eBridge Helps Put Restaurant Inspections Online in Ohio
Using eBridge Inc., Cleveland residents can now look at city restaurant inspections
online.
August 7, 2009 -- Clevelanders who are curious about the cleanliness
of the kitchen at their favorite restaurant or ballpark concession stand will be
able to go online later this year and check the food inspection reports for all
3,000 Cleveland establishments that serve prepared food thanks to a new relationship
between the Cleveland Department of Public Health and eBridge Inc., a web-based
document management company headquartered in Tampa.
Hard copies of Cleveland’s restaurant reports have always been available to
the public, but processing requests was time-consuming. Earlier this year, the city’s
25 health inspectors shifted from storing reports in file cabinets to scanning them
into their computers. Once the reports have been scanned into eBridge's document
management system, the public will be able to immediately access them on the Public
Health Department’s web site.
“Online access will encourage consumers to check out the health official’s
evaluation of their favorite restaurant, grocery stores, nursing home or assisted
living center,” said Matt Carroll, the director of the Cleveland Department
of Public Health.
The online access and electronic inspections were a vision of Willie Bess, the commissioner
for Division of Environment in the Cleveland Department of Public. “All the
components are finally coming together to make this vision a reality,” Bess
said.
The reports include details of any recent food violations, which range from inadequate
temperature control to improper labeling to cross-contamination of foods. Customers
also will be able to read health inspectors’ comments about sanitation in
the kitchens or stock rooms and follow-up data on whether a business addressed previously
incurred violations. Inspectors will also make note of facilities that meet all
food safety standards.
eBridge's document management system is also being used in other health departments
across the country. In Port St. Lucie, Florida, for example, the Environmental Health
Division of St. Lucie County Health Department uses eBridge to post their swimming
pool inspections and septic system permits. This allows contractors to log into
to the County’s web site and print out these documents themselves instead
of going to the County office to get copies.
“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the number of city and county government
agencies requesting information about our web-based document management system,”
explained Leslie Haywood, eBridge's founder and CEO. “Allowing the public
to print swimming pool permits or view restaurant inspections online will save government
offices and ultimately taxpayers money. As government budgets continue to be cut,
document management systems will continue to be a cost-effective way of storing,
managing and now distributing public records.”
About eBridge Inc.
Headquartered in Tampa, FL, eBridge Inc. is a leading web-based document management
innovator providing imaging, storage and retrieval services for businesses nationwide.
By combining powerful technology with industry experience and expertise, eBridge
offers superior security, service and support for organizations of all sizes –
all at an affordable monthly price. Clients maximize efficiency while ensuring compliance
with state and federal records retention mandates, consumer privacy regulations
and various corporate disaster recovery and business continuity operational policies.
For more on eBridge, visit www.eBridge.com.
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