Groundskeeping - August 2014

Child killed by security golf cart in hospital parking lot

Three-year-old was hit by vehicle driven by Aiken Regional Medical Center security guard

8/29/2014

Healthcare facilities turning to data centers as technology needs grow

Options for data storage include new or renovated facilities located on or off campuses, outsourcing to third-party operators and cloud services, according to an article on the Healthcare Design

8/29/2014

White paper on antimicrobial protection available

'Antimicrobial Protection for Public Building Applications' can be downloaded for free

8/29/2014

Experts question hospital infection-control policies

Screening and isolating infected patients not proven effective

8/29/2014

HVAC and solar features help Pennsylvania hospital cut costs and energy use

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is saving up to $500,000 annually in energy costs

8/29/2014

Probe finds hospital security not properly trained after man jumps to his death

The St. Luke's University Hospital security guard had not been fully trained in monitoring patients, according to Pennsylvania state investigation

8/28/2014

UK hospital has its own school and gardens

St Aubyn's Centre has a school attached and patients' rooms have private gardens

8/27/2014

Healthcare waste disposal ideas sought

Product developer searching for ways to improve hazardous waste disposal in healthcare facilities

8/27/2014

Healthcare organizations have a range of data center options

Survey says data center projects are expected to remain prevalent for some time, according to an article on the Healthcare Design website

8/27/2014

Maryland hospital trains for emergency drill

Statewide exercise tests rapid response during an earthquake

8/27/2014

Optimizing hospital security with identity management software

Need for security must be balanced with the individual's need to easily move about the hospital

8/27/2014

Trends in essential power systems

Trends include testing back-up power use and expanding power-monitoring requirements

8/27/2014

Study says C. diff patients will contaminate some staff

Healthcare workers urged to take extra precautions

8/26/2014

Backflow preventers Q&A

In a recent Q&A on the FacilityCare website, consultant Brad Keyes answered a question about backflow preventers

8/26/2014

Critical access hospital re-imagining care delivery

Critical access hospitals are evolving with changes in healthcare delivery methods, technology and demographics

8/26/2014

Study says health workers exposed to high levels of antibacterial soap chemical

Effects of potentially unsafe levels of triclosan under review by the Food and Drug Administration

8/26/2014

OSHA fines Boston-area hospital for unsafe conditions

Melrose-Wakefield Hospital fined for mishandling of medical waste

8/25/2014

CMS backs new dining practice standards

Nursing homes should encourage seniors to be informed on how to select the best foods to fit their needs, according to an article on the Long-Term Living website

8/25/2014

Minnesota Security Hospital under scrutiny

OSHA fines hospital for unsafe work environment

8/25/2014

Preventing common hospital accidents

Ensure facility workers remember dangers by recognizing some of the most common hazards in your environment

8/22/2014

Century-old trees to be removed from Georgia hospital

Trees at Gwinnett Hospital declared unsafe after storm

8/22/2014

Bellevue Hospital gets $117 million in Sandy aid

Federal grant to help the city repair storm-related damage to Bellevue

8/22/2014

Hospitals lauded for cutting energy use

American Society for Healthcare Engineering has recognized the hospitals' efforts as part of its Energy to Care program

8/22/2014

New Hampshire hospital trucking in natural gas to cut energy use

Keene facility switched from fuel oil to decrease carbon footprint

8/21/2014

Infection control recommendations for Ebola questioned

Healthcare Coalition for Emergency Preparedness says CDC issuing contradictory guidelines

8/21/2014

Room-service approach improving hospital food

Hospitals switching to a room-service-style model and leaving basic two-choice model behind

8/21/2014

Video shows flood waters burst through Nebraska hospital

Good Samaritan Hospital surveillance footage shows the flash flood waters burst through the cafeteria

8/20/2014

ACA may mean the end of bad hospital food

The Affordable Care Act has changed the game for hospital food-service providers

8/20/2014

FGI Guidelines Q&A

In a recent Q&A on the FacilityCare website, consultant Brad Keyes answered a question about FGI Guidelines

8/20/2014

Reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections

The importance of the role of the environmental service department has moved beyond making sure a patient's room is sanitary

8/20/2014

Air flow path matters in patient rooms

Computational fluid dynamics simulations help in visualization of airflow patterns, temperature distribution, concentration of contaminants and flow path of airborne pathogens

8/20/2014

Study compares hand hygiene and environmental cleaning

Hand-hygiene compliance outperformed cleaning in infection control

8/20/2014

Georgia medical center working to balance gun law, safety

Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014 will likely mean guns can be brought onto the hospital campus

8/19/2014

Looking beyond the traditional clinic

Health services are branching out to alternative sites

8/19/2014

Building energy intelligence in a large hospital

Australia's major hospitals evaluates the energy savings potential for deploying a predictive energy optimization platform

8/19/2014

OSHA updates respiratory protection directive for hazardous chemicals

Employers may be cited for violating the OSHA standard even when workers are voluntarily wearing filtering facepiece respirators

8/19/2014

Walmart opens primary care clinics

They will be open longer and later than competitors: 12 hours per day during the week and another 8-plus hours per day on weekends

8/19/2014

OSHA cites Brooklyn hospital over violence to employees

Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center told to implement a workplace violence prevention program immediately

8/18/2014

Mercy Virtual invests in telemedicine

Virtual medical center has the potential to improve care and hospital revenues

8/18/2014

Pennsylvania hospital found noncompliant after patient jumps from window

St. Luke's University Hospital-Bethlehem was not compliant with certain safety regulations

8/18/2014

Implementing a sporicidal daily disinfectant cleaner in a community hospital

Initial results showed 36.5 percent more cultures had no microbial burden after the product change

8/18/2014

Environmental services to expand, promote influence

Association for the Healthcare Environment executive director says ES managers will also focus on shaping the profession

8/18/2014

Nebraska hospital hit with severe flooding

Flood waters at Kearney's Good Samaritan Hospital broke through the two-story ground-to-ceiling windows of the dining room

8/15/2014

Healthcare providers accounted for majority of recent data breaches

The Department of Health and Human Services recently submitted its annual report to Congress about breaches of unsecured protected health information for 2011 and 2012

8/15/2014

Vegas betting on facilities to attract medical tourism

The Las Vegas Regional Strategic Plan for Medical and Wellness Tourism was recently unveiled

8/15/2014

Hand-sanitizer dispenser's color can increase hygiene compliance

A recent study showed that bright red hand-sanitizer dispensers can increase hand-hygiene compliance in hospitals

8/15/2014

Maintenance is a reliability and compliance issue

Power management strategy comes in where both issues meet

8/15/2014

Atlanta hospitals to cut waste by 65 percent

Emory hospitals are implementing a new recycling program in the operating rooms and other patient care areas

8/15/2014

Hiring key in evolution of senior food service

Facilities must recruit experienced chefs who may not have backgrounds in senior living

8/14/2014

London hospital hopes to cut energy costs by 1 million pounds

St. George's Hospital has adopted an energy performance pact to try to lower its costs by 25 percent

8/14/2014

Antimicrobial fogging and misting protocols approved

The EPA has approved protocols that would allow antimicrobial product developers to register disinfection and sanitizer products intended for fogging or misting applications

8/14/2014

Study says flashing lights increase hand hygiene

Hand-hygiene compliance at one hospital doubled after flashing red lights were placed on hand sanitizer dispensers

8/14/2014

Bed rail entrapment linked to mattress size, loose rails

Irish study says poorly sized or compressible mattresses may increase risk, according to an article on the Long-Term Living website

8/14/2014

Life Safety Code for IT closets

According to the 2000 Life Safety Code (LSC), there are no requirements to do so

8/13/2014

The Chief Facilities Officer's emerging role

The CFO is a change agent, guiding the evolution of the facility capital planning and management process

8/12/2014

Traditional commissioning doesn't fully address healthcare technology

Commissioning is focused only on contractor-furnished items and usually ignores integrations with owner-furnished medical technologies

8/12/2014

Second flooding at Irish hospital investigated

Letterkenny General Hospital says damage is less than last year's

8/12/2014

Data helps sell healthcare energy efficiency efforts

Solid data can drive programs, track progress and do internal and external comparisons

8/12/2014

Toledo EDs dealing with toxins in water supply

Hospitals have backup water sources for this and related water-compromising scenarios

8/11/2014

Smoke detector Q&A

In a recent Q&A on the FacilityCare website, consultant Brad Keyes answered a question about smoke detectors in IT closets

8/11/2014

Georgia hospital using three germ-zapping robots

St. Francis Hospital in Columbus uses disinfection devices to go beyond regular cleaning

8/11/2014

Hospital's sponsored space brews concern

Dunkin' Donuts-sponsored family lounge at children's hospital - complete with free coffee - may be sending mixed signals, according to an article on the Healthcare Design website

8/11/2014

Exotic animals help nursing home patients

Massachusetts facility has llamas, alpacas, saltwater fish

8/8/2014

New fabric may fight HAIs

Large health system to begin using uniforms made of a fabric designed to help fight pathogen transmission

8/8/2014

Healthcare TV trends

TVs are much more than a way for patients to kill time. They are becoming an important part of a hospital stay

8/8/2014

Facilities need a bedbug control plan

While attention is usually given after bedbugs are found, what a facility does before they are detected can be more important

8/7/2014

'Mouse ridden' New Jersey facility gets clean bill of health

The facility is now in compliance with state law per a Department of Community Affairs inspection, the owner says

8/7/2014

Wireless controls are standard building automation

Wireless communications technology enables building automation system technology and mission-essential building systems

8/7/2014

Delhi hospitals cited for inadequate fire-safety measures

Problems were primarily with non-functioning fire fighting systems

8/7/2014

Legionella bacteria found in water at two Alabama VAs

Montgomery, Tuskegee facilities find bacteria in water supplies

8/6/2014

Integration can improve healthcare facility management

Today's facilities are complex environments that must support many diverse functions

8/6/2014

Tips to improve wayfinding signage

Many healthcare facilities fall into a middle ground between easy-to-find and needing-a-GPS building layouts

8/6/2014

Building deficiencies found at Maine hospital

Building safety codes issues found at Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport

8/6/2014

Nursing home worker alleges she wasn't warned of shooter drill

Nurse says she was traumatized after she was 'taken hostage' during safety exercise

8/6/2014

Dozens of Alberta health facilities lack fire sprinklers

More than 80 facilities are not equipped with sprinklers and another 50 only have sprinklers in some areas

8/6/2014

Infection prevention recommendations for Ebola patients

Standard, contact and droplet precautions are recommended by the CDC for management of hospitalized patients with known or suspected Ebola Viral Disease

8/5/2014