Sustainable Operations - June 2021
We Need A Better Understanding of Cleaning Terms
Communicating proper terminology is critical when training environmental services personnel
6/30/2021
Coronavirus on Hospital Surfaces Unlikely to Be Infectious: Study
Reduction in virus contamination likely due to improved patient management and cleaning protocol
6/29/2021
Most Healthcare Organizations Expect Ransomware Attacks: Survey
One-third of surveyed organizations were impacted by ransomware in last year
6/29/2021
American Indian Tribes Press for Deferred Maintenance Funds
Average age of Indian Health Service facilities is more than 37 years, compared to nine years the private sector
6/28/2021
Kaiser Invests in Microgrids To Improve Sustainability
Higher-acuity care and increased threats of outages are driving interest in microgrids
6/28/2021
Lawsuits Filed Over Scripps Health Ransomware Attacks
Two cases were filed in federal court recently, joining two already filed in state court in early June
6/28/2021
Senior Care Community, University Struggle to Co-Exist
Residents of senior living community complained about noise and hours of operation of nearby music venue
6/25/2021
Fire Safety and Cybersecurity: What’s the Connection?
Attacks can create false alarms, loss of communication or denial of service, and a malfunctioning system could compromise patient safety
6/24/2021
Data Breach Affects 21 Hospitals. 1.6 Million People
Compromised files contained patient records with protected health information
6/24/2021
Rise of Delta Variant Puts Facilities on Notice
More-harmful coronavirus variant probably will become dominant U.S. strain in the coming months, Walensky says
6/23/2021
Wanted: A 21st Century IAQ Strategy
Managers need to consider holistic integrated IAQ solution that uses complementary technologies
6/23/2021
OSHA Cites Medical Facilities Owner Over COVID-19
Owner accused of failing to protect workers from exposure to virus and implement proper safety measures
6/22/2021
Stabbing of Physician Leads to Lawsuit
Doctor’s lawyers say no one on staff alerted hospital security or seemed to know how to respond to incident
6/21/2021
Rethinking Emergency Preparedness in Assisted Living
Research findings underscore importance of understanding ‘unique challenges’ communities face
6/18/2021
Groups To Foster Sustainability in Safety-Net Hospitals
Topics to include strategic energy management planning, new technologies and innovative funding mechanisms
6/16/2021
HEPA Purifiers Can Reduce Airborne COVID-19: Researcher
Air purifiers could benefit hospitals where aerosol-generating procedures occur
6/15/2021
New OSHA Standard Targets COVID-19 in Healthcare
ETS requires employers to help protect workers where suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients are treated
6/14/2021
Hospital Upgrades Reflect Impact of COVID-19
Facility to offer more single-occupancy rooms to decrease potential for spread of disease
6/11/2021
Hospital Pays Ransom Over Cyber Attack
Incident affected the protected health information of nearly 57,400 individuals
6/11/2021
Looking for Trouble: Tabletop Emergency Exercises
One alternative to full-scale emergency drills and exercises is tabletop exercises
6/10/2021
EVS in Spotlight of Facility Health and Safety
Managers need to consider measures to improve infection prevention
6/10/2021
COVID-19 Employment Lawsuits Target Healthcare
More than one in five of every pandemic-related lawsuit has been filed against healthcare employers
6/9/2021
Surface Spotlight: New Findings on Coating and Infection
Antibacterial surface coating limits the transmission of Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile
6/8/2021
Accessibility Lawsuit Targets Assisted Living Facility
Manhattan facility faces federal lawsuit over allegations it discriminates against people with disabilities who use wheelchairs
6/4/2021
Tornado Preparedness: It’s Never Too Early
Not all tornado seasons will be like 2021, and it’s never too early to start preparing for next year
6/4/2021
Resilient, Sustainable and Adaptable: The Future of Healthcare
Hospitals need to be prepared for surplus of patients and have knowledge to mitigate emergent infrastructure failures
6/4/2021
COVID-19 Outbreak Hits Maine Hospital
Two recently admitted patients and four staff members in hospital’s medical/surgical unit tested positive
6/3/2021
Ranking Risks: Ventilation and Infection Control
Risk-ranking each space in facilities with required temperature, pressure and humidity will guide testing procedures
6/2/2021
$160.5 Million Hospital Stresses Security
New psychiatric facility has hundreds of cameras and is designed to minimize staff blind spots
6/1/2021
Are Soft Surfaces Key To Preventing Infection?
A lack of knowledge about soft surfaces leaves facilities vulnerable to higher infection rates
6/1/2021
