InfectionControl.tips Board Members Lead Discussions in Environmental Infection Prevention as ISSA Returns in Person

As previously published on InfectionControl.tips (www.IC.tips), Nov 2, 2021:

The Covid-19 pandemic has forever changed the cleaning industry. For those committed to public health and excellence in the cleaning industry, the ISSA North America Show from November 15-18, 2021, will be a welcome return. Jaded by the Pandemic and the obstacles that came with it, cleaning professionals and industry experts can’t wait to put some of the pandemic challenges behind them. They are also hopeful to find solutions that address the needs that were brought on by Covid-19 – the need for a portfolio of solutions that help keep the public safe including cleaning and disinfection, indoor air quality, water quality, hand hygiene, PPE, and waste.

The Pandemic, with challenges in every sector, tasked industries with environmental infection prevention and promoting public health and compelled them to deliver results. The challenge was they received guidelines from state, federal and local agencies, which at times contained vague or conflicting information and limited direction on how to operationalize these recommendations. In the early days of Covid-19, businesses quickly implemented enhanced strategies including more labor, increased use of disinfectants, hand hygiene, PPE, and air purification systems.

NO DATA IS SHARED

In healthcare, hospitality, education, sports, or corporate facilities, many experts are involved in decisions concerning public / patient / student / employee health. Unfortunately, these experts and individual departments don’t always work in unison or have the necessary tools or information to make meaningful impact. Most times you find differing products, procedures, or guidelines utilized from one department to another and little to no data is shared. Working in collaboration towards a common goal of environmental infection prevention and having access to real-time, sharable data is key.

Environmental Infection Prevention 

A new breed of expert is required to help bridge the gap and help to support this multidisciplinary effort, an Environmental Infection Prevention (EIP) expert.  EIP Experts have a fiduciary responsibility to their customers, they ensure that you have access to the best research and evidence-based solutions, and a comprehensive, sustainable environmental infection prevention program.  EIP experts aren’t driven by selling just any product, they are a partner, committed to recommending best-in-class products and procedures that will make a difference when operationalized properly. The EIP expert takes a comprehensive approach to environmental infection prevention by identifying every potential source of contamination in an environment and then put processes in place for a successful program.

ENVIRONMENTAL INFECTION PREVENTION PROGRAMS MUST ALWAYS WEIGH THE RISKS WITH THE BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTATION

Environmental infection prevention requires a synergistic approach to preventing infections from spreading in the environment around us. We look closely at the environment to determine what could be a potential source of contamination. This includes, but is not limited to, hard and soft surfaces, air quality, equipment used for cleaning and disinfection, waste management, and water. While visually we may believe that there aren’t any sources of infection, biological testing reveals areas that are of concern. With that information, complete environmental infection prevention can only be accomplished by comprehensive implementation of programs that address all areas of concern.  Further, we must ensure that the proper program is implemented for the risks associated with that environment (i.e., a school and a hospital will have differing needs) and staffed appropriately to achieve their goals. Environmental infection prevention programs must always weigh the risks with the benefits of implementation.

We use this synergistic approach to collaborate with programs like GBAC’s Star Facility accreditation program, the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation.  This includes using our expertise to support the process to certification, through a comprehensive program assessment, as well as recommending plans to maintain the program throughout the year after certification.  An often under focused area in the development of a successful program is labor.  85% of the cost of cleaning is labor, understanding how much you need, when and where is critical to program success.  That is where we can help.

As ISSA returns to in person attendance, the bar has been raised on finding the expert and solutions that address tomorrow’s challenges in a post-pandemic world. Two InfectionControl.Tips board members and experts in their fields, Dr. Rodney E. Rohde and John LaRochelle, will address the pitfalls and failures of 2020 while delivering expert solutions that effectively address environmental infection prevention for hospitality in a panel entitled:

“Post-Pandemic: The Truth About What Really Works in Hospitality”

Tuesday, November 16 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM

ISSA North America Show from November 15-18, 2021

Speakers

Dr. Rodney E. Rohde is an Advisory Board member of InfectionControl.tips and Professor, Associate Director of the Translational Health Research Center, Research Dean and Chair of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program (CLS) in the College of Health Professions of Texas State University. Dr. Rohde will discuss science updates, vaccines, variants on Covid-19, air vs. surface contamination. He will also address the lifespan of pathogens, outside of Sars-Cov2, that have been somewhat been minimized, yet extremely relevant, with the focus on Covid-19.

John LaRochelle is an Advisory Board member of InfectionControl.tips and President of Lighthouse Healthcare and Facilities, a division of Lighthouse Environmental Infection Prevention, Inc. Lighthouse is the worldwide leader in the science of Environmental Infection Prevention (“EIP”) and has the most comprehensive solutions which are comprised of best-in-class, patented technologies. John will be addressing technology, processes and procedures, and expertise backed recommendations for effective environmental infection prevention.

The time for verified accountability and reliability has come. To learn more about how an EIP expert can benefit your business or facility, please contact us.