Jaime Morgan, Health Facilities Management
The Department of Health & Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness & Response (ASPR) is seeking feedback on its 2017 Health Care Preparedness and Response Capabilities draft.

John Hall, McKnight's Long-Term Care News
Although they are typically at arm's length from residents, and in many instances virtually invisible, housekeeping and laundry operations always will be crucial aspects of nursing home care. Missteps can be costly, especially during survey time.

Healthcare Facilities Today
New research from Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration shows that patients are willing to spend 38 percent more for a hospital room if it has the right kind of hotel-quality amenities, according to an article on the Boston Hospital website.

Carl Weinschenk, Energy Manager Today
The military has been a living laboratory for energy efficiency during the past few years.

Mary Rechtoris, Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers conducted a study which found increasing a facility' s hand hygiene compliance lowered the number of healthcare-associated infections, according to CDC.

Brian Zimmerman, Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality
The time of day and disruption to one's circadian rhythms may have significant influence on susceptibility to infection, according to a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Infection Control Today
Scientists have discovered a new way to attack Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The team, from Imperial College London, have revealed how the bacteria regulates its salt levels.

Yngve Vogt, Medical Xpress
Mathematicians are now developing completely new statistical calculations on the world's fastest computers in order to predict how epidemics of dangerous hospital bacteria spread.

Innovate Long Island
They don’t come with capes or cowls, they’re not powered by an indestructible "arc reactor" and they can’t shrink surgeons to ant-size, but new super-suits are making heroic impressions on the Northwell Health system.

Brent Gleeson, Forbes
All organizations experience periods of much-needed culture change in order to achieve the results they need to grow, compete and win.

Laura Vanderkam, Fast Company
No one likes to be micromanaged. But when it comes to leadership, going too far in the opposite direction can be just as bad.

Make yourself indispensable and advance your career! Plan your education for 2016. Visit AHE’s brand-new 2016 ENGAGE site to learn more about educational courses, podcasts, webinars, and events.

The designation of AHE Fellow (FAHE) recognizes current AHE members for reaching the highest level of education and achievement in both the Association and in the environmental services field. Only presented to Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Professionals (CHESP), FAHE status is given to active members who have excelled in specific areas and have submitted an acceptable, original, unpublished paper on a current aspect of environmental services.

We need YOU! AHE is gathering input from environmental services departments across the country to identify baseline staffing productivity standards. The results of this data gathering will be used in building staffing models and providing metrics for environmental services directors. You can be a key player in identifying and establishing these important staffing criteria for our industry.

EXCHANGE 2016 will be held on September 25-28, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA. This year, EXCHANGE attendees can look forward to:
• Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Technician (CHEST) Pre-Conference Workshop
• Certificate of Mastery in Infection Prevention for Environmental Services (CMIP) Pre-Conference Workshop
• Infection Prevention, Environmental Cleaning, Leadership, Sustainability, Outbreaks and other sessions
• Extended Sessions
• Healthcare Marketplace

Celebrate your team during Environmental Services Week, September 11-17, 2016.

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!

By Sheryl S. Jackson

By Sheryl S. Jackson