Beebe Healthcare receives ASHE Excellence in Healthcare Facility Management Award

Walking through the doors of any hospital may not be a pleasant experience for many, but the look and feel of the healthcare facility should provide a functional, comfortable, and reliable atmosphere. It should also be a safe place.

The Beebe Healthcare Facilities Department is responsible for the overall surroundings of the medical center in Lewes and the healthcare system’s seven locations.

The American Society for Healthcare Engineering recognized the hard work done by Beebe’s Facilities Department by honoring the team with the only national award it gives for excellence in facility management.

Beebe won the award because of a team approach to patient care. Over the past year, the Environment of Care Committee at Beebe Healthcare, which includes representatives from the Facilities Department, Patient Experience, and Environmental Services, worked to develop a comprehensive spreadsheet tool. This tool included information logged by team members who took tours of the facilities to determine needs and issues to be addressed.

The spreadsheet tool includes 53 questions, incorporating 2014 National Patient Safety Goals, for those taking tours to answer. By noting issues, the team is able to solve problems more quickly. It also allows for concerns to be addressed by employees immediately, before small issues become problematic.

Sandy McCurdy, CHFM, manager of facilities at Beebe Healthcare, accepted the 2014 Excellence in Health Care Facility Management Award at the ASHE Leadership Institute in Arizona last month.

“The Environmental Tours Evaluation Tool is an excellent management program designed to contend with the progressing age of technology and the increase in process improvement initiatives,” McCurdy said. “By identifying and removing the causes of defects, the tool has improved quality and efficiency.”

McCurdy, who applied for the recognition on Beebe’s behalf, said, “It was an honor to accept this award, which validates all the hard work that we do here at Beebe.”

Jeannie Briley-Wallo, RN, director of Patient Experience, said the Facilities Department was crucial to many improvements that allowed patients and visitors to have easier access to the medical center in Lewes, including the installation of a new door from the handicapped parking area.

This year, the Environment of Care Committee also implemented a new calling system. By dialing 8000, a patient or family member can report concerns with their diet or food, room cleanliness, maintenance concerns such as temperature or a light bulb not working, or noise. After making a selection, the person is connected with the appropriate department or the nursing supervisor.

The Facilities Department team involved in the projects includes McCurdy, Jerry Owens, CHFM, CHSP, corporate safety officer; and Jim Keyzer, CHFM, CHSP, director of facilities.

“This process is a result of the dedication of our facilities team in our journey to become a high-reliability organization,” said Jeffrey M. Fried, president and CEO, Beebe Healthcare.

The award, sponsored by Trane, is one of ASHE’s highest honors. It recognizes an individual or facility management department that has implemented new programs or processes.

ASHE is a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association. For more information about ASHE, call 312-422-3800 or go to www.ashe.org.