NEHES Monthly Digest
January 2021
Upcoming Events
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Very Special Project
WBRC Architects/Engineers®
For over 50 years, the Children’s Center in Augusta, Maine, has transformed the lives of children with developmental disabilities. This new expanded facility will help the Children’s Center serve even more of these special kids and their families.
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NEHES News
Welcome to the 2021 NEHES Board of Directors
2021 NEHES Spring Seminar Call for Presentation Abstracts

Currently scheduled for Friday, March 26, 2021 | Danvers, MA

To assist with education planning, the New England Healthcare Engineers' Society is soliciting abstracts for presentations at the 2021 Spring Seminar.

Abstracts must be submitted through the web form at the link below. We ask that all abstracts support the conference theme: "Beyond the Pandemic: Our New Normal" and fit into at least one of the general competency areas of Compliance; Planning, Design & Construction; Maintenance & Operations; Finance; and Administration. Each abstract submission should include four specific learning objectives to help identify what attendees will be able to apply in their workplace following your session. Speakers must also be willing to present virtually, in case the meeting transitions to that format.

Deadline to submit your abstract: January 15, 2021

Submit Abstract

Interested in participating in a panel discussion regarding best practices and lessons learned during the pandemic? Let us know here!

COVID-19 Response - Share Your Best Practices

NEHES Members have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in many different ways. If you have a best practice which would be helpful to other NEHES members, we encourage you to share these at the following link: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/4d039e0c63d3495fa9a91d2b4d00484e  
 
Best practices can be viewed on the NEHES Website at this link: https://nehes.org/page/shared_best_practices
 
NEHES also has COVID-19 resources available at this link: https://nehes.org/page/shared_best_practices 
 
New articles are posted frequently and if you have a resource which would be helpful to NEHES members, please let us know by email NEHES at info@nehes.org. 

Message from President
  
Happy New Year, NEHES Members! 2021 will barely have started when you receive this, but I have no doubt it is a year full of change and opportunity. I hope each of you enjoyed the holiday season and were able to spend time to recharge and refocus.
Gleeson Powers Inc.
H.O. Penn Machinery Co., Inc.
WSP: Creating People-Centered Design
WSP
WSP is an internationally recognized engineering consulting firm that has grown to over 10,000 staff nationally and 45,000 globally in every technical specialty (MEP, Structural, Commissioning, Civil, Water and Environment, Energy, Power, etc.) while still offering the same local expertise and service that our clients have come to expect.  
Click here to learn more
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ASHE Update
Join ASHE Today! You Will Not Regret Your Decision
  
The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) is one of the largest associations devoted to optimizing the healthcare-built environment and is a personal membership organization of the American Hospital Association. ASHE’s 12,000+ members design, build, and operate hospitals, and are involved in improving the healthcare physical environment from the time hospital blueprints are drawn throughout the lifespan of a facility.
RPF Associates, Inc.
REOS Sales & Service
Sustainability
2020 Energy Star Certified Building Added, Two New Senior Care Communities
Energy Star certified buildings save energy, save money and help protect the environment by generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions than typical buildings. To be certified as Energy Star, a building must meet strict energy performance standards set by EPA. Specifically, to be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification, a building must earn an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher, indicating that it performs better than at least 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide. Through Portfolio Manager, EPA delivers 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR scores for many types of buildings. The ENERGY STAR score accounts for differences in operating conditions, regional weather data, and other important considerations.
 
What is your Energy Star score? If it is over 75, consider applying for an Energy Star certification. If it is not 75, work toward certification in a future year! EPA Region 1 would love to see some more New England Energy Star certified hospitals and Senior Care Community facilities!
Sustainability in the News
Recent articles related to sustainability in health care.
Sustainability Crossword
Click below for a sustainability crossword puzzle.
Crossword Puzzle Answers
How did you do?
Facility Management News
Designing Secure Facilities for the Health Care Field
Health Facilities Management
Thomas A. Smith discusses the latest edition of the IAHSS Security Design Guidelines for Healthcare Facilities
Re-Envisioning the Hospital Command Center
Health Facilities Management
The hospital command center of the future could look very different, according to some experts.
Floors May Be Underappreciated Source of Contamination
Health Facilities Management
A new study suggested that the floors in hospital rooms could be a more significant source of pathogen spread than previously thought.
Seaman DiCarlo General Contractors, Inc.
Pall Medical