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Welcome to March! I hope everyone has stayed safe and warm during the recent set of storms that blew our way in February. I hesitate to even ask what might be next, but I hope it is not the Zombie Apocalypse. I’m just not quite ready for that! The NEHES Board and Chapter Leaders have been hard at work over the past two months. The Spring Seminar has been postponed until June, and we are planning to host that meeting in person. I for one am ready to see all of you and share more of our experiences from 2020. There is so much to learn from each other as we navigated what was an incredibly difficult year. While we are waiting to gather in person, the NEHES Chapters have been doing an excellent job hosting monthly webinars on a variety of topics. More of these will be hosted in the coming months and I want to thank the chapters for their support in hosting these webinars with exceptional educational content. Thank you for all you do to support NEHES and our profession.
Cole Teague MBA, CHFM, CHC
NEHES 2021 President
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Members, Every year, NEHES members have the opportunity to recognize their peers for what they have contributed to NEHES, ASHE, to the engineering profession, and to their State Chapters. Below is the list of each of the awards and we hope that you will take the time to review the requirements and nominate one of your peers. Chapter Excellence Award Chapter Leadership Award Engineer of the Year Award If you have any questions concerning the NEHES Awards, please contact info@nehes.org. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
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Name
Kevin Foley
NEHES Member since
2015
Why did you join NEHES?
To learn more about the hospital industry equipment, operations, processes and in particular the Joint Commission rules an regulations.
What would you say to encourage someone to join NEHES?
NEHES provides common ground to help Facilities Professionals to climb out of their silos. First, It is important to observe practices that similar facilities use and see what new ideas are coming up. Next, it helps to broaden our knowledge base to include technology we wouldn't have considered if it weren't for NEHES education.
Benefits of NEHES
I have a great group of peers to speak with whenever I run into a new issue. I also have the ability to see them in person a couple of times a year at the conferences where new products are rolled out.
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REGION 1 ASHE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
NEHES ASHE LIAISON
Alison W. Brisson, CHFM, SASHE
Concord Hospital - Director of Facility Operations
Concord, NH
“We’ve got a responsibility to live up to the legacy of those who came before us by doing all that we can to help those who come after us.” Michelle Obama
As we navigate 2021, thanks must be given to the leadership of the ASHE & NEHES 2020 board members who brilliantly sailed the proverbial ships through unchartered and challenging waters. Amidst a worldwide pandemic, ASHE & NEHES stood strong and provided support and guidance to their members, many of whom were fighting on the front lines of healthcare to keep our physical environments safe. Thank you, all of you. Special thanks to Ed Browne for his outstanding leadership and volunteerism as the NEHES ASHE Liaison and ASHE Region 1 Board Member for the past two years.
Our new ASHE President, Antonio Suarez and President-Elect Shadie (Shay) Rakhorn Jr. engaged the ASHE Advisory Board & Executive Committee during a virtual board orientation on February 8th. This was an opportunity for new board members like myself to “meet” other leaders on the board and begin to understand key roles and responsibilities. Our first official board meeting is scheduled for March 24th, (virtually of course).
Until then, I can offer the following updates:
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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the big question of healthcare building management has been how to make facilities safer for occupants. One popular solution: replacing handled faucets with higher value touchless ones, as this reduces the number of surfaces users of sinks in healthcare buildings touch, and thus potentially limits the spread of disease in these spaces. The catalyst for increased safety by utilizing these faucets will also drive down the operating cost of your building by saving thousands of gallons of water every year. As budgets are pinched due to lower revenue during this pandemic, we are seeing capital spending that is focused on infection prevention being prioritized. Now is a great time to evaluate the benefits of touchless faucets as we increase the sustainability of our resources and increase our safety for all users of our buildings.
Jesse Renaud, CHFM
NEHES Sustainability Liaison
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Health Facilities Management
Streamlining processes has led to significant benefits for Yale New Haven Health System, winner of the American Society for Health Care Engineering's 2020 Excellence in Health Care Facility Management Award.
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Health Facilities Management
It's important to conduct a risk assessment when making temporary changes to the physical environment.
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facilitiesnet.com
Some changes brought about by the pandemic, including health and safety measures, are likely to have staying power, according to some experts.
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Message from President
