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Housing & Institutions Program
Environmental Health
This program assures
compliance with the requirements for sanitation, maintenance,
occupancy, use and ventilation at rental housing, hotels and motels,
detention facilities, and organized camps. These facilities are
inspected to ensure safe and healthful shelter for Orange County
residents and visitors. In addition, this program performs
environmental evaluations of the housing environment of each child
who is identified through blood testing as being lead poisoned.
These investigations seek to uncover the sources of the lead so the
hazards can be eliminated.
Other Program activities include inspection of mobile home park
swimming pools and spas, hospital and nursing home kitchens. This
program also responds to mobile home park complaints that are of a
public health nature.
Information regarding indoor air quality in a housing environment
may be obtained from program staff by calling (714) 433-6078 or
email fchung@ochca.com. Useful
information can also be found at
www.cal-iaq.org.
Rental Housing
Staff for this program respond to complaints from renters who have been unable to convince their landlords to take care of problems that may create health hazards. Examples include cockroach or rodent infestations (inside),
or an accumulation of trash and garbage. Complaints may be filed by calling (714)
433-6000.
The tenant should have the landlord’s name, address, and telephone number available when they file the complaint. Structural problems are generally handled by the city or
County building departments (consult the government section of your telephone book).
Hotel / Motel
This program's staff inspect hotels and motels for compliance with State law and local regulations related to sanitation and safety. As older motels become dilapidated, Specialists perform in-depth inspections of these units, in order to raise the quality of housing provided for long term tenants. Complaints may be filed by calling (714)
433-6000. The hotel or motel guest or tenant should have the name, address and room number of the hotel/motel available when they file the complaint.
Lead
When blood testing reveals that a child living in
Orange County has an elevated level of lead in his or her blood, the
Health Care Agency is notified by the physician.
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
Program staff investigates these cases of lead
poisoning. The Environmental Health Division’s Lead Specialist
visits the child’s home to look for environmental sources of lead,
such as peeling or chipping leaded paint, lead dust, contaminated
soil, leaded pottery, and home remedies known to contain lead.
Consultations are given to the parents to prevent further poisoning
of the affected child or siblings. A Public Health Nurse also visits
the home, providing the parents with guidance on the nutritional and
medical management of lead poisoning.
If you would like additional information on lead poisoning, call
(714) 433-6000 or email:
jlane@ochca.com.
Organized Camps
Program staff inspect
organized camps for compliance with State laws and local regulations
related to sanitation, maintenance, occupancy and use. Organized
camps are sites with programs and facilities established to provide
an outdoor group living experience. The stay at an organized camp is
usually five or more days. For more information regarding the camp
inspection program, call (714) 433-6078 or email
fchung@ochca.com.
Detention Facilities
Program staff are responsible for annual inspections of all detention facilities within the County for compliance with State laws and regulations related to health and safety. The results of the inspections are reported to the State Board of Corrections for further investigation as needed. For information regarding the detention facility inspection program, or to file a complaint, call (714) 433-6078 or email fchung@ochca.com.
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