WEBVTT
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This is the Beyond Data Management Podcast powered by HS GovTech.
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Now here's your host, Cameron Garrison.
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Live on the road again.
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We're in Lakelanier, Georgia, at the uh Gha, Georgia Environmental Health Association conference.
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And uh we'll be bringing you over the next couple of days.
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We'll be talking to a bunch of people here.
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We have some great interviews lined up, including, if you remember, Matt from LA, the food truck guy.
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He's actually coming all the way from California to, I think he's gonna bring one of his carts too, right?
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And uh with that, we'll welcome our first uh first chat conversation here into the mobile studio here down on Lake Lanier in Georgia.
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And uh Austin Haney.
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And Austin, you're a you have a long title.
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So it's uh EHS5, and you are the standards trainer.
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Yep, Mr.
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Standard Trainer, and also data specialist, which you know is interesting because it's in the name of this.
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Um so you're down from um down at the southern, down near Florida, right?
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In that district.
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Yep, South Health District, uh right above Florida.
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Um, we've got 10 counties in our district.
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Uh, just recently moved into that new, then just keep adding, you know, then you just add stuff as as you move along in your career.
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Yeah, you haven't actually, we left off one of the other titles.
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I think you're the outgoing president of Jihá as well, right?
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That's right.
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I I'm currently the president um of Jihá as well.
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So you have like a lot of jobs.
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Yeah, I uh busy is not a not an issue for me, usually, most days.
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That something tells me you're not a nine to five guy with all of those responsibilities.
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Oh, yeah.
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So how did so you're from the Atlanta area originally, right?
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So you're Georgia native.
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Um what we talked to a lot of people on this about like what got you into environmental health in the first place.
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Because you know, it's not the kind of thing that people in the the lunchroom at in high school are you know talking about going and doing.
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Or even know what an environmental health specialist is, which I guess I'll kind of tell that story a little bit.
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Um when we're talking about what I do.
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I I didn't take a traditional path at all.
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Um, I went to school at Valdosa State University, which is how I sort of fell in love with South Georgia.
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You mentioned I was from around Atlanta, um, but I got my master's and master's from Valdosa State.
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So that's how I sort of came down there, fell in love with the region and my wife um all in the same same time.
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Um I then pursued the PhD program.
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Um I didn't I didn't finish it.
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Um I spent two years at Oregon State and then one year at the University of Florida.
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Oregon State.
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Yep.
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So you went all the way to the Northwest.
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Yep.
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Um lived there for two years and um loved it.
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It was great.
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I was doing well.
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The pandemic hit uh in 2020 uh when I was at the University of Florida and went to Marine Labs.
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And um sometimes, you know, things like that makes you take a step back and think, one what do I really want out of life?
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Like what do I want to do?
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What do I enjoy?
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Um it wasn't that I wasn't necessarily enjoying my PhD program, I just didn't know what was on the back side of that that I would really truly and enjoy, right?
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Um and so other than being called doctor.
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That's right.
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Other other than being called doctor, um a lot of the career paths on the other side of that were gonna take me away from family, and I was trying to do something that um I could come home every day and and and and and still make an impact because it's really hard to go from um something like that where you really feel like you're making an impact.
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And so that's why I started looking into teaching in June of 2020, and um I wound up um talking with my now current boss, um, who used to be my college office mate when in a master's program.
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Called him and said, Hey, I know you're you're working for the health department, and do y'all have any openings?
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Because I know that you you've loved your job uh since you've been there, you know.
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And um he said at the moment, no, and then called me back the next day and said, Hey, you need to apply.
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We got a, you know, uh we found an opening that's been vacant for about a year, um, apply, and I wound up wound up getting it.
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Wow.
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And to your point that you made earlier, um, about you know, you don't sit in a high school lunch room talking about being an environmental health business, that was one of my questions, like going in an interview, because it was easy interviewing to be a teacher, right?
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Because you kind of Yeah, you you at least know what to expect, roughly, right?
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That's right, and I had taught college courses throughout my academic career.
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Um and so I kind of knew what to expect from that, but that was coming in an interview.
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One of my first questions was I know health inspections, you know, I health inspector, right?
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But what do we do?
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What what does the day in the life of an EHS look like?
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And um that they have a good answer for that question.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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And and uh they've always supported that and are enthusiastic about environmental health and what we do.
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And not only that, um being advocates to other people of hey, we're yes, we're health inspectors, but we are so much more than that, and involved in so many other things, um, from rabies to mosquito identification and testing to trap them and take them to the lab, and like it's there's a lot of a lot of science involved in a lot of these programs.
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And we did that, we were a part of that program for years and and learned how to even identify them.
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So we were doing identification in our wow health departments, and uh we had two identifiers, me and uh myself and Jeremy.
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So what how do you identify mosquitoes?
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What's involved in that?
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Under a microscope, uh, usually with a book, so uh in the beginning, they have like a key, right?
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So if if they have X, go to you know, section six.
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So you have kind of a key that you can go through and you're looking at at bands on on the wings or different types of uh cilia, things like that, and it puts them in different categories.
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You know, do they have a curved firmoscus?
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Do they have a straight one?
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Um, is it you know, are the antennae longer or shorter than the furoscus?
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Like and it gives you kind of a a key to start off with, and then after that you you get the most common to where you get in the form.
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You you know at first sight what you're looking at.
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Yeah, um, and then you'll get a weird one and you have to walk through.
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How many different kinds of mosquitoes are there in like South Georgia?
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Um tons.
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I'm at yeah.
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I wouldn't say hundreds, I'd say the majority of the ones that we caught in the traps that we looked at.
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Um you had to know about twelve to fifteen species that you would catch regularly, like in a in a grabbing trap.
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But if you started doing like light traps, you start catching a lot at different things.
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All kinds of all the exotic ones.
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You really have to brush up on on your mosquito IDs at that point.
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Um But uh a lot.
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I I'm not the person to talk to about that.
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I just I numbed them out and looked at them and you know.
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Yeah, that's uh it you never know what you're gonna do in a day, do you?
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No.
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In in environmental health.
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No at all.
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And you got septic is a a huge program down, especially in in your district, right?
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You got a lot of rural, got a lot of septic systems.
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Um did you have any idea when you went to the interview that that septic all these broad different things?
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Because people think of food inspections or pool inspections are pretty top of mind for most people if you ask them what the health inspector inspect.
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But a lot of folks just have no idea about all of the other programs.
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Yeah, just like I say, I mean, we're chief rabies officer in our counties, so like even investigating rabies cases.
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Um, but soil, I mean, it's really hard.
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I I sat down one day uh probably about two years ago, so about four years into my career, and kind of looked at what all it actually took to do what I did as a as a generalist, right?
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And it's having a surf safe manager's certification, so you have to go through and and you're a surf safe managed certified manager, right?
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Just like the manager of the Bojangles or the McDonald's, yeah.
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That's right.
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You've got that.
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You're a CPO, right?
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So you're a certified pool operator.
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Um you're a level two soil classifier, so you've gone through and learned about so you're you're part soil scientist, part food scientist, um, you're a certified pool operator.
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You um like I say, um the people that work on Rabies are chief rabies officers, so you understand the Rabies manual.
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All these certifications that get you, and then you start adding on to it, you know.
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Yeah.
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Getting standardized by the state of Georgia to become a district standard trainer, so you can standardize other people in your district.
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Um all kinds of certificates and and trainings and a lot of hours of training come down from the state and local.
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And you have to have ongoing educational credit hours too to keep those things certified and up, right?
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And jihad helps with that too.
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With with Yeah, so let's let's talk about Jihad.
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So um you've had great attendance this year at the conference.
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Um and far cry from last year, I think budget cut.
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You had a budget or grant cut last year.
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Remember, we were in that mall and uh the country.
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That's right.
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So it was just wherever people could get to quickly and easily.
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We're trying to get to um a central location that everybody can drive to and have a date.
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And so they can make and wound up being it.
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How long's the term for president in jihad?
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One year.
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Um for now now.
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We we've had to do some reshuffling.
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Um currently, so I'll serve again next year.
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Um and everybody below will will shift up.
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Um we had a vacancy come up.
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Oh, okay.
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And so everybody's shifting up under instead of vice president is one of the harder jobs in in our in our administration, so we didn't want to try to fill that off the um elections.
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Yeah.
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Instead letting them kind of work through the cycle.
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What what makes vice president one of the harder jobs here?
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Um they're in charge of the agenda and and getting oh yeah, that's a lot of work.
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Yeah, getting everybody pulling together.
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Um we made strunk some structural changes this year to try to ease the burden a little bit on people that are serving.
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Um and it's been very successful, and we're gonna continue to do that next year.
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Because these are all people who have a day job, right?
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That's right.
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Typically at a health department.
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And uh there's a couple of private sector folks, I think, on the AG department as well.
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Yeah.
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We have um Gia, it really is, it combines a lot of different organizations, and historically, it's had even more.
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I mean, you know, you talk about forestry, EPD, and we we have somebody from EPD coming to talk.
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Um Yeah, you you are you do actually cast that net wider and because you have a good relationship with the ag folks in the state.
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I know I've worked with both ag and health going back more years than I probably care to admit.
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But like it it was always a unique relationship because in some states they don't really talk as much as you guys do here.
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Uh but Craig and Summer, it's a good team over there at the Department of Ag.
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Especially in retail foods.
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I mean, we we always have Carl Summers as well.
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Um, we especially, I mean, I know in South, I can only speak to my experience in South Georgia working in the field.
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Um, I had our ag inspectors' numbers, you know, in my phone because we would run into things all the time where they would call me and say, hey, I walk into one of my gas stations and there's a full-blown like restaurant in here.
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You know, can we talk about that?
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You know, etc.
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Did you know?
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Yeah.
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Excuse me.
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So um the uh so you're gonna be a two-term president.
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And that's what it's looking like.
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Um so far.
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I don't know that that's really public knowledge yet.
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I guess it is now.
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We just told a few friends.
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Yeah, that's there.
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Uh but yes, uh it's looking like I'm gonna be president again next year.
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And I and I'm AOK with that.
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What is the what was the highlight?
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What'd you enjoy about uh the first year uh of president?
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What's involved in that?
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So the vice president we know gets has to do all the actual really, really hard grueling work of the schedule and stuff.
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What what what's been sort of your agenda and the highlight for you of the past year?
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You know it's funny, uh, like I said, uh I we kind of we call it running the gauntlet, right?
00:13:53.919 --> 00:14:03.519
So you you start off as secretary, and then you have the option to run the gauntlet of vice president, um president elect, president, past president.
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So it's a four-year-old.
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Once you get on that track, if you want, you can go all through.
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You run you run all the way through.
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Um so vice president, I I had my my goal, right?
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Get the get the agenda set and do the agenda, um, bring all the speakers in.
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President elect last year, like I like I said, it was a little bit of a different off year of travel restrictions coming in, like we need to we need to have a one day.
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And so I don't really know what my role was in that.
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And it got a little, you know, it got a little weird last year.
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And that happens.
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You gotta be able to roll with what hits you.
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And then as president, honestly, um being a part of a well-run organization with a lot of people that have buy-in and a lot of people that have skin in the game, and a lot of people that put effort into it and are passionate about it.
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Um to be honest with you, uh this year I've just kind of sat back and let it run.
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Run the meetings, like um handle logistics uh of of certain things, but honestly, like the team carries.
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Yeah, bringing it, yeah, just running meetings, bringing it together and supporting where I can when I can.
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Yeah.
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And that's been it's been fun.
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Danielle uh is great, isn't she?
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She's worked so hard and um actually was responsible for asking if we bring this here originally, and it's it's you know, we see a lot of conferences.
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Yeah, and um they all are you know, take a lot of effort and people work hard on them, but some people just have that extra gear and just really make it just a a notch above.
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And it feels like uh you guys have done that really well.
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So when you you've probably done gone in the field um for pretty much all the programs, right?
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You've done restaurant inspection, you've done them all because you've had to be certified in all of them.
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We always ask folks and you don't have to, but kind of most memorable or craziest inspection story.
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I don't you know, I I was thinking about that um today, trying to come up with something.
00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:11.519
And I mean we all we all see things that that take us aback sometimes, etc.
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But but to be honest with you, I think my most memorable experiences over the past six years have been truly the when I see change occur and and I and what I mean by that is restaurants.
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And in restaurants that to be honest with you, you know, you don't you'll thread going to them uh sometimes because you just know you never know what you're gonna get.
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Um but the satisfaction that you get not only that you get, but the restaurant owners and the managers get when you're when you walk in and you you help them and walk them through and and teach them.
00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:03.679
And and that's I think one of one of my stronger gifts as I you know, I mentioned looking at teaching jobs and I taught college courses.
00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:13.039
But teaching and and and educating has always been one of my stronger suits and one of my you know, passions, honestly.
00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:38.559
And seeing that uh education pay off and going into the restaurant I you know, I can I can think of I'm not gonna name restaurants at all by any means, but I can think of one of them earlier in my career where you know it was mad score, mad score, all that, and educating, walking, walking them, and then the third time uh I walked in the restaurant, looking around, and I went.
00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:40.480
Fantastic.
00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:43.599
And I mean before I even like started inspection.
00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:48.079
You had a big role in helping coach them into how to pay attention to what's important.
00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:52.720
And has the job gotten harder uh in the last four or five years?
00:17:52.880 --> 00:18:16.640
I I know that during the pandemic it was really rough because the restaurants were closing and things like that, but it it has it got you've mentioned dread, and a lot of people will write an email, and that's one of the things they talk about is the stress of like preparing for Monday morning, especially if you've got a restaurant on there that you know it's either gonna be either gonna be combative or it's just always a disaster.
00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:19.279
Um but has it gotten harder?
00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:26.960
Uh also because you know, employee turnovers seems to still be worse, they're harder to staff, although that's always been an issue in fast food, probably in restaurants, right?
00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:31.119
But what's the landscape like now for an inspector, that environment?
00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.400
I would say early on in my career, you're right.
00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:40.799
I I think that the one thing I took for granted because it was early in my career, because I just thought it was normal, right?
00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:48.160
To go to restaurants two or three times in a row and I'm talking to the same person, and I'm building a relationship with the same person.
00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:56.079
And that's why I say, you know, that that satisfaction of change, that's when it came through, was building that relationship with the same person.
00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:58.480
I'm gonna say in today's landscape, you're right.
00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:06.640
It's a lot different in restaurants where I'm introducing myself to the manager over and over again at the same restaurant.
00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:11.519
So now your local places, your your your mom and pop stores, that that's never changed.
00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:11.839
Yeah.
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:14.240
And and that and those are the ones that I I truly enjoy.
00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:22.160
I'm not saying that I don't enjoy um fast food inspections or anything like that, because I've had some of the best relations with managers in fast food.
00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:25.839
But that is when you see more in the turnover, and that's where more of the challenge is.
00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:32.640
Yeah, it's hard to uh you I I just taught the last guy how to do this, and now he's gone and probably didn't write it down or pass it on.
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:33.359
That's right.
00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:41.839
So, training, we can't end it without mentioning so uh and you do see in your happy places and educating, mentoring, and bringing people along, right?
00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:42.640
It's obvious.
00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:46.319
The data specialist part that they tagged onto your title, right?
00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:50.240
Um actually a busy time to exercise those muscles right now, right?
00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:56.240
Because you're going through uh once in a 20-year systems and data conversion for the entire state.
00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:58.960
We are, and uh, I'm by no means an expert in that.
00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:02.559
So like I'm I'm I can't get into technicalities about it.
00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:05.119
I see a familiar name up here behind me.
00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:05.519
Yeah.
00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:10.000
Um, but we are in in the process of testing the new the new EHIS.
00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:14.079
Um and yeah, it's it's a lot of work.
00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:15.039
It is a lot of work.
00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:28.319
Transitioning the entire state over, and um, you know, we have a lot of people at the state level who are spending and this is their, you know, this is their job for Tim and that crew have have done a fantastic job.
00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:29.200
How's it going?
00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:34.000
And it's almost a a difficult question when you're in the middle of testing, because it is so hard.
00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:41.599
And testing by definition is you're drilling in on what needs to be different or better or is not right, right?
00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:44.160
But like how how are you feeling so far?
00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:50.480
I should also, for folks that aren't from Georgia that watch, you all are on an ambitious timeline.
00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:56.000
The project didn't kick off until basically the the beginning of May.
00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:57.119
Basically, yeah.
00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:00.400
And you're we we knew, you know, you you got the emails from the print.
00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:04.720
And again, like it was underway, but the project, like, they didn't engage HS.
00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:09.839
I uh uh the the vendor wasn't uh engaged to start until April uh end of April.
00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:11.920
And you're going live in November.
00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:15.519
That's that is almost unheard of.
00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:29.920
Is a is a testament to um honestly the local I guess the the local health forms and the local people that are getting on here and and hammering out testing and and working hard to to try to make it happen.
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:40.480
Because I mean you it takes a lot of people to at least in this phase that I'm in right now, I understand why you know total buy-in was asked for.
00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:44.319
And um hard in we're doing our best to make that happen.
00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:47.839
And you are, and so that's one of the things Tim did really well.
00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:52.640
Uh you know, HS is implemented in multiple states for you know statewide.
00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:57.119
A lot of times they don't really insist on the buy-in.
00:21:57.920 --> 00:22:07.599
And so one of the first times a local agency sees it in that environment is when it's live or at training, and then it's kind of like too late, the cake's been baked.
00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:15.920
I think the last number I heard is there's 50 folks like yourself who are in there more now.
00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:25.039
A lot of times when I'm online in the teams meetings, I mean there's 60, 70 people on it, which I mean I I guess that involves some staff at Matrix GoTech.
00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:27.440
Yeah, it's a lot of that's a it's a lot of local people.
00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:31.680
And those are people again who aren't like given time to just focus on that, right?
00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:37.599
Like you're still trying to juggle your normal responsibilities and do the testing.
00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:47.519
No, and I I'm lucky um in that, like I say, with that total buy-in, um, our district has really, really tried to to implement that.
00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:56.559
And that's why NATO specialists was at and you know, and all that long string of things, is because when I've got time and that and that's taken that takes priority, right?
00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:01.200
I mean, like I said, we're going live in November, so yeah, we're able I'm able to do it.
00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:03.359
I'm able to have time to carm out and do it.
00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:08.640
And so they told me run with it, do what we need to do, and help as much as we can.
00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:10.799
And so that's you guys are doing excellent.
00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:14.480
I know it's it's you know, it's a lot of work on a tight timeline, but thank you all.
00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:15.519
Are you excited about it?
00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.319
Like half the fog of testing.
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:27.200
Yeah, you you think it'll be exciting and I think we're excited about the possibility of it, and yeah, you know, being one of the people in there playing with it, tinkering with it.
00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:28.960
You know, I mean, we're breaking it, and that's the point.
00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:29.279
Yeah.
00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:38.319
I mean, and so we're in that phase right now, but um looking at what we're looking at, you know, we're excited about the possibilities that it holds and um looking forward to it.
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:39.359
It'll be great.
00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:51.039
I um worked with Tim and and the crew back in 05-06 when DHD uh went statewide, and it's um makes me feel old, but it's a real honor to like be continuing working with Georgia.
00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:53.200
Thank you for having us here and for all you do.
00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:59.599
We'll uh next when we see you next year, uh we'll probably have another responsibility tacked onto that title, won't you?
00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:00.480
June, June, yeah.
00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:01.920
Just making it just keep adding it.
00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:02.799
You know, I love it.
00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:05.200
So Austin, thank you so much, and great.
00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:10.240
Thank you for inviting us here and for uh a great conference and look forward to uh to the next couple days.
00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:11.279
It was a pleasure.
00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:12.160
Thank you for having me on.
00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:12.799
Absolutely.
00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:13.759
It's our pleasure.
00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:18.960
And as Austin here, the president of the uh Georgia Environmental Health Association.
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:20.319
We will be back shortly.
00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:22.000
We're gonna be talking to John Ford.
00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:25.519
Also, he's on the Niha, uh Niha District Representative as well.
00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:31.440
He'll be here next, next guest up on the Beyond Data Management Podcast, live from Jiha, Lakelanier.
00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:32.960
We'll be back in a few minutes.
00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:09.439
This is the Beyond Data Management Podcast powered by HS GovTech.
00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:11.919
Now here's your host, Cameron Garrison.
00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:13.199
Live on the road again.
00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:19.519
We're in Lakelanier, Georgia, at the uh Gha, Georgia Environmental Health Association conference.
00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:22.399
And uh we'll be bringing you over the next couple of days.
00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:24.160
We'll be talking to a bunch of people here.
00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:30.640
We have some great interviews lined up, including, if you remember, Matt from LA, the food truck guy.
00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:36.719
He's actually coming all the way from California to, I think he's gonna bring one of his carts too, right?
00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:45.679
And uh with that, we'll welcome our first uh first chat conversation here into the mobile studio here down on Lake Lanier in Georgia.
00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:47.359
And uh Austin Haney.
00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:49.840
And Austin, you're a you have a long title.
00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:54.479
So it's uh EHS5, and you are the standards trainer.
00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:55.359
Yep, Mr.
00:00:55.520 --> 00:01:00.960
Standard Trainer, and also data specialist, which you know is interesting because it's in the name of this.
00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:05.599
Um so you're down from um down at the southern, down near Florida, right?
00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:06.319
In that district.
00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:09.120
Yep, South Health District, uh right above Florida.
00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:11.519
Um, we've got 10 counties in our district.
00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:18.239
Uh, just recently moved into that new, then just keep adding, you know, then you just add stuff as as you move along in your career.
00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:20.719
Yeah, you haven't actually, we left off one of the other titles.
00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:23.920
I think you're the outgoing president of Jihá as well, right?
00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:24.400
That's right.
00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:27.680
I I'm currently the president um of Jihá as well.
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:30.000
So you have like a lot of jobs.
00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:35.120
Yeah, I uh busy is not a not an issue for me, usually, most days.
00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:39.840
That something tells me you're not a nine to five guy with all of those responsibilities.
00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:40.480
Oh, yeah.
00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:46.000
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I get them, and I highly suggest that you do too, following the link in the description below in this video.
00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:12.400
So how did so you're from the Atlanta area originally, right?
00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:14.000
So you're Georgia native.
00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:22.000
Um what we talked to a lot of people on this about like what got you into environmental health in the first place.
00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:29.599
Because you know, it's not the kind of thing that people in the the lunchroom at in high school are you know talking about going and doing.
00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:35.520
Or even know what an environmental health specialist is, which I guess I'll kind of tell that story a little bit.
00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:38.319
Um when we're talking about what I do.
00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:41.360
I I didn't take a traditional path at all.
00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:48.080
Um, I went to school at Valdosa State University, which is how I sort of fell in love with South Georgia.
00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:54.719
You mentioned I was from around Atlanta, um, but I got my master's and master's from Valdosa State.
00:03:54.800 --> 00:04:03.199
So that's how I sort of came down there, fell in love with the region and my wife um all in the same same time.
00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:06.159
Um I then pursued the PhD program.
00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:08.080
Um I didn't I didn't finish it.
00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:12.080
Um I spent two years at Oregon State and then one year at the University of Florida.
00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:12.960
Oregon State.
00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:13.120
Yep.
00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:16.160
So you went all the way to the Northwest.
00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:16.720
Yep.
00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:20.319
Um lived there for two years and um loved it.
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:20.879
It was great.
00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:21.920
I was doing well.
00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:28.480
The pandemic hit uh in 2020 uh when I was at the University of Florida and went to Marine Labs.
00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:35.680
And um sometimes, you know, things like that makes you take a step back and think, one what do I really want out of life?
00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:36.639
Like what do I want to do?
00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:37.759
What do I enjoy?
00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:47.519
Um it wasn't that I wasn't necessarily enjoying my PhD program, I just didn't know what was on the back side of that that I would really truly and enjoy, right?
00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:50.560
Um and so other than being called doctor.
00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:51.120
That's right.
00:04:51.199 --> 00:05:12.399
Other other than being called doctor, um a lot of the career paths on the other side of that were gonna take me away from family, and I was trying to do something that um I could come home every day and and and and and still make an impact because it's really hard to go from um something like that where you really feel like you're making an impact.
00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:26.720
And so that's why I started looking into teaching in June of 2020, and um I wound up um talking with my now current boss, um, who used to be my college office mate when in a master's program.
00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:31.600
Called him and said, Hey, I know you're you're working for the health department, and do y'all have any openings?
00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:36.240
Because I know that you you've loved your job uh since you've been there, you know.
00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:43.519
And um he said at the moment, no, and then called me back the next day and said, Hey, you need to apply.
00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:51.439
We got a, you know, uh we found an opening that's been vacant for about a year, um, apply, and I wound up wound up getting it.
00:05:51.600 --> 00:05:51.839
Wow.
00:05:52.000 --> 00:06:04.000
And to your point that you made earlier, um, about you know, you don't sit in a high school lunch room talking about being an environmental health business, that was one of my questions, like going in an interview, because it was easy interviewing to be a teacher, right?
00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:06.800
Because you kind of Yeah, you you at least know what to expect, roughly, right?
00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:10.639
That's right, and I had taught college courses throughout my academic career.
00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:16.079
Um and so I kind of knew what to expect from that, but that was coming in an interview.
00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:22.319
One of my first questions was I know health inspections, you know, I health inspector, right?
00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:24.720
But what do we do?
00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:27.439
What what does the day in the life of an EHS look like?
00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:29.759
And um that they have a good answer for that question.
00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:30.720
Yeah, absolutely.
00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:37.360
And and uh they've always supported that and are enthusiastic about environmental health and what we do.
00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:59.759
And not only that, um being advocates to other people of hey, we're yes, we're health inspectors, but we are so much more than that, and involved in so many other things, um, from rabies to mosquito identification and testing to trap them and take them to the lab, and like it's there's a lot of a lot of science involved in a lot of these programs.
00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:06.000
And we did that, we were a part of that program for years and and learned how to even identify them.
00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:13.360
So we were doing identification in our wow health departments, and uh we had two identifiers, me and uh myself and Jeremy.
00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:15.360
So what how do you identify mosquitoes?
00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:16.720
What's involved in that?
00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:23.680
Under a microscope, uh, usually with a book, so uh in the beginning, they have like a key, right?
00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:28.240
So if if they have X, go to you know, section six.
00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:39.600
So you have kind of a key that you can go through and you're looking at at bands on on the wings or different types of uh cilia, things like that, and it puts them in different categories.
00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:41.519
You know, do they have a curved firmoscus?
00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:43.040
Do they have a straight one?
00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:48.079
Um, is it you know, are the antennae longer or shorter than the furoscus?
00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:57.439
Like and it gives you kind of a a key to start off with, and then after that you you get the most common to where you get in the form.
00:07:57.839 --> 00:07:59.360
You you know at first sight what you're looking at.
00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:02.079
Yeah, um, and then you'll get a weird one and you have to walk through.
00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:06.560
How many different kinds of mosquitoes are there in like South Georgia?
00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:07.920
Um tons.
00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:09.360
I'm at yeah.
00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:15.439
I wouldn't say hundreds, I'd say the majority of the ones that we caught in the traps that we looked at.
00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:22.560
Um you had to know about twelve to fifteen species that you would catch regularly, like in a in a grabbing trap.
00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:25.920
But if you started doing like light traps, you start catching a lot at different things.
00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:27.360
All kinds of all the exotic ones.
00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:31.680
You really have to brush up on on your mosquito IDs at that point.
00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:34.480
Um But uh a lot.
00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:36.399
I I'm not the person to talk to about that.
00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:38.639
I just I numbed them out and looked at them and you know.
00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:42.080
Yeah, that's uh it you never know what you're gonna do in a day, do you?
00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:42.320
No.
00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:43.919
In in environmental health.
00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:44.639
No at all.
00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:49.679
And you got septic is a a huge program down, especially in in your district, right?
00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:52.159
You got a lot of rural, got a lot of septic systems.
00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:59.039
Um did you have any idea when you went to the interview that that septic all these broad different things?
00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:07.519
Because people think of food inspections or pool inspections are pretty top of mind for most people if you ask them what the health inspector inspect.
00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:12.559
But a lot of folks just have no idea about all of the other programs.
00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:19.039
Yeah, just like I say, I mean, we're chief rabies officer in our counties, so like even investigating rabies cases.
00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:22.480
Um, but soil, I mean, it's really hard.
00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:35.600
I I sat down one day uh probably about two years ago, so about four years into my career, and kind of looked at what all it actually took to do what I did as a as a generalist, right?
00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:42.320
And it's having a surf safe manager's certification, so you have to go through and and you're a surf safe managed certified manager, right?
00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:45.200
Just like the manager of the Bojangles or the McDonald's, yeah.
00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:45.759
That's right.
00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:46.559
You've got that.
00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:48.399
You're a CPO, right?
00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:50.320
So you're a certified pool operator.
00:09:50.799 --> 00:10:00.639
Um you're a level two soil classifier, so you've gone through and learned about so you're you're part soil scientist, part food scientist, um, you're a certified pool operator.
00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:08.159
You um like I say, um the people that work on Rabies are chief rabies officers, so you understand the Rabies manual.
00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:12.720
All these certifications that get you, and then you start adding on to it, you know.
00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:13.039
Yeah.
00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:19.200
Getting standardized by the state of Georgia to become a district standard trainer, so you can standardize other people in your district.
00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:29.360
Um all kinds of certificates and and trainings and a lot of hours of training come down from the state and local.
00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:34.960
And you have to have ongoing educational credit hours too to keep those things certified and up, right?
00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:36.639
And jihad helps with that too.
00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:39.759
With with Yeah, so let's let's talk about Jihad.
00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:43.600
So um you've had great attendance this year at the conference.
00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:47.200
Um and far cry from last year, I think budget cut.
00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:48.960
You had a budget or grant cut last year.
00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:51.519
Remember, we were in that mall and uh the country.
00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:54.799
That's right.
00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:57.919
So it was just wherever people could get to quickly and easily.
00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:04.000
We're trying to get to um a central location that everybody can drive to and have a date.
00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:06.480
And so they can make and wound up being it.
00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:08.799
How long's the term for president in jihad?
00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:09.600
One year.
00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:10.960
Um for now now.
00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:14.000
We we've had to do some reshuffling.
00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:17.840
Um currently, so I'll serve again next year.
00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:20.879
Um and everybody below will will shift up.
00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:22.559
Um we had a vacancy come up.
00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:23.120
Oh, okay.
00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:35.360
And so everybody's shifting up under instead of vice president is one of the harder jobs in in our in our administration, so we didn't want to try to fill that off the um elections.
00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:35.679
Yeah.
00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:37.759
Instead letting them kind of work through the cycle.
00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.639
What what makes vice president one of the harder jobs here?
00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:44.799
Um they're in charge of the agenda and and getting oh yeah, that's a lot of work.
00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:46.960
Yeah, getting everybody pulling together.
00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:54.720
Um we made strunk some structural changes this year to try to ease the burden a little bit on people that are serving.
00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:59.360
Um and it's been very successful, and we're gonna continue to do that next year.
00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:02.480
Because these are all people who have a day job, right?
00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:02.879
That's right.
00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:04.559
Typically at a health department.
00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:09.120
And uh there's a couple of private sector folks, I think, on the AG department as well.
00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:09.440
Yeah.
00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:17.200
We have um Gia, it really is, it combines a lot of different organizations, and historically, it's had even more.
00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:22.639
I mean, you know, you talk about forestry, EPD, and we we have somebody from EPD coming to talk.
00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:30.000
Um Yeah, you you are you do actually cast that net wider and because you have a good relationship with the ag folks in the state.
00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:35.919
I know I've worked with both ag and health going back more years than I probably care to admit.
00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:42.960
But like it it was always a unique relationship because in some states they don't really talk as much as you guys do here.
00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:46.720
Uh but Craig and Summer, it's a good team over there at the Department of Ag.
00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:48.320
Especially in retail foods.
00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:50.639
I mean, we we always have Carl Summers as well.
00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:56.399
Um, we especially, I mean, I know in South, I can only speak to my experience in South Georgia working in the field.
00:12:56.559 --> 00:13:10.399
Um, I had our ag inspectors' numbers, you know, in my phone because we would run into things all the time where they would call me and say, hey, I walk into one of my gas stations and there's a full-blown like restaurant in here.
00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:12.159
You know, can we talk about that?
00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:12.720
You know, etc.
00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:13.759
Did you know?
00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:14.399
Yeah.
00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:15.600
Excuse me.
00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:19.679
So um the uh so you're gonna be a two-term president.
00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:21.279
And that's what it's looking like.
00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:22.080
Um so far.
00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:24.240
I don't know that that's really public knowledge yet.
00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:25.120
I guess it is now.
00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:26.960
We just told a few friends.
00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:27.759
Yeah, that's there.
00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:31.840
Uh but yes, uh it's looking like I'm gonna be president again next year.
00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:33.279
And I and I'm AOK with that.
00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:34.960
What is the what was the highlight?
00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:38.240
What'd you enjoy about uh the first year uh of president?
00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:39.279
What's involved in that?
00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:45.039
So the vice president we know gets has to do all the actual really, really hard grueling work of the schedule and stuff.
00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:48.879
What what what's been sort of your agenda and the highlight for you of the past year?
00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:53.840
You know it's funny, uh, like I said, uh I we kind of we call it running the gauntlet, right?
00:13:53.919 --> 00:14:03.519
So you you start off as secretary, and then you have the option to run the gauntlet of vice president, um president elect, president, past president.
00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:04.399
So it's a four-year-old.
00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:06.960
Once you get on that track, if you want, you can go all through.
00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:08.879
You run you run all the way through.
00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:13.679
Um so vice president, I I had my my goal, right?
00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:18.879
Get the get the agenda set and do the agenda, um, bring all the speakers in.
00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:29.279
President elect last year, like I like I said, it was a little bit of a different off year of travel restrictions coming in, like we need to we need to have a one day.
00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:32.320
And so I don't really know what my role was in that.
00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:35.039
And it got a little, you know, it got a little weird last year.
00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:35.840
And that happens.
00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:38.080
You gotta be able to roll with what hits you.
00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:54.080
And then as president, honestly, um being a part of a well-run organization with a lot of people that have buy-in and a lot of people that have skin in the game, and a lot of people that put effort into it and are passionate about it.
00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:59.759
Um to be honest with you, uh this year I've just kind of sat back and let it run.
00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:07.679
Run the meetings, like um handle logistics uh of of certain things, but honestly, like the team carries.
00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:14.159
Yeah, bringing it, yeah, just running meetings, bringing it together and supporting where I can when I can.
00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:14.559
Yeah.
00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:16.320
And that's been it's been fun.
00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.480
Danielle uh is great, isn't she?
00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:27.120
She's worked so hard and um actually was responsible for asking if we bring this here originally, and it's it's you know, we see a lot of conferences.
00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:39.200
Yeah, and um they all are you know, take a lot of effort and people work hard on them, but some people just have that extra gear and just really make it just a a notch above.
00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:42.080
And it feels like uh you guys have done that really well.
00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:48.960
So when you you've probably done gone in the field um for pretty much all the programs, right?
00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:52.720
You've done restaurant inspection, you've done them all because you've had to be certified in all of them.
00:15:53.360 --> 00:16:00.000
We always ask folks and you don't have to, but kind of most memorable or craziest inspection story.
00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:06.399
I don't you know, I I was thinking about that um today, trying to come up with something.
00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:11.519
And I mean we all we all see things that that take us aback sometimes, etc.
00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:28.240
But but to be honest with you, I think my most memorable experiences over the past six years have been truly the when I see change occur and and I and what I mean by that is restaurants.
00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:41.120
And in restaurants that to be honest with you, you know, you don't you'll thread going to them uh sometimes because you just know you never know what you're gonna get.
00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:56.639
Um but the satisfaction that you get not only that you get, but the restaurant owners and the managers get when you're when you walk in and you you help them and walk them through and and teach them.
00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:03.679
And and that's I think one of one of my stronger gifts as I you know, I mentioned looking at teaching jobs and I taught college courses.
00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:13.039
But teaching and and and educating has always been one of my stronger suits and one of my you know, passions, honestly.
00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:38.559
And seeing that uh education pay off and going into the restaurant I you know, I can I can think of I'm not gonna name restaurants at all by any means, but I can think of one of them earlier in my career where you know it was mad score, mad score, all that, and educating, walking, walking them, and then the third time uh I walked in the restaurant, looking around, and I went.
00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:40.480
Fantastic.
00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:43.599
And I mean before I even like started inspection.
00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:48.079
You had a big role in helping coach them into how to pay attention to what's important.
00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:52.720
And has the job gotten harder uh in the last four or five years?
00:17:52.880 --> 00:18:16.640
I I know that during the pandemic it was really rough because the restaurants were closing and things like that, but it it has it got you've mentioned dread, and a lot of people will write an email, and that's one of the things they talk about is the stress of like preparing for Monday morning, especially if you've got a restaurant on there that you know it's either gonna be either gonna be combative or it's just always a disaster.
00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:19.279
Um but has it gotten harder?
00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:26.960
Uh also because you know, employee turnovers seems to still be worse, they're harder to staff, although that's always been an issue in fast food, probably in restaurants, right?
00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:31.119
But what's the landscape like now for an inspector, that environment?
00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.400
I would say early on in my career, you're right.
00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:40.799
I I think that the one thing I took for granted because it was early in my career, because I just thought it was normal, right?
00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:48.160
To go to restaurants two or three times in a row and I'm talking to the same person, and I'm building a relationship with the same person.
00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:56.079
And that's why I say, you know, that that satisfaction of change, that's when it came through, was building that relationship with the same person.
00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:58.480
I'm gonna say in today's landscape, you're right.
00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:06.640
It's a lot different in restaurants where I'm introducing myself to the manager over and over again at the same restaurant.
00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:11.519
So now your local places, your your your mom and pop stores, that that's never changed.
00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:11.839
Yeah.
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:14.240
And and that and those are the ones that I I truly enjoy.
00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:22.160
I'm not saying that I don't enjoy um fast food inspections or anything like that, because I've had some of the best relations with managers in fast food.
00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:25.839
But that is when you see more in the turnover, and that's where more of the challenge is.
00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:32.640
Yeah, it's hard to uh you I I just taught the last guy how to do this, and now he's gone and probably didn't write it down or pass it on.
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:33.359
That's right.
00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:41.839
So, training, we can't end it without mentioning so uh and you do see in your happy places and educating, mentoring, and bringing people along, right?
00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:42.640
It's obvious.
00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:46.319
The data specialist part that they tagged onto your title, right?
00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:50.240
Um actually a busy time to exercise those muscles right now, right?
00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:56.240
Because you're going through uh once in a 20-year systems and data conversion for the entire state.
00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:58.960
We are, and uh, I'm by no means an expert in that.
00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:02.559
So like I'm I'm I can't get into technicalities about it.
00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:05.119
I see a familiar name up here behind me.
00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:05.519
Yeah.
00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:10.000
Um, but we are in in the process of testing the new the new EHIS.
00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:14.079
Um and yeah, it's it's a lot of work.
00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:15.039
It is a lot of work.
00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:28.319
Transitioning the entire state over, and um, you know, we have a lot of people at the state level who are spending and this is their, you know, this is their job for Tim and that crew have have done a fantastic job.
00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:29.200
How's it going?
00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:34.000
And it's almost a a difficult question when you're in the middle of testing, because it is so hard.
00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:41.599
And testing by definition is you're drilling in on what needs to be different or better or is not right, right?
00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:44.160
But like how how are you feeling so far?
00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:50.480
I should also, for folks that aren't from Georgia that watch, you all are on an ambitious timeline.
00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:56.000
The project didn't kick off until basically the the beginning of May.
00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:57.119
Basically, yeah.
00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:00.400
And you're we we knew, you know, you you got the emails from the print.
00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:04.720
And again, like it was underway, but the project, like, they didn't engage HS.
00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:09.839
I uh uh the the vendor wasn't uh engaged to start until April uh end of April.
00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:11.920
And you're going live in November.
00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:15.519
That's that is almost unheard of.
00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:29.920
Is a is a testament to um honestly the local I guess the the local health forms and the local people that are getting on here and and hammering out testing and and working hard to to try to make it happen.
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:40.480
Because I mean you it takes a lot of people to at least in this phase that I'm in right now, I understand why you know total buy-in was asked for.
00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:44.319
And um hard in we're doing our best to make that happen.
00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:47.839
And you are, and so that's one of the things Tim did really well.
00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:52.640
Uh you know, HS is implemented in multiple states for you know statewide.
00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:57.119
A lot of times they don't really insist on the buy-in.
00:21:57.920 --> 00:22:07.599
And so one of the first times a local agency sees it in that environment is when it's live or at training, and then it's kind of like too late, the cake's been baked.
00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:15.920
I think the last number I heard is there's 50 folks like yourself who are in there more now.
00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:25.039
A lot of times when I'm online in the teams meetings, I mean there's 60, 70 people on it, which I mean I I guess that involves some staff at Matrix GoTech.
00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:27.440
Yeah, it's a lot of that's a it's a lot of local people.
00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:31.680
And those are people again who aren't like given time to just focus on that, right?
00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:37.599
Like you're still trying to juggle your normal responsibilities and do the testing.
00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:47.519
No, and I I'm lucky um in that, like I say, with that total buy-in, um, our district has really, really tried to to implement that.
00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:56.559
And that's why NATO specialists was at and you know, and all that long string of things, is because when I've got time and that and that's taken that takes priority, right?
00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:01.200
I mean, like I said, we're going live in November, so yeah, we're able I'm able to do it.
00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:03.359
I'm able to have time to carm out and do it.
00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:08.640
And so they told me run with it, do what we need to do, and help as much as we can.
00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:10.799
And so that's you guys are doing excellent.
00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:14.480
I know it's it's you know, it's a lot of work on a tight timeline, but thank you all.
00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:15.519
Are you excited about it?
00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.319
Like half the fog of testing.
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:27.200
Yeah, you you think it'll be exciting and I think we're excited about the possibility of it, and yeah, you know, being one of the people in there playing with it, tinkering with it.
00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:28.960
You know, I mean, we're breaking it, and that's the point.
00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:29.279
Yeah.
00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:38.319
I mean, and so we're in that phase right now, but um looking at what we're looking at, you know, we're excited about the possibilities that it holds and um looking forward to it.
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:39.359
It'll be great.
00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:51.039
I um worked with Tim and and the crew back in 05-06 when DHD uh went statewide, and it's um makes me feel old, but it's a real honor to like be continuing working with Georgia.
00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:53.200
Thank you for having us here and for all you do.
00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:59.599
We'll uh next when we see you next year, uh we'll probably have another responsibility tacked onto that title, won't you?
00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:00.480
June, June, yeah.
00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:01.920
Just making it just keep adding it.
00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:02.799
You know, I love it.
00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:05.200
So Austin, thank you so much, and great.
00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:10.240
Thank you for inviting us here and for uh a great conference and look forward to uh to the next couple days.
00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:11.279
It was a pleasure.
00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:12.160
Thank you for having me on.
00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:12.799
Absolutely.
00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:13.759
It's our pleasure.
00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:18.960
And as Austin here, the president of the uh Georgia Environmental Health Association.
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:20.319
We will be back shortly.
00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:22.000
We're gonna be talking to John Ford.
00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:25.519
Also, he's on the Niha, uh Niha District Representative as well.
00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:31.440
He'll be here next, next guest up on the Beyond Data Management Podcast, live from Jiha, Lakelanier.
00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:32.960
We'll be back in a few minutes.
