Page 3 - April 2020 Ulupono

EVS part of everyday champions meeting the COVID-19 Challenge
By Richard Kirchner, Director of Facilities and Environmental Services
In a short few weeks everything has changed. There is a run on toilet paper and hand sanitizer and our neighborhoods are
as quiet as a movie set. On the inside of
the hospital everyone is busy taking care of their piece of the puzzle, contributing to one great and massive effort.
• Brave nurses, nurse leaders and
physicians are on the front lines developing new protocols with Infection Prevention to use resources efficiently while balancing patient and associate safety.
• Units of the hospital who have seen their business curtailed have shifted their personnel to assist in other areas of the hospital. The labor pool is doing their best to find associates to staff screening, drive-through testing, ED tent overflow, amongst a host of other duties.
• Others are doing their part by working from home and offering support and encouragement to those responding at the hospital.
The COVID-19 pandemic also shines a
light on our Environmental Services (EVS) staff who quietly perform their vital and important work every day, and who are truly champions of our workforce.
Their duties are challenging and difficult while also being science-based. They need to use the right product, at the right time, with the right technique. Hospitals are often described by the number of beds or the square footage with ours being about 200,000 sq. feet. This translates into a total area of cleanable surfaces that is in the millions!
Our amazing EVS staff is comprised of many seasoned associates with decades of dedicated service and during these times especially we want to express our deep appreciation for the work they do. Their work keeps our patients, our staff and our community safe. They are always working hard to improve their techniques and skills. They are working extra hard these days to keep our hand sanitizer stations supplied. They are cleaning common areas and high
A few EVS staff members pictured from left: Christopher Cabellon, Jennifer Sanchez and Girly Acierto, who have less than five years of service at Castle, and Fely Carag, Myrna Pagdilao and Elizabeth Halahuni, who have 40 or more years of service at Castle.
touch surfaces like elevators, handrails, walls, sinks, desks and more–multiple times a day. They are responding to this crisis without complaint. Their spirit prevails.
Take some time to thank each other
and especially our dedicated EVS team. Now more than ever, we understand the important role they play in breaking the chain of infection.
Castle listed among hospitals with the nation’s best CAUTI rates
Becker’s Hospital Review listed Adventist Health Castle among the hospitals with the lowest rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infections in the U.S., according to the most recent HCAHPS scores. Castle was one of 58 hospitals who had a Catheter Associated Urinary
Tract Infections score of 0, compared to the national average of 1.
The figures are from CMS’ Hospital Compare website and represent HCAHPS scores collected from April 2018 through March 2019.
APRIL 2020 - ULUPONO | 3