With True Workflow Management, Deep GIS capability, A Self-Serve Portal and Task Management Across Departments, Accela’s Civic Application for Environmental Health Sets a New Standard in Government Tech
The world of environmental health is vast. It’s regulations impact land use, recreational facilities, our consumption of retail food, and even how communities care for children and elderly residents. To help county’s and local governments, Accela has developed the Civic Application for Environmental Health, one of the first out-of-the box systems that will enable health departments to that automates critical activities like permitting, inspection management, and responding to health complaints.
“Our Civic Application for Environmental Health is an adaptable and scalable solution that can be implemented quickly, smoothly, and incrementally, catering to specific state and local government needs,” said Darryl Booth, general manager of Accela Environmental Health. “Accela is driving the next wave of innovation in government software, and this new Civic Application will empower health departments to protect public health and respond to community needs with faster turnaround times and 24/7 access to information.”
The application, that can be deployed in the cloud or on-premises, is designed to be a one-stop-shop for all types of environmental health permitting and application tasks, serving as a regulatory tool for septic systems, windows, swimming pools and more.
Advanced Features
Beyond basic features like online permitting requests and reporting, the application pioneers a new level of enterprise services that are unique, first of a kind Accela offerings:
- True workflow management and monitoring ensures completed tasks generate follow up tasks inside a department or out of it while business rules can check for delayed applications
- A self-serve portal empowers residents to send and receive application information at any time
- Automated messaging enables residents and staff to know exactly when they need to respond or follow up on a task
- Deep GIS integration gives local governments a clear and consistent snap shot of their environmental health inspection and permitting activities
- Cross-department workflows keep everyone in sync on what needs to be done and when — without the hassle of multiple systems and log-on requests
- A programers’ interface extends functionality even further, with potential add third-party or custom apps
- And multiple inspection apps for iOS and Android let field crews record inspection data anywhere, no matter the device
The Civic Application for Environmental Health bundles advanced process automation tools from Accela’s larger, custom environmental health tools into a more affordable, out-of-the-box application. And when the application is paired with the cloud, Accela’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model also means less financial, administrative, and technical headaches for health departments by delegating maintenance needs and with predictable costs year after year.
A few of the key features in the Civic Application include:
- Customizable reporting and querying for administrative insights
- Electronic document review for easy markup and cross-agency collaboration
- An online payment system to simplify the fee collection process
- Online operator access for applicants to submit, track progress and schedule inspections
- A fully hosted Software-as-a-Service solution with the security and reliability Microsoft Azure
- A mobile inspection platform for remote inspections and agency data access
- GIS integration for inspection route guidance and location-based planning
Accela Environmental Health in Action
Accela’s Civic Solution for Environmental Health has been used in large cities like San Diego to improve operations across multiple areas. Claudia Verdugo, a supervising inspector for San Diego County’s Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, said Accela’s environmental health tools have helped the county to drastically improve operations.
“Our big picture view is consumer confidence and making sure San Diegans are getting what they pay for, whether it’s at the gas pump, deli scales or even buying produce at your local supermarket,” Verdugo said. “The [Accela] Civic Platform has really helped us share our data across the departments and the programs and it’s easy to get our information out.”
Before San Diego deployed the Accela system Verdugo said the county was doing everything by pencil and paper and had to gather and record their data from 27 different data bases. Now inspectors can transmit inspection data in the field, get electronic signatures and handle tasks and workflow changes in-house without making an IT request.
“With the Civic Platform there is this ease and speed with configuration,” Verdugo said. “The customization has been very simple for us on the backend so we can make workflow changes and put them into production quickly.”
To learn more about Accela’s Civic Application for Environmental Health and how it can benefit your community specifically, reach out to us here. You can get additional details by visiting, www.accela.com/solutions/environmental-health/.
