Environmental services (EVS) is a term used exclusively in healthcare to describe the process highly trained, support service staff conduct to clean and disinfect medical equipment, patient rooms and other public areas within healthcare facilities.
Recently, the EVS team at CCMH was recognized on an elite list of U.S. hospitals with a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) 5-star rating for cleanliness. In addition to being recognized as one of the top 350 cleanest hospitals in the nation, CCMH was also identified as one of only 15 hospitals in the state of Iowa.
Bob Fink, Facilities Manager, said the recognition is gratifying for the EVS staff.
“When it comes to cleanliness, we’re in the top 5% of 6,210 hospitals in the entire country. We are also in the top 10% of hospitals in Iowa. There’s every reason to be proud of being a part of a team being recognized by CMS. It isn’t something that happens very often. To be set apart from the other 95% of hospitals in the United States is a pretty impressive accomplishment.”
Fink provides the training for each EVS technician.
“The EVS technician certification process is done through the AHE (Association for the Healthcare Environment) which is a branch of the American Hospital Association (AHA). As a first step, I became a certified trainer. That allowed me to train all of the EVS staff when their time permits. To become certified, an EVS technician must have several years of experience. Then, the actual certification course takes about 24 hours, or three days, of training. While there’s an emphasis on infection prevention, we also spend a significant amount of time on customer service training, and chemical management. Even with years of experience, most EVS technicians learn a great deal about environmental services and infection prevention.”
Fink notes that EVS is not just some guy or gal running around with a mop or a broom.
“The key factor for EVS is infection prevention. There’s a certain way, in a healthcare setting, to go about preventing infections. A lot of hospitals are actually changing titles from EVS to Infection Preventionists.”
Fink explained the chemicals used in cleaning the hospital are a step above normal household disinfectants.
“We use hospital grade disinfectants. A big part of the certification training all of our EVS technicians receive is understanding the chemicals we use. This includes how to clean certain equipment for different pathogens. Our training emphasizes how to eliminate pathogens on various kinds of surfaces – porous versus non-porous, for example. It’s very in-depth.”
Kade Ohlmeier, a certified environmental services technician, has been a part of the EVS team at CCMH for the past four years.
“I first started working in EVS in the midst of the COVID pandemic. It was difficult due to the fact the guidelines were changing almost on a daily basis on how we cleaned rooms and equipment. You didn’t know if the rules you used today would be the rules you would use tomorrow. It was a challenging time. I’m grateful it’s gotten a little bit easier.”
Ohlmeier says he finds interactions with patients the most satisfying aspect of working in EVS.
“Working in EVS gives me the opportunity to talk to the patients. It gives them a more personal experience. No one likes to be in the hospital. It really makes me feel good if I can make them laugh or get them what they need. I just try to help the patient have a little bit better day.”
Ohlmeier briefly reviewed everyday tasks the EVS technicians perform to prevent any sort of infections.
“C. diff is classified as a hospital acquired infection (HAI). Our EVS staff knows how to use the proper chemicals and contact times to effectively clean an HAI, life C. diff, in a hospital room. When you take all the proper steps, you know the room is sterilized and ready to be used again. Stopping infections from developing and spreading in patient care areas is a big part of what we do.”
While the EVS staff has been very stable over the past few years, Fink says he would like to hire one more person for the team. “We are looking for one more person on the day shift. We’ve got a great crew, great staff. We offer competitive wages and we’ve got great benefits. If anyone has an interest in applying for an EVS position, go to ccmhia.com. Click on the employment link. It’ll take you to all the open jobs including the day shift position in EVS. You can apply online there and, hopefully, you can come join us at CCMH.”
