Shannon Barnet, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
Using microfiber and steam technology may exclude the use of chemicals, but this novel environmental cleaning approach was found to be clinically advantageous in an operating room setting in a study published in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.

Susan Morse, Healthcare Finance
Proposed Environmental Protection Agency rules will prevent hospitals from flushing drugs down the toilet or drain.

Shannon Barnet, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
Signs that encourage clinicians to wash their hands can do more than just boost hand hygiene compliance – they also improve patient and visitor perceptions of the health care facility's safety and care quality, according to a recent survey.

Dennis Boyle, Healthcare Facilities Today
Infection control has certainly changed in recent years. It used to be that washing hands and sterilizing tools and equipment with high-temperature water was enough to keep patients, health care workers, and visitors safe from viruses and bacteria.

Jamie Morgan, Health Facilities Management
Kaiser Permanente has banned the use of 13 antimicrobial chemicals and elements added to fabrics, furniture, and finishes in its building projects going forward, according to an Oct. 13 bulletin.

Jeff Ferenc, Health Facilities Management
A West Coast community hospital with 181 beds is finding that its decision to install a fuel cell continues to help it meet its long-term sustainability goals by providing clean, efficient energy that cuts costs and carbon emissions.

Infection Control Today
Children are becoming infected with the highly fatal antibiotic-resistant bacteria Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) at a much higher rate than the recent past, according to a data analysis by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

Karin Lillis, Infection Control Today
It’s usually the small things that are overlooked, emphasizes John Lowe, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).

Infection Control Today
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a redesigned online tool making it easier to search data on foodborne disease outbreaks.

Jacie Volkman, MPH, CIC, and Jim Brunner, CHSP, Infection Control Today
Last year, the U.S. witnessed its first case of the Ebola virus disease (EVD). As health care workers and civilian volunteers returned from West Africa to the U.S., questions surrounding how to evaluate and address EVD-related risks quickly came into focus – ranging from public health exposure to clinical practices inside hospitals.

Infection Control Today
On CDC’s Safe Healthcare Blog, Laura Buford with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) calls for health care professionals to pledge to prevent infections by cleaning their hands in honor of International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW).

Heather Punke, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
Halyard Health, formerly Kimberly-Clark Health Care, is offering a free online infection prevention educational hub for health care professionals in honor of International Infection Prevention Week, which runs from Oct. 18 through Oct. 24.

Tamara Rosin, Becker’s Hospital Review
Confident. Intelligent. Strategic. Tenacious. These are some characteristics of great leaders that first come to mind. But there is something missing from this list: humility.

John S. Toussaint, Harvard Business Review
In all of the loud and necessary debates over how to reform health care in the United States before it bankrupts the country, there is one element that has been continually overlooked: the management systems employed by hospitals.

Thursday, October 29th, 1:00 p.m. ET, 12:00 p.m. CT, 10:00 a.m. PT
In this webinar, we’ll discuss how Integrated Pest Management can play a role in your sustainability initiatives, help reduce reliance on chemical treatments, and work to provide a healthier environment for patients – all while fighting pests. We will also address the most common health care pests, including ants, bed bugs and flies, and what you can do to help prevent them.

Webinar attendees will receive a participation certificate after the webinar

MyAHE is our branded members-only discussion forum. On MyAHE, you can ask your most pressing environmental services related questions or answer questions posed by other professionals.

October 8–November 20, 2015
AHE invites those interested in presenting at its EXCHANGE 2016 to submit a proposal for review by the Conference Planning Committee.

Journal-News
A long-time employee of Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital has been awarded for her efforts around patient safety and patient experience, the health care system announced Oct. 12.

If interested in contributing to EXPLORE by authoring a best-practices article, email Heather Williams, EXPLORE editor, for more information. The magazine covers all aspects relevant to health care environmental services professionals.

Brian Leafblad
We live and work in a world that is moving faster, with demands that seem to pile quicker than our ability to meet them. So what do you do? How do you prioritize your task list?

Heather Williams, EXPLORE magazine
By now, we’re sure you’ve heard the big news: Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Technician (CHEST)—the new certification program from the Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) for frontline environmental services workers—is officially rolled out, and soon hospitals across the nation will begin the very important and industry-changing work by offering classroom-style training that will transform the role of frontline environmental services specialists.