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Bring together inspectors and communities

The Next Chapter: Growing Community Engagement in Environmental Health

by Robyn Coates
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I’ve been thinking a lot about what the “next chapter” is within environmental health. More specifically, how do we begin to repair the damage that has been done to agencies, citizens, and business operators over the last three years? I’m hopeful the answer is a chapter focused on growing community engagement in environmental health. Let me explain.

The pandemic has been life altering for environmental health agencies on many levels. Budget cuts, politicized leaders and citizens, provincial and federal government programs frequently changing in scope, etc. -- you name it, we’ve had it. Given this pandemic-induced volatility, it’s understandable why some established EH professionals departed the industry. For those that made the decision to stay and fight for the cause, or are beginning a new career in environmental health, I applaud you. Our communities need your attention and resolve during these difficult times.

acceleration of online communication

Let’s start with a focus on one positive aspect of the last few years. The way we communicate now is vastly different from the pre-pandemic days. We’ve learned how to collaborate with less facetime, using online tools and mobile devices, for example. Most people now know what a Microsoft Teams meeting or a Zoom call is. That’s pretty amazing when you think about potential productivity gains in travel time savings alone. As someone who used to travel a lot for work, it can be a game changer. We’ll get to that more in a minute.

Next, let’s discuss the small business elephant in the room. Significant damage has been done to business operators, especially small businesses, that have struggled during imposed shutdowns and dealing with rapidly changing customer behavior (i.e. avoiding stores). I’m not sure what the exact number is, but I’d imagine a significant number of small businesses, which are the lifeblood of the Canadian and US economies, are at risk of permanently closing their doors as government subsidies/programs come to an end. This Canadian business owner sentiment research does not paint a very positive picture for owners and operators. Which of course, provides a major downside of failing small businesses, less tax revenue, and thus, not as many dollars for critical programs/staff within environmental health. The virtuous circle has been broken. But it can be repaired.

Statistics Canada Small Business COVID Impact

(Image Credit: Statistics Canada)

 

How to bring Together Inspectors, Operators, and Citizens

At Hedgerow Software, my company, we recently spoke with a number of US agencies at the National Environmental Health Association annual conference in Washington. We noticed a feeling of optimism, which had been missing for quite some time. It was invigorating. We’ve also had productive conversations with Canadian agencies about where the EH industry is headed and how we can continue to support our clients through technological innovation.

To bring this back to community engagement, we’re excited to release a two way communication technology for inspectors, business operators, and citizens. You can read the product overview collateral here but what has agencies (and our team) so excited, is the ability for everyone in the community (e.g. inspectors, operators, and citizens) to leverage the toolkit. An improved fluency in online tools has already opened new doors to potential collaboration gains. Agencies can lean into this trend with how they engage with their communities. For example, what if I told you business operators can now provide missing application or permit details via the Hedgehog Portal. Send messages, attach documents like pictures or receipts, and perform other tasks that don’t need to be done in person.

For operators that are busy trying to hire back employees and regain lost customers, being able to manage some EH related activities such as infraction management, foodborne illness reporting, permitting, etc. online is crucial for saving time. Having a personalized dashboard gives operators a great ‘starting point’ to focus their efforts.

For inspectors, two way communication tools help build additional capacity. Less travel time and fewer service calls for support staff provides more bandwidth to mend relationships in the community and forge a new path forward, together. The technology also enables managers to show the Governing Board another benefit/service being provided to the public by the agency.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you think community engagement is as critical as I do? Please leave a comment below or connect with me on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

Robyn Coates

Robyn Coates

Robyn Coates is Hedgerow Software Director of Canadian Operations and works closely with agency clients on project management, client support and business transformation. Robyn is passionate about building metrics-driven culture and driving continuous improvement within organizations.

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