Saving energy, saving patients

Greetings, Health Facilities Management readers. Before I share my thoughts on this month’s issue, I would like to thank each of you for the inexhaustible efforts you put into your jobs — both before and, especially, since COVID-19 cases first started appearing in our country. 

The American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) family is continuously determined to redefine and achieve operational excellence. I’ve seen outstanding commitment to it on every level across our membership. Our ASHE Board and staff are working hard to implement new and dynamic ways to support our members to reach their operational goals. 

And we’re seeing results, on an individual basis and on average. For example, we are making awesome progress in energy efficiency. In April, ASHE was honored with the ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year Award – Sustained Excellence. This is the fourth consecutive year that ASHE received the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award. It recognizes ASHE as an exemplary and committed leader in energy efficiency. 

My congratulations to the ASHE staff and partners who develop our Energy to Care program, and thank you to the over 3,600 facilities participating in the program. If you’re not part of it yet, I strongly recommend you check out energytocare.org to get started saving energy and resources and — most importantly — using those savings to further patient care. 

ASHE is also successfully executing a fun, engaging and team-based method to find energy savings across the country. The Energy to Care Treasure Hunts are one- to three-day events inviting teams to physically explore a health care facility and identify savings opportunities. Read about an effective treasure hunt recently completed at the University of Maryland Medical Center. These hunts are a great way to engage leadership. 

I am so proud of the work ASHE is doing to operate health care facilities as excellently and efficiently as possible. The ASHE family is made up of people who are hungry to learn, achieve and innovate to keep our facilities and our staffs in great shape. 

Be safe, and thank you for all you do!