DON'T MISS THIS GAME-CHANGING EVENT. Register now!
Sept. 17-20, 2017 • Rosen Shingle Creek • Orlando, FL

September 10 – 16
Now is the time to start thinking and planning for the celebration of National Healthcare Environmental Services Week. Each year we use this opportunity to show appreciation and recognition for the extraordinary teamwork required to care for the complex healthcare environment. When deciding how you will celebrate, remember that royalties from the official provider go towards our complimentary educational programming, development of new Signature programs each year and significant discounts on member pricing on all AHE services.

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!

CleanLink
The Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) recently announced that Valerie Macey, from The Medical Center at Franklin in Franklin, Kentucky, has been recognized as the winner of this year’s prestigious Heart of Healthcare Award, sponsored by Kimberly – Clark Professional.

Hospital Safety Insider
A proposal by CMS to require accrediting organizations (AO) to post the details of their survey reports online was withdrawn last week by the agency, not because of negative comments—although there were plenty—but because, well, it might be prohibited under federal law.

Jamie Morgan, Health Facilities Management
In a mere 30 days, Memorial Medical Center (MMC) managed to triple the amount of material it recycles each month.

Bill Brooks, American Laundry News
We just can’t ever get away from lint. In the on-premises laundry (OPL) environment, staff, if they are doing their job, are emptying lint compartments frequently, sometimes throughout the day.

Contagion Live
Despite decreasing statistics, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) continue to be a major source of infections in the United States.

Brian Zimmerman, Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality
Florida has reported significantly fewer Zika infections this year, which may be the result of growing immunity to the virus, according to a HealthDay report.

Infection Control Today
A new in-vitro study by University of California, Davis, researchers indicates that quaternary ammonium compounds (quats), used as antimicrobial agents in common household products inhibit mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, as well as estrogenic functions in cells.

Alan Trivedi, Forbes
Curiosity is a desire to learn and a desire to know.

Adam Fridman
Perhaps more than any other generation, purpose is what inspires younger generations of workers to engage and put forth their best efforts in the workplace.

By Tom Mattice, CHESP

By Hank Carbone and Angela Becker

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!

To acknowledge the ongoing and outstanding sustainability efforts of healthcare facilities - and environmental service departments in particular - the AHE presents the Environmental Sustainability Certificate Program. This program not only provides guidance on efficient, effective and value-added environmentally sustainable healthcare operations, but also provides it in such a way that is achievable within all budgets.