Rachael Scott, The Daily Tar Heel
Normally angels are depicted in white, but upon your next visit to UNC Hospitals, you might see some angels dressed in Carolina Blue. Carolina Blue robes are the uniforms of the Environmental Services Choir, which is comprised of the hospitals’ housekeeping staffs.

Practice Greenhealth via Infection Control Today
Practice Greenhealth recently announced the release of its 2015 Environmental Excellence Awards Sustainability Benchmark Report, a detailed analysis of the achievements of the 2015 Environmental Excellence award winners.

Kelly M. Pyrek, Infection Control Today
U.S. hospitals recorded nearly 58,000 work-related injuries and illnesses in 2013, amounting to 6.4 work-related injuries and illnesses for every 100 full-time employees – almost twice as high as the overall rate for private industry.

Heather Punke, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
The following is a list of hospitals in Ohio for which 85 percent or more of patients reported that their room and bathroom were "always" clean on their HCAHPS surveys.

Henry Powderly, Healthcare Finance News
The Leapfrog Group on Wednesday released state rankings for hospital safety based on the Spring 2015 results of its annual rankings program, and according to data, hospital safety is all over the map.

Ron Harrison, Facility Care
When you think about bedbugs, where do you think they reside? Perhaps under the covers at a roadside motel? Or in a bedroom of an old apartment building?

Gail Fraine, RN, MMHC, BSN, CIC
As director of infection prevention at Ascension Health St. Thomas Midtown in Nashville, Gail Fraine, describes the relationship between her team of infection preventionists and environmental services as "minimizing risk and increasing safety when it comes to preventing disease transmission."

Infection Control Today
PDI announces it has released an infographic that highlights key challenges across various health care settings, as well as guidelines for selecting an appropriate disinfectant for the situation.

Shannon Barnet, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
Two long-term acute care hospitals evaluated how using launderable mattresses and bed deck covers affected the incidence of hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection in a recent study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

PR NEWSWIRE via SYS-CON Media
At the ISSA/Interclean North America trade show, GOJO Industries shared its latest hand hygiene technology innovations. Interactive presentations provided information on the GOJO SMARTLINK™ Hand Hygiene Solutions, new dispenser technology and sustainability progress.

Janet H. Cho, Cleveland.com
In its nearly 150-year history, Sherwin-Williams' leaders have never been more optimistic about a product than the one that launches today: Sherwin-Williams' Paint Shield is the world's first paint that kills hard-to-treat, infection-causing bacteria two hours after contact.

Noel Clinton Feik, Health Facilities Management
Transformation within a health care system requires environmental services leaders to become strategic-thinking experts. Strategy formulation is about crafting a long-term vision for an organization while maintaining a degree of elasticity about how to get there.

Alexandra Wilson Pecci, HealthLeaders Media
Applying a one-size-fits all approach to patient satisfaction is a sure-fire way to fail, experts say.

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.

Participate for your chance to win an iPad Air!
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.

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.

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.

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.

Michael Lee Stallard
The best culture in a health care organization is a "connection culture." "Connection" is defined as a bond based on shared identity, empathy, and understanding that moves individuals toward group-centered membership.