AHE has started this initiative to encourage professionals in the field to begin, or continue to refer to the departments and the personnel caring for the healthcare environment as environmental services professionals rather than as housekeepers, janitors and custodians. The staff and management teams responsible for maintaining the clinical environment of care require different skills and competencies from those needed in the commercial cleaning and general maintenance industry and it's time we address this critical distinction.

Please help us redefine healthcare environmental services!

Erin Horng, Health Facilities Management
To acknowledge the ongoing and outstanding sustainability efforts of health care facilities — and environmental services departments in particular — the AHE presents the Environmental Sustainability Certificate Program, sponsored by Tork, an Essity brand.

Health Facilities Management
See the results from a salary conducted in cooperation with the Association for the Healthcare Environment and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering.

Healthcare Facilities Today
Environmental services departments are key to preventing the spread of illness in a hospital.

U.S. News & World Report
With the potential for a bad flu season approaching, experts are especially recommending that people with diabetes get vaccinated.

Infection Control Today
At the rate the Zika virus is mutating, new forms of the virus could soon emerge, complicating the development of a vaccine, according to a researcher in Brazil.

The Daily Toreador
Hand-washing is a simple step that helps to prevent healthy people from getting an infection and keeps infections from spreading from those who are ill, researchers say.

Harvard Business Review
One of the most difficult aspects of transitioning to a leadership position is knowing how to delegate effectively.

Forbes
To develop effective leaders, consider focusing on employees who motivate and empower their peers.

By John Scherberger, BS, FAHE, CHESP

By Lisa Ford, CHESP

Make yourself indispensable and advance your career! Plan your education for 2017. Visit AHE’s 2017 ENGAGE site to learn more about educational courses, podcasts, webinars, and events. And make sure to check out AHE's EXPRESS Learning Courses. EXPRESS is a mobile learning platform that offers educational podcasts delivered by environmental services and infection prevention thought leaders. You asked for learning opportunities that require less of a time commitment and we delivered!

CMIP, the Certificate of Mastery in Infection Prevention for Environmental Services Professionals (CMIP) is a robust certificate program that provides the requisite knowledge for a "trained" professional in infection prevention and control specific to the clinical environment of care.