The Parkridge Health System Environmental Services (EVS) Team plays a critical but often unsung role in the inner clockwork of the hospital. The EVS Team at Parkridge is the best in the TriStar Division when it comes to quickly preparing a room for one patient after another is discharged.

Approximately 60 percent of Parkridge Medical Center admissions enter through its Emergency Department (ED). Any delay in discharging patients who are ready to go home can cause bottlenecks that result in delays moving patients from the ED to the hospital floors above.

"If you've ever experienced a trip to the ED, you know there's a lot going on and people constantly check in," said Cornell Lewis, director of EVS at Parkridge Health System. "Our ED staff does a fantastic job of taking care of their patients, but those patients who need to be admitted to the hospital want to be in their own private room, where they may be more comfortable. It's our job to make sure there's a room for those patients. If those patients aren't able to get into a room, it puts a hold on everything."

"Our EVS team was crucial in decreasing overall turnarounds," added Jared Lesher, associate administrator for Parkridge Health System. "That benefits our patients that are in the ED being admitted because the faster we turn around our rooms, the faster we get our admitted patients in their room upstairs."

Parkridge EVS works tirelessly to prepare rooms for patients and prevent such delays from occurring. The team works in three shifts to ensure 24-hour coverage.

"It's vital that we have rooms available as soon as possible after nurses discharge patients," Lewis said. "The clock starts as soon as the patient leaves the room."

Not only does the EVS team have to be mindful of ED admissions, but patients also are moved to various rooms within the hospital, as well. EVS must be prepared for patients transferring from the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), Surgery Unit, Cardiac Recovery Unit and a number of other points of origin, so team members are always on the move.

"The faster we can clean and prepare a room for a patient - for example, to move a patient from the MICU to the floor, the faster we can move someone from the ED to the MICU," said Jo Ann O'Neal, lead supervisor of EVS. "It's a continuous process."

Rapid Response

Responsibility for preparing rooms throughout the hospital means that EVS personnel often travel fairly long distances from one room to the next to ready a recently vacated room for another patient. The team's goal is to arrive in the room within 10 minutes of patient discharge. For the next 30 minutes, the room undergoes the deepest of cleans.

According to mandates from TriStar Division - the family of HCA hospitals to which Parkridge Health System belongs - EVS is allowed one hour to prepare a room. Parkridge EVS only needs 35-40 minutes, which is the fastest turnaround time in the division.

Lewis and Assistant Director Bruno Ramos attribute the team's success to a work philosophy based upon teamwork - a philosophy that extends to other providers in the hospital.

"Our staff plays an extremely important role in getting rooms turned around quickly," Ramos said. "Nurses also help by removing IV bags and other medications from the room. It's a matter of working together as a team."

"I can honestly say that my management staff always rises to the occasion," Lewis added. "Whatever the challenge is, the team always comes through. I could not have asked for a better supervisor or assistant director, and I may not say 'thank you' enough, but I sincerely appreciate them. I couldn't do it without them."

What the EVS Team Looks for in a Colleague

Jo Ann O'Neal

Jo Ann O'Neal

"You have to have a good personality to do this job because you're going to interact with people all day. You also have to love your job. This is hard work, and it can take a lot out of you. If you don't have a heart for people, you won't do well in this job."

Bruno Ramos

Bruno Ramos

"I come from a team-player environment, in which my colleagues did everything possible to get the job done. I admire that in Cornell, who jumped in and helped prepare rooms today, as you can see by his scrubs. If we're willing to get out there, get out of our coats and ties, and get rooms cleaned, then we expect the same from our staff. I look for people who are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done."

Cornell Lewis

Cornell Lewis

"First impressions are everything with me, and we deal with first impressions every day in our work. I always ask prospective employees what their first impressions are of our building. I want to know what people think of the work we do here. We want to ensure we hire humble people who feel a connection to others and will have a heart for Parkridge patients."

Ahol Ajang

She comes to work on her off days. She prays with patients. Ahol Ajang, or "Miss A," is committed to the care and improvement of human life.

Watch Cornell Lewis, director of Environmental Services, read a Blue Card submitted by a patient who was moved by Ahol's compassion.

Ahol Ajang