A loss to the industry

It was with great sadness that the editors of Health Facilities Management learned in late December of the passing of infection prevention expert Judene Bartley.

A universally respected authority, Judene often served as the key connection point between infection control professionals and the health facility design, construction and operations communities.

Toward that end, she contributed countless hours to organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Society for Healthcare Engineering, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Facility Guidelines Institute's Healthcare Guidelines Revision Committee, among many others.

Given Judene's wide-ranging experience, knowledge and perspective, it's not surprising that Health Facilities Management's staff looked to her as a go-to source whenever we needed to check the veracity of infection control information in literally hundreds of draft articles and story proposals over the years. And, despite her high standing and many time commitments, she always would set us straight promptly and patiently.

Indeed, all great publications rely on long-term, trusted relationships with industry experts like Judene. Often, these unpaid sources are never recognized fully for their contributions to industry magazines, nor do they ask to be. They simply volunteer to help because of their devotion to the field.

The best sources tell you not only what you're doing right, but how you can help lift the performance of the industry overall. Judene did both with candor and in the spirit of advancing the value of Health Facilities Management's coverage.

We all benefited from her commitment.