Healthcare Facilities Today
To ensure the best air filtration for a health care facility use filters with a MERV-A rating that matches the facility requirements, according to an article on the Facility Care website.

Infection Control Today via Johns Hopkins Medicine
Based on responses to questionnaires and letters sent to CEOs and medical personnel from a nationwide sample of 53 hospitals, Johns Hopkins investigators have identified a handful of best practices they say are most likely to give patients a positive hospital experience, a sense of satisfaction and the feeling they come first.

Jamie Morgan, Health Facilities Management
There are more than 1,900 retail-based health facilities in the United States, and they treat more than 10 million people each year. The location factor – health care services set in a venue where consumers already go for everyday needs – certainly gives them leverage.

Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Concerns about hospital "superbugs" have spotlighted the need to prevent the spread of germs in health-care settings. But a new report reveals a disturbing lack of knowledge on something as basic as proper cleaning of a patient's room.

Alex Crown, Forex Report Daily
"The most important lesson from this outbreak was the speed and skill with which the different professionals from partner agencies and NHS Lothian investigated the outbreak and the potential environmental sources." All the affected buildings are in New York’s Bronx borough. Symptoms of the disease also include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion, and diarrhea.

Tom Sullivan, Healthcare Finance
Calico, Google X, and Google Ventures, all with significant health care focus, will become separate units under Alphabet.

Sheila Semrou AAHID, ASID, Health Facilities Management
Some of the most successful health care interiors visually relate to the surrounding natural environments. This helps health care facilities to reinforce strong connections with their communities.

Susan Morse, Healthcare Finance
Approaching wildfires and a lingering drought have hospitals in California putting their disaster plans into use. With the drought affecting all 400 hospitals in the state, many are conserving water, according to Jan Emerson-Shea, vice president for external affairs for the California Hospital Association.

CleanLink
Critical to enhancing the life span and minimizing down time when using an automatic scrubber is simply having a basic knowledge of the machine's operating system, according to Sean Martschinke, a CIMS ISSA Certification Expert (ICE) and marketing manager for Tornado Industries, a manufacturer of professional floor care equipment.

Teresa Carr, Consumer Reports
The CDC finds improved infection control and antibiotic prescribing could save 37,000 lives in five years.

CleanLink
A new study published in the the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), reports that the use of pulsed xenon ultraviolet (UV) light technology enabled Westchester Medical Center (Valhalla, NY) to reduce hospital acquired Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection rates in its intensive care unit (ICU) by 70 percent.

Infection Control Today
Today, a growing number of infections are caused by antibiotic-resistant germs. In fact, these resistant germs cause more than 2 million illnesses and at least 23,000 deaths each year in the United States. In a new video, "CDC Vital Signs—Making Health Care Safer: Stop the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance," CDC spotlights how antibiotic-resistant germs are spreading between health care facilities, even those that are practicing infection control and antibiotic stewardship.

Peter Lam, Medical News Today
In the era of "superbugs," cleanliness in hospitals is more important than ever. However, a systematic overview of studies investigating cleaning methods in hospitals has revealed a worrying lack of evidence on the best ways to protect patients' health.

Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
Any construction or renovation project at a health care facility can have infection implications. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has released the Infection Prevention Manual for Construction & Renovation, a critical resource for all health care facility construction and renovation projects, to serve as a blueprint for planning through completion.

Neal Lorenzi, Health Facilities Management
Disinfecting health care environments always has been a significant challenge, and these days the task has become even more daunting as new, stronger pathogens emerge. In response, manufacturers have developed fast-acting, easy-to-apply disinfectants that kill a variety of bacteria and viruses and reduce the risk of cross-contamination. As new challenges arise, development of new formulas continues.

Victor Lipman, Forbes
One of the most valuable skills any manager at any level can have is the ability to handle conflict effectively. It’s crucial. As anyone who’s managed a day or more likely knows, conflict abounds in the workplace. It can be about anything: budgets, personalities, competition for limited resources, competition with other leaders. It can be with those above you or below you.

Monique Valcour, Harvard Business Review
Over the years, I’ve asked hundreds of executive students what skills they believe are essential for leaders. "The ability to give tough feedback" comes up frequently. But what exactly is "tough feedback"? The phrase connotes bad news, like when you have to tell a team member that they’ve screwed up on something important. Tough also signifies the way we think we need to be when giving negative feedback: firm, resolute, and unyielding.

Bruce Kasanoff, LinkedIn Pulse
True confession: There have been some years that I grew so tired of leadership books that I couldn’t even walk into a bookstore for fearing of seeing another. After pulling myself together, it occurred to me that we could all put this debate to rest with a single word: faith.

Wednesday, August 19
We all know just how challenging it can be to work cohesively with other departments. We sometimes look at these departments with disrespect and contempt. Many times the feelings are mutual. When this happens, it is important to know what to do to build bridges, strengthen relationships, and foster effective communication as well as collaboration.

Complimentary for AHE members!

EXPRESS is a mobile learning platform that offers educational podcasts delivered by environmental services and infection prevention thought leaders. You asked for a learning opportunities that required less of a time commitment, and we delivered!

The application/nomination process to be considered for the AHE board of directors for the term January 2016–December 2018 is now open. There are two positions open for application and nomination.Open to PAM members only.

The deadline for application or nomination is Friday, August 14, 2015, 4:00 p.m. CST.

Want to propel yourself to the next level of your career? Demonstrate your expertise and commitment to environmental services excellence by seeking your FAHE designation through AHE. The designation of AHE Fellow (FAHE) recognizes current AHE members for reaching the highest level of self and or professional education and achievement in both the association and in the environmental services field.

Hitting mailboxes across the U.S. in the next couple weeks is the latest issue of EXPLORE magazine. Filled with one-of-a-kind articles on everything from EXCHANGE and technology to cultivating a "connection" culture and networking, you won’t want to miss it. If interested in contributing to the Winter issue, email Heather Williams, EXPLORE editor, for more information. We’re covering laundry, linen, and textiles, among other hot topics.

Karen Hill-Whitson, EXPLORE magazine
"Workloading" is not just an overused industry term. It serves a real purpose and, when implemented correctly, it has a profound positive impact on everyone including the client, front-line staff, middle management, financial overseers, and organization as a whole.

Damon DeChamplain, CHESP, CHFM, EXPLORE magazine
As more and more research unfolds regarding preventing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), it is very apparent that cleanliness is as critical to a hospital’s successful operation as any clinical function that takes place within the health care institution.

Paul Picciurro, CHESP, EXPLORE magazine
Same old, same old, over and over again. Environmental services leaders are required to train their staff on cleaning procedures, safety topics and human resources policies. Teaching the same topics year after year gets flat out boring – even for the leaders!