Environmental Services – the Gatekeepers of Hospital Safety

Environmental Services Week recognizes the often-overlooked contributions of the men and women who play a vital role in keeping healthcare facilities safe, clean, and functional.

As hospitals across the nation celebrate Environmental Services (EVS) Week, it’s time to recognize the often-overlooked contributions of the men and women who play a vital role in keeping healthcare facilities safe, clean, and functional. The EVS team at Rutland Regional is the backbone of our hospital and work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to clean and disinfect spaces to keep everyone safe from disease and infection. Rick Hildebrant, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer and Medical Director of Hospital Medicine, emphasized the importance of this work: "Thorough and effective cleaning of patient care areas is essential in preventing the spread of infectious diseases such as MRSA, C. difficile, and COVID-19. The EVS team at Rutland Regional plays a critical role in safeguarding the health and safety of our patients, visitors, and staff."

Here at RRMC, our EVS staff maintain their Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Technician (CHEST) status by applying their learned infection prevention practices constantly and consistently every day. The recertification process takes place every three years and helps them keep up to date on the different chemicals that kill viruses or bacteria. They work together with Infection Prevention to stay up to speed on the most recent CDC guidelines and implement changes or improvements in infection prevention and cleaning techniques. This involves knowing the right infection prevention techniques for a patient’s situation, as well as understanding the room’s air exchange and air flow.

"Our EVS team is vital to the success of our organization on many different levels as they consistently provide a clean environment that meets the standards that our community expects of RRMC," says Jonathan Reynolds, Vice President of Clinical Operations. "We are so proud of the EVS department and all their hard work, day in and day out!"

It’s not often that people think about what goes into cleaning the hundreds of thousands of feet that make up our local hospital. We don’t necessarily see the staff responsible for the special training and knowledge of chemical usage, dwell times, and proper protective equipment to keep every visitor, patient, employee, and their families safe from the pathogens that cause infections. Yet they are here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year maintaining this vital facility for our community. To all Environmental Services Technicians everywhere, we thank you for all that you do!