St. Joseph’s Hospital-North Team Named Environmental Services Department of the Year by the American Hospital Association

National award recognizes the team’s professionalism, expertise, patient satisfaction, and efficiency

LUTZ, Fla., Oct. 20, 2017 — The St. Joseph’s Hospital-North team has been named the Environmental Services Department of the Year by the American Hospital Association’s Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE). The award, which was presented to just two hospital facilities nationwide, recognized the St. Joseph’s Hospital-North environmental services department for its professionalism, expertise, patient satisfaction, and efficiency, surpassing every other entry in the “Up to 249 Beds” category (representing the size of the hospital).

“We are so proud of our environmental services department for earning this distinguished award from the American Hospital Association,” said Paula McGuiness, president of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North. “This extraordinary team provides the very foundation of excellence in service and care for our patients and visitors and we are thrilled to see their hard work and dedication recognized on a national level.”

According to the AHE, professionalism is what sets apart the St. Joseph’s Hospital-North environmental services department. Seventeen of its 26 team members have completed the training necessary to become Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Technicians through the AHE. This certification program sets national standards in infection prevention, effective communication, evidence-based cleaning protocols, and much more.

In 2016, the efforts of the environmental services department were instrumental in St. Joseph’s Hospital-North receiving the Guardian of Excellence award from Press Ganey Associates Inc. This award recognizes organizations that reach the 95th percentile or higher in patient experience scores for each reporting period during the year. The environmental services team helped St. Joseph’s Hospital-North achieve that by starting daily room cleaning at the bedside, cleaning everything within the patient’s reach while explaining what is being done and why. The team also started performing a turn-down service and leaving a signed note stating that the room was cleaned if the patient is out of the room.

“Our team does more than just create a clean facility, they deliver extraordinary results in customer experience,” said Dan Bennett, the hospital’s manager of environmental services. “They are courteous, approachable and always willing to provide assistance … the little things that make a big difference to our patients, visitors and staff.”

About St. Joseph’s Hospital-North
St. Joseph’s Hospital-North opened in February 2010 to bring high-quality health care services to North Tampa in an environment designed to help patients heal.  Part of BayCare Health System, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North features all private patient suites and offers emergency care, surgical services, GI endoscopy, imaging, intensive care, obstetrics, cardiac catheterization, interventional radiology and more in a peaceful, relaxing and family-centered environment. Located just north of Tampa in Lutz, the all-digital, state-of-the-art facility is specially designed to make patients and visitors as comfortable as possible during their hospital experience.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 14 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care.

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