Where I Stand: Health district plays dual roles in restaurant oversight

Saturday, Sept. 6, 1997 | 9:19 a.m.

POLICEMAN OR EDUCATOR? Environmental health specialists for the Clark County Health District are the ones who each day balance these aspects of service as they oversee 8,392 permitted food establishments and additional facilities in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, Mesquite and Clark County.

The health of more than a million residents and more than 30 million tourists yearly is affected by food service -- our tourist economy is dependent upon our community's reputation for hospitality, imaginative entertainment, safety and enjoyable eating.

The opening of each new restaurant and/or hotel brings the addition of new names and concepts in food preparation and service. Prestigious national names in restaurant dining and food service are bringing their presence to Las Vegas. Many have found their business exceeds what they hoped for. We welcome them all.

Quality dining is created by imaginative owners and skilled chefs with well-appointed kitchens and excellent staff working in harmony. High-quality food materials are, of course, imperative. Health inspectors cannot create those features, but the health district specialists play an important role in:

* Reviewing kitchen plans and equipment in advance of construction.

* Monitoring installation to assure conformity to rules.

* Periodically inspecting the operating kitchens with focus on cleanliness, temperature controls and suitable practices for food safety.

* Orientation for roughly 3,000 new food-service personnel each month.

Major kitchens are normally well supervised by experienced chefs employed by hotel management, but thousands of smaller food establishments have various levels of such management. Here the challenge of being policeman or educator often faces the health district inspector.

Environmental health specialists inspect food supply and service operations, without prior notice, on either a quarterly or semi-annual basis, depending on the type of operation. (There are more frequent inspections of problem establishments.)

We emphasize a mutual interest in safe and successful food service to the public. But the good intentions and efforts of the operator do not always result in adequate performance. Downgrading to B or C and performing more frequent inspections or holding a supervisor conference will usually remedy the problem. Otherwise, voluntary closure by the operator or suspension of permit by the health district are steps that are added when needed.

It is the owner -- not the health district -- that is to supervise daily operations of the food establishment. However, this often means the field inspector must play a role as educator, motivator and a police authority.

In Clark County, there are 680 proposed establishments in plan review or construction, 98 existing food establishments in remodeling and 8,392 food establishments permitted and operating.

The public should be aware that there is 24-hour access seven days a week for reporting to health district staff any illness that might be food related. The telephone number is 385-1291. Environmental staff members will evaluate and investigate complaints to assure appropriate action is taken for any food-caused illness.

Since all human illness occurs in people who have previously eaten food, the district performs an epidemiologic analysis that looks at the nature of the illness and looks for clusters of similar illnesses related to a particular meal or a food establishment. Assessment of a food establishment and collection of food samples may be needed. Laboratory confirmation from specimen may be important.

With more than 2 million visitors coming here each month, many now reach Las Vegas by one-day air travel from distant parts of the world. Some enteric and many other diseases have an incubation of several days, and there should not be the presumption of a cause and effect relationship. Careful review is needed before attributing the cause of particular illness. But, simultaneously, we must assure prompt and adequate action to control any illness that is food borne. The health district, through its environmental health specialists and other staff members, seeks to accomplish this task on a continuing basis.

The Clark County Health District has been the provider of public health programs for the county and our cities for the past 34 years. In September, National Food Safety Education Month, we believe residents and tourists alike can take confidence in food establishments and the safety of their service in Clark County.