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Legionella Case Occurs: 5 Recommended Next Steps
Once Legionella is detected in your facility, the protocol is to contact the State or County Health Department. If the news breaks publicly, be prepared to receive calls or have a camera crew turn up from your local media.Here some recommendations on how to handle the next steps:Designate a spokesperson for the facility and notify […]
Providing excellent care through training and culture
The most successful hospitals not only focus on patient safety and positive outcomes, they also create a collective winning mindset within the organization. When a positive and open culture is created, great things happen and everyone benefits, especially patients. Two leaders—one in the Navy and one at a top-five hospital system—had simple but effective ways […]
Hospital policy changes: Measles, flu, and Candida auris
According to U.S. News & World Report health officials are predicting the upcoming flu season to be severe. Hospitals are scrambling to address the risks presented by increasing Measles cases, flu contagion, and prevention of the spread of the multi-drug resistant fungus Candida auris (C. auris). More healthcare systems are reviewing existing health tracking policies […]
What caused MOLD in my home when no water leak occurred?
If mold is developing on surfaces in your home and not caused by any leak or water intrusion, it is likely a humidity problem. When the humidity level in your home reaches 60% or higher, it provides an environment that will promote mold colonization. The difference between mold caused by a relative humidity problem and […]
Innovation saves client $30k+ on mold remediation
The ceiling in a client’s special-use building had visible mold due to a failure of the air handling system. The hot, humid summer air helped facilitate mold to colonize on the surface of the ceiling tiles. Rather than removing the existing tiles and installing a new ceiling, our technicians used a combination of chemicals and […]
Legionella exposure is real and can happen anywhere
By Thom Wellington, CEO and Founder of Wellington Environmental This past winter, my wife and I checked into a Florida condo at Christmas for a long planned get away — someplace warm, with an ocean view, to relax and plan for the coming new year. Once we checked into our room, I noticed the toilet […]
CMS considers making hospital inspection outcomes public
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is threatening to make hospital inspection results by accreditation providers such as The Joint Commission, DNV, CIHQ and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program public so that patients can see potential violations prior to choosing a hospital. CMS submitted a survey and certification letter, dated April 16, 2017, announcing […]
Training and empowerment are the keys to providing quality care
Health care associated infections (HAIs) are drawing increasing attention from patients, insurers, government and regulatory agencies. Everyone must understand their role in improving outcomes. Education is essential for infection control since most HAIs are considered preventable. You would not get on an airplane knowing the pilot had no training. It’s not just pilots who require […]
Assessing the indirect costs of HAIs
Too often we hear about the cost of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) as related to the responsible hospital. Traveling around the country and working closely with health care systems on reducing infections, I have seen internal costs for HAIs ranging from $25,000 to $45,000 per incident. The individual costs of infection are reason enough to place […]
Cancer treatments using immune system come with a cost
To many fighting cancer, palliative care is considered the ending point – just dealing with pain management until life ends. Recent developments outside of normal cancer treatment have emerged with both promise and staggering treatment pricing. While chemotherapy is still considered a mainstay in fighting cancer, it has its drawbacks in the form of adverse […]
Reducing infections in young patients
Innovation in pediatric care may be natural for young physicians, but a paradigm shift for older pediatric docs. Innovation is quickly weaving its way into health care with younger patients and families welcoming the changes. Beyond the technological advances, infection prevention in pediatrics remains to be an important factor as innovation transforms the delivery of […]
HAIs shrink as trend for outpatient facilities grows
The demand for health care is not shrinking. It is growing faster than ever. Consider that 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day. As demand for health care increases due to an aging population, health care delivery is at a tipping point. Smaller, more specialized facilities are already noticeable in most cities, and one substantial benefit […]
Rural hospital patient safety benefits and survival prescription
Rural hospitals are generally smaller than those located in urban areas. Rural facilities normally serve areas with an average population base of 3,500 – 5,000, spread across a much larger land area. Some facilities have moved to increase security due to local and even internal incidents. Two Florida hospitals took aggressive security stands after the […]
Security tightening at hospitals for patient safety
A noticeable change is occurring at the front entrance to hospitals. Currently, many facilities allow incoming visitors, contractors and others to enter hospitals from multiple access points – adjoining medical office buildings, side doors, delivery doors, as well as the front door, without questioning or stopping anyone. Visitors still stop at information desks inquiring about […]
Legionella plan is not the same as a water management plan
Don’t get caught in thinking a Legionella Plan is the same as a Water Management Plan for a facility. State and accreditation inspectors know the difference, even though it may be slight, they can issue a violation for the mistaken identity. For example, a hospital that had its cooling towers sampled for legionella bacteria on […]
Flu Vaccines for Staffers are Part of Patient Safety
Commissioning inspectors are interested in programs that improve safety and drive successful patient outcomes. To that end, hospitals are not only reviewing the impact of medical equipment care toward patient outcomes they are also moving to expand influenza vaccination to make humans safer. In fact, more health care systems are expanding immunization demands beyond clinical […]
Water Management Plan Goes Beyond Legionella
Legionnaire’s Disease makes the news, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only water management concern. Don’t get caught in thinking a Legionella plan is the same as a water management plan for a facility. Legal experts know the difference, even though it may be slight. They can catch facility directors off-guard in a courtroom and […]
Understanding your medical facility environment
A recent article on Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare’s website announces that mold was found in a New York hospital’s maternity unit and is to blame for 53 employees falling ill in recent months. Nurses and other workers in the maternity unit have reported illnesses such as headaches, dizziness, and swollen throats after air monitoring […]
The Dilemma: Legionella Control vs. Scalding Risk
One of the major concerns we have experienced when writing Water Management Plans for hospitals and Long Term Care (LTC) facilities has to do with temperature setting requirements. Since Water Management Plans for controlling bacteria, such as Legionella, are required in LTC and hospital settings, one important aspect is controlling hot water temperatures. Legionella thrives […]
Brown Water in New Renovation Construction
Situation/Problem: Homeowner complains of brownish water and occasional debris coming out of water faucets and shower heads. This home has both copper piping and plastic piping (PEX – polyethylene flexible tubing). PEX piping has become very popular in new residential construction since it is very easy to work with, can fit into uneven spots, and […]
Gene-editing technology may cure deadly diseases
Even though CRISPR sounds like something as simple as a cereal or a toaster treat, it is actually a scientific development that is making research faster and cheaper with more accurate results. CRISPR is a powerful gene-editing technology that is already showing promise in curing difficult and deadly diseases. CRISPR is a defense mechanism found […]
Infection Control Corner: Bacteria hits the floor
Just when you thought things were improving with hospital safety and health care associated infections (HAIs), new research shows health care associated pathogens remain active on all types of surfaces for extended periods of time. CMS submitted a survey and certification letter, dated April 16, 2017, announcing the intention to publish proposed changes that will […]
Five new products and innovations to reduce the danger of infections
You may be wondering why this article is specifically focused on health care-associated infections (HAIs) while so many changes are occurring in health care. Unfortunately, there are a few powerful forces that have collided over one specific spot that makes this focus on HAIs significant. With the continued rise in multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs), an […]
Minimizing infections when reprocessing endoscopy equipment
Endoscopic procedures involve a flexible or rigid tube with a light and camera attached to it which is inserted into an organ cavity. This invasive imaging technique is sometimes combined with specific surgical procedures. Endoscopes fall into categories based on the area of the body that they investigate. The Food and Drug Administration states that […]
The HAI tipping point has been reached
A tipping point is defined as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.” This definition can be applied in health care as it relates to health care-associated infections (HAIs). The apex has been reached and the weight is moving the entire balance of health care to incorporate change quickly. So what tipped the […]
Sterile Processing Department – How Clean is Clean?
Sterile Processing Department – How Clean is Clean?.
Sterile Lightning – Advanced Science to Eliminate Mold
Sterile Lightning is an advanced formulation mold remediation chemical that must be used by trained technicians. This product can save customers up to 70% over conventional mold remediation techniques. Mold contaminated drywall from high humidity can be saved in most circumstances using this revolutionary product. Sterile Lightning digs deep into the drywall, reacts with the […]
Ride the Wave!
Sterile Lightning is our proprietary process for removing MOLD. Sterile Lightning can save up to 70% over conventional MOLD remediation techniques. See how you can become a marketing partner in this explosive growth business using our methods and marketing. Call me TODAY or email thom@environmentalcare.com.
More Business, More Money
Want more business for your struggling environmental services company? Want more Money in your pocket? We have the answer…..Sterile Lightning! Sterile Lightning is a mold remediation process that can save clients up to 70% over conventional remediation techniques. In addition to saving money, you can save your clients time (and we all know that means […]
Want to jump …
Want to jump in on a Ground Floor Opportunity? This new service will produce more revenue and higher profits for your environmental services company. Wellington Environmental is preparing to offer a new mold remediation process that also includes a marketing program that will catapult your sales to new levels! Find out how using our […]
Mold Remediationwith a Twist
After working in Operating Rooms in Hospitals and ASCs across the country – we watched a trend emerge that will benefit our customers with MOLD problems. We tweaked the technology being used to eliminate multi-drug resistant bacteria such as MRSA, C.Diff, Staph and more from critical areas of hospitals. We found that we can kill […]
Indoor Air Quality – Document Your Actions
When someone complains about an indoor air problem, make sure you take ACTION. Document the actions you take in checking for the problem as well as what you found. Too often we see facility managers ignore or never tell the complaintant what they did. Complainers can stir things up and can notify news organizations or […]
Indoor Air Quality – Document Your Actions
When someone complains about an indoor air problem, make sure you take ACTION. Document the actions you take in checking for the problem as well as what you found. Too often we see facility managers ignore or never tell the complaintant what they did. Complainers can stir things up and can notify news organizations or […]
Tragedy Clean-Up Specialists
Recently we were asked to clean up after a person shot multiple people including himself in a midwestern manufacturing plant. The scene was massive in area – it included multiple offices, the parking lot and other areas of the plant. You could almost sence the horror witnesses experienced. As one of the first people on the scene […]
Operating Room: Important Fungi Testing
Several decades old advisories claim air quality culture sampling is not critical to a reduction to HAIs. Yet according to a May, 2011 article in the Journal of Infection Control, regular monitoring of airborne bacteria levels helps reduce the risk of surgical site infection (SSI). Testing for airborne fungi and fibers as well as dust […]
Duct Cleaning Pros
If you have heard about the people that charge only $10 a vent and somehow at the end of the job, the invoice is well over $2,000 – Ouch! What happened? Do I have a 100 more vents than I thought, do these guys have a calculator that multiplies by a factor of 10…quick grab […]
Operating Room (OR) Certification – Insurance
ASCs and Hospital Operating Rooms (ORs) pay a good deal of money to cover their liabilities with insurance policies. What most don’t take the time to understand is that the coverage requirement is that the facility must operate their critical rooms to the original design standards. Most don’t realize that the air exchange rate needs to […]
The BEST test!
After performing all types of testing and inspections for hospitals and ASCs a recognizable trend appears right in front of you. The facilities that “care” about the service they provide are always looking for ways to improve and guarantee perfection in the Operating Room. If it is simple dust migration monitoring, pressure testing or more […]
