British Columbia’s preventative health care system,” says Keir Cordner, Environmental Health Officer for VIHA’s Courtenay Communicable Disease Program and BC Branch President of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors. “Our core services are essential to building a healthy population, and range from routine inspections of restaurants to tracking and controlling communicable disease outbreaks, such as Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella, and the ‘Norwalk’ virus.”
The Province of British Columbia has proclaimed January 18 to 24, 2010, “Environmental Public Health Week.” This proclamation celebrates Environmental Public Health Professionals and recognizes their efforts to protect the health of British Columbians.
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Contact:
VIHA Communications
Shannon Marshall – 250-370-8270
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