Community Hospital's Environmental Services Team Achieves Remarkable Cleanliness Milestone

The hospital congratulates the Environmental Services team for their outstanding performance, ensuring a safe and clean environment for patients and visitors. Pictured (left to right): Kayla Howe, Trevor Kafalas, Chelsey Williams, Daniel Jordan, EVS Director - Dan Curtis, Day Supervisor - Amanda Braun. Not pictured: Mary Austin, Peg Beck, Nohemi Bencomo, Tina Conroy, Pilar Eason, Maria Hinojosa, Paula Missing, Jake Niemeth, Night Supervisor - Manuela Prieto and Chynna Younger.

McCook, Neb. - Patients and visitors at Community Hospital have long held the expectation of a pristine and sanitized environment, and the dedicated Environmental Services team has consistently exceeded those expectations. Led by EVS Director, Dan Curtis, the team prioritizes the health and safety of patients and visitors daily, resulting in outstanding cleanliness ratings. 

During fiscal year 2023, an impressive 83% of surveyed patients rated the hospital's cleanliness as "Excellent," surpassing the standards of nearly 90% of hospitals nationwide. As of the midway point in fiscal year 2024, the trend continues, with year-to-date cleanliness rankings for the inpatient wing placing the hospital in the top 10% nationally. Additionally, an outstanding 99.4% of patients in outpatient surgery have rated the facility's cleanliness as “Excellent.”

"We are proud to have every member of this EVS team as part of the Community Hospital family," said Curtis. Their commitment to maintaining a clean environment contributes significantly to our patients' well-being."

Furthermore, in a remarkable achievement for December 2023, EVS surpassed its goal of 95% on adenosine triphosphate scores, reaching a perfect score of 100%. This is particularly noteworthy considering the challenges posed by recent staffing changes within the EVS team, highlighting the priority of patient health and high-quality care. 

ATP is an energy molecule found in all living cells. In healthcare settings, organic matter such as bodily fluids, blood, and bacteria left on surfaces can lead to cross-contamination if not properly cleaned. ATP Hygiene testing after cleaning is crucial to indicate cleaning efficacy. The test used by EVS to measure cleanliness emits a bioluminescence reaction when in contact with ATP, highlighting the area of the surface to be cleaned. 

"This achievement is significant on multiple levels," Curtis continued. "Perfect scores are challenging to obtain, and the fact that our team achieved this amidst staffing changes underscores their dedication to maintaining the highest standards for our patients' health."

Community Hospital congratulates the EVS team on their outstanding performance and looks forward to continuing to provide a safe and clean environment for patients and visitors. Our commitment to excellence ensures every person that walks through our doors receives the best care possible. Quality for us is above outstanding service and expertise; it’s maintaining our standards for accuracy, professionalism, cleanliness, safety, and beyond. By combining excellent service, exceptional people, advanced technology, and clean state-of-the-art facilities, we are reinventing and setting our own quality standards.