Greetings KSHE

I am excited to begin this December message to KSHE members by congratulating the facilities team at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital for being selected by ASHE as its “2019 Excellence in Facilities Management” award winner. This award is given annually to individuals and teams that exemplify how facility managers and caregivers join together to identify an issue and create a proactive and viable approach to attaining resolution that optimizes the physical environment and improves patient care. The Owensboro Health facilities team is the first and ONLY hospital in Kentucky to receive this prestigious recognition, and will be featured in the upcoming edition of HFM.  Very well done.

Along with Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, Norton Audubon Hospital, St. Joseph London, St. Elizabeth (northern KY), and Harrison Memorial Hospital are the five (5) Commonwealth hospitals that have earned the Energy Star distinction thus far in 2019. Kentucky is powering up in our efforts to return dollars to our facilities’ bottom lines by using the EPA’s free Portfolio Manager software to track our energy consumption and cost, from which we can develop no-cost and low-cost solutions to return dollars to enhance patient care. If you’re not currently using Portfolio Manager and want join the effort, please reach out to info@kshe.org and our Energy Team will get right back with you.

Your KSHE Board is delighted to announce its two (2) new board members that will serve out the remaining year of a two (2) year term due to the departure of our good friends Jack Merrill and Jennifer Christmann. Please join me in welcoming James Hauenstein, CHFM and Chris Buford, CHFM to your KSHE Board. James is Director of Facilities Management for CHI St. Joseph Hospital (Lexington) and Chris is the Facilities Management Medical Center Supervisor with UK Chandler Medical Center also in Lexington. The KSHE Board has diverse leadership from across the Commonwealth – East, Central, and Western Kentucky. Chris and James will be joining the remaining Board members the first week of December at the Board Strategic Planning meeting in Owensboro as review 2019 accomplishments and plan for the future.

Finally, Sharon Berry was unable to attend the recent 2019 Healthcare Coalition Conference in Louisville with us to receive her prestigious Norm Menser award. We had to send it to her by mail. Sharon was delighted, and sent us the following message upon receiving the actual award:

“I received my award and was shocked and amazed. It was not what I was expecting at all. I thought the award was going to be where I was on the board. I know the value the chapter puts on the Norm Menser Award and the contributions that he made to healthcare. I feel honored but unworthy of this. As much as I wish I was at the meeting to receive in person, I have been saved from being a blubbering mess in front of my peers, LOL. Receiving this award is one of the highlights of my career in healthcare and can’t thank the board and members enough.

Please share with the board.

Sharon”

My hopes and prayers are that each of you has a fun, relaxing, family-centered, and accreditation free Holiday season. I am so grateful to serve on your behalf.

Blessings,

Joe Taylor

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