Environmental Services - July 2020
Florida opens its first mobile hospital
The state is providing staff and equipment for the unit
7/31/2020
Building infection prevention programs at longterm care
Addressing the risk and not just the treatment of infection can save money, too
7/31/2020
Department of defense looking for contractors to set up Fla. mobile hospitals
As cases surge, the Army is helping the state in case it needs to quickly build out
7/31/2020
COVID-19 infecting patients inside healthcare facilities
5,142 patients in the US reported to be infected with coronavirus inside a hospital.
7/31/2020
National Guard raises tents outside South Carolina hospital
As of mid July, 84 percent of Orangeburg County’s hospital beds were occupied
7/30/2020
Reinventing the healthcare facility post-Covid
There could be fundamental differences in care, according to a new whitepaper
7/30/2020
How McCormick Place became Chicago's alternate care site
The convention center was converted to a 3,000-bed hospital
7/30/2020
Pandemic’s impact on on-site dining at healthcare facilities
Dining programs could see a continued slump in retail dining
7/30/2020
Healthcare data security still needs attention during pandemic
Healthcare institutions can have difficulty leveraging the large amounts of data that they store
7/30/2020
California hospitals get help with staffing shortages from military
A total of 160 Air Force healthcare professionals are working in five hospitals
7/29/2020
Integrating EHR and medical devices in longterm care
This integration could support better outcomes and lower the cost of care for patients
7/29/2020
Five housekeepers at N.Y. hospital volunteered to clean COVID patients’ rooms
Volunteer cleaners say they were motivated by the patients
7/29/2020
Supersized food can mean undersized profits for healthcare facilities
When it comes to offering healthier food options in their cafeterias and gift shops, most U.S. hospitals may be 'penny wise and pound foolish'
7/29/2020
Connecticut Guard helps inspect longterm care facilities
Support from the Guard has enabled the DPH to inspect more longterm care facilities more frequently
7/28/2020
Masks, gowns shortage to leave hospital workers exposed
Without federal guidance, states must compete for products
7/28/2020
Insulation blanket saves Canadian hospital 15 million pounds of steam
The reusable insulation was installed in the boiler room’s main header, instantaneous heater and condensate pumps
7/28/2020
The COVID-19 public health emergency highlights the need for better data accessibility in healthcare
Interoperability facilitates the availability of data to clinicians and patients
7/28/2020
Nursing home infection prevention should be group effort
Environmental services and facilities management staffs need to work together
7/27/2020
Meeting the needs of non-Covid patients
Healthcare facilities must manage patients with time-sensitive and medically complex conditions
7/27/2020
Pandemic increases union activity among hospital workers
The main concerns are adequate staffing and PPE
7/27/2020
Idaho hospital steps up its cleaning efforts for Covid
The hospital now uses electrostatic sprayers and a hydrogen peroxide-based dry fog
7/27/2020
Hospital security cameras can promote safety
Cloud-based security systems can provide pictures of each person entering and exiting a facility
7/27/2020
Candida auris infects L.A. County healthcare facility
The shortage of medical equipment may be helping to spread
7/24/2020
Improper medical waste management can bring risks
Disposing of waste can be overwhelming for small healthcare facilities
7/24/2020
Report says nearly all healthcare workers dealing with COVID need N95s
Allowing surgical masks and medical masks to be used in circumstances where N95s should be used detracts from the effort to supply enough N95s
7/24/2020
How to manage senior care facilities during crisis
Facilities and IT infrastructure must be at their optimal performance
7/24/2020
Healthcare food service operators ‘cautiously optimistic’ during pandemic
Healthcare operators are less likely to see longer-term impacts than other food service segments
7/24/2020
Healthcare facility hacking increasing during coronavirus pandemic
IBM reported a 6,000 percent increase in spam attacks
7/23/2020
Refrigerator trucks deployed in Texas as hospital morgues fill up
More than 4,000 Texans have died from the coronavirus and counties are preparing for even more deaths
7/23/2020
St. Louis hospital workers demand hazard pay after cafeteria staffers test positive for COVID-19
The workers are also demanding proper PPE
7/23/2020
New certification issued for janitors helping to fighting COVID-19
The course covers infection control, proper cleaning procedures, documentation and communication and worksite safety precautions. It also defines cleaning and disinfecting
7/23/2020
COVID-19 may affect campus weapons detection
Coronavirus could impact how hospitals use metal detectors
7/23/2020
Using a cybersecurity plan at your healthcare facility
A digital shift in the handling of private health information (PHI) opened up healthcare systems to hackers
7/23/2020
Environmental services workers find spotlight during Covid
The frontline healthcare workers rely on the environmental services
7/22/2020
Infection control best practices for healthcare facilities
Limiting patient visitors helps keep the virus from entering healthcare facilities
7/22/2020
UK group lists workers most likely to die from coronavirus
The Office for National Statistics shows that men working as social carers, factory workers, security guards and cabbies are at greater risk
7/22/2020
Security guards in demand — and stressed
Job descriptions for guards now can include temperature checks
7/22/2020
America is running short on PPE again
Nurses say they are reusing N95 masks for days and weeks at a time
7/21/2020
Hurricanes may mean field hospitals not answer for Florida’s COVID-19 surge
The state is focusing on expanding hospital surge capacity instead
7/21/2020
Coronavirus infections spike among workers at San Francisco hospital
Forty-five workers at San Francisco General Hospital tested positive
7/21/2020
Tips for hospitals to operate safely in the ‘new normal’
The physical space of a hospital can encourage the spread of infectious disease
7/21/2020
Hospital patients require better food service and it's improving bottom lines
Factors such as a general uptick in health-conscious consumers have put food service on the front burner
7/21/2020
Workers link COVID-19 outbreak at California hospital to mismanagement
Staff members say not properly separating patients, short staffing and a lack of testing and protective gear has led to an outbreak
7/20/2020
Ozone disinfection could allow safe reuse of PPE
Method doesn’t work on items that include stapled-on elastic straps
7/20/2020
Nash UNC Health Care working to raises the bar for EVS department
The way the facility is cleaned has changed in order to address the coronavirus pandemic
7/20/2020
Managing security challenges in healthcare
Healthcare facilities must assure staffing amid increasing risk
7/20/2020
New Covid care center in India the size of 20 football fields
Indian officials called the 10,000-bed Sardar Patel Covid care centre, one of the largest such facilities in the world
7/17/2020
Healthcare facility trends to expect as staff returns to work
Organizations consider how to best eliminate the risk of coronavirus transmission among staff
7/17/2020
Keeping patients and staff safe without armed security
Scientific American opinion piece recommends eliminating armed police, guards in emergency rooms
7/17/2020
New Jersey hospitals revamping supply chains for second wave
System plans to stockpile enough personal protective equipment to last 90 days
7/17/2020
ADA considerations part of facility adjustments for COVID-19
Changes to entrances, restrooms and office areas will need to be accessible
7/17/2020
Hospital ratings can depend more on nice rooms than healthcare
The most satisfied patients tend to die in greater numbers
7/16/2020
COVID-19 overflow patients in Texas nursing home dealing with excessive heat
Residents were wearing only undergarments and laying on towels or thin sheets to try to stay cool
7/16/2020
Hospital staff’s perception can impact cleaning of pediatric wards
Surfaces that are easiest to clean can become most contaminated after cleaning
7/16/2020
Illinois governor asked to move nursing home residents to hotels
Pritzker administration against ‘moving medically fragile people’
7/16/2020
Security fundamentals for temporary facilities
Six steps for effective security design and operation during an emergency
7/16/2020
Atlanta coronavirus field hospital to be reopened
The facility was first turned into a 200-bed alternative care location in April
7/15/2020
Boston company offers to build ‘sanitization stations' for local healthcare workers
These temporary shower can be installed inside or outside workers' homes
7/15/2020
Mask-strapped healthcare facilities turn to mask-cleaning system
Issues with availability of materials is contributing to the shortages
7/15/2020
6,500 dead from COVID-19 in N.J. nursing homes
Department of Health inspectors reported few issues
7/14/2020
Hospitals working to maintain PPE supplies before flu season
Hospitals are stockpiling personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, face shields and gowns
7/14/2020
N.H. nursing homes receive defective equipment from FEMA
In New Hampshire, 80 percent of the COVID-19 deaths have been residents of nursing homes
7/14/2020
Maryland healthcare organization ramps up pandemic preparedness
The University of Maryland Medical Center scrambled to find ventilators, create surge capacity
7/14/2020
Texas announces $9 million for nursing home infection control projects
Nursing facilities are encouraged to submit applications to the HHSC to receive the funding
7/14/2020
Hospital food service operators on front lines of coronavirus
Healthcare executive chef shares details of serving patients and staff during the pandemic
7/14/2020
Florida hospital ICUs hitting capacity
These hospitals were spread across more than 20 counties
7/13/2020
Housekeeper helps save COVID patient's life
Only healthcare workers and cleaning staff could have in-person interaction with the patient
7/13/2020
Enhanced safety measures initiated to make hospital patients comfortable about seeking care
Washington system established guidelines to ensure patients safety
7/13/2020
AI reduces hospital’s energy use by 20 percent
A system of multi-variant sensing for predictive controls of air-conditioning was used
7/13/2020
N95s urged for all inpatient COVID care
N95 respirators are better at filtering out aerosol generating particles
7/13/2020
Orlando’s VA Medical Center at Lake Nona updates digital infrastructure
Synergy opportunities between systems offer a growing number of conveniences and increased safety to patients, visitors and staff alike
7/13/2020
Federal records show healthcare workers’ pleas for better COVID protective gear
A third of the healthcare-related COVID-19 complaints remain open
7/10/2020
Research finds patients prefer off-campus healthcare
The trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19
7/10/2020
Mass. hospital temporarily closed following severe floods
Storm forced power outages and patient evacuations
7/10/2020
Flexible foodservice design key in healthcare
As trends shift, operators must keep up with menu innovations and remain adaptable
7/10/2020
What a second wave of Covid-19 could look like
A second wave during flu season could potentially overwhelm the healthcare system
7/9/2020
Arizona nursing homes preparing for another coronavirus surge
As the number of new coronavirus cases continues to rise, nursing homes are emphasizing frequent testing
7/9/2020
Adapting construction sites at healthcare facilities
Containment systems and anterooms can keep negative air pressure within the workspace and out of patient rooms
7/9/2020
COVID-19 increases use of microgrids in healthcare sector
There are still regulatory, awareness barriers to adopting systems
7/9/2020
Boston Hospital builds a Covid-19 forecasting system
Forecasting can be useful in times of uncertainty
7/9/2020
Enhancing healthcare facility security using mass notification
Mass notification systems can connect many devices and other systems healthcare facilities already have in place and help leverage them for safety and communication needs
7/9/2020
COVID-19 outbreak brings rising attacks on healthcare workers
There have been more than 400 reported global incidents of COVID-19-related violence
7/8/2020
Pandemic changing strategies for parking garages
Moving into the new normal of parking garage management
7/8/2020
LA’s motion picture home battles coronavirus despite precautions
Management stockpiled surgical gowns, N95 masks and gloves
7/8/2020
Pa. nursing home requires non-medical staff to assist nurses
Building maintenance staff and others are told to help with resident care
7/7/2020
N95 mask shortage still a problem
More than 20 states saw an increase in their daily average of coronavirus cases in mid-June
7/7/2020
Michigan won’t put COVID-19 patients in vacant facilities
But state officials set up a system in which infected residents are cared for in isolated areas of nursing homes
7/7/2020
Hospitals in San Antonio implementing no-visitor policy amid Covid spike
Visitors allowed for critically ill, laboring, pediatric patients
7/7/2020
Security fundamentals for temporary facilities
Six steps for effective security design and operation during an emergency
7/7/2020
Covid outbreak at Mass. veterans facility linked catastrophic decisions
Holyoke Soldiers' Home outbreak killed 76 vets
7/6/2020
Veterans’ home had ‘the opposite of infection control’
An independent report on the coronavirus outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home found wards with both infected and uninfected patients
7/6/2020
Healthcare facilities adjust practices based on supply shortages
Many facilities have started self-producing PPE and test materials and reprocessing respirators
7/6/2020
Pro hand-hygiene culture better than monitoring devices
Consistent and constant messaging and staff empowerment as key drivers of success, according to a study
7/6/2020
Masks, field hospitals seen as urgent preparations for second wave
Ontario Hospital Association also called for the Ontario government to give clearer advice about when people should wear masks
7/6/2020
Reopening onsite restaurants in healthcare facilities
A limited menu, eliminated seating and enhanced cleaning policies can help the transition
7/2/2020
There’s still a PPE shortage in Massachusetts
A second wave could bring situation to crisis level
7/2/2020
Honda, GM producing hand sanitizer for healthcare facilities
An apparatus designed to manufacture the electrodes used in the fuel cells has been repurposed
7/2/2020
Preparation for entering the next pandemic with copper and other automatic door solutions
It is critical for public spaces to implement solutions to prevent escalating virus spread as they re-open in the new normal
7/2/2020
The more cybersecurity changes, the more it stays the same
It is time for an evolution in cybersecurity that focuses on adversary disruption
7/2/2020
GEMA, Georgia National Guard moving makeshift hospital for potential second wave
Seventy-six beds will be set up in the Youth ChalleNGe Academy in Milledgeville
7/1/2020
The importance of FTEs for pandemic preparedness
Full-time employees and contractors must be determined on an environment-by-environment basis
7/1/2020
Improving mobile medical equipment security and safety with electronic access control
Take time to review existing best practices and embrace innovation
7/1/2020
Preparing facilities for reopening
Take time to review existing best practices and embrace innovation
7/1/2020
