Gathering the knowledge you need

One of the biggest challenges that you as a health facility professional face is responding to change. You face change in every aspect of your job and you need to anticipate tomorrow's challenges today.

Joining and being active in a professional membership organi­zation such as ASHE is one way you can learn to navigate these changes. Networking with peers and individuals who face the same challenges and share common interests and concerns is one of the most valuable aspects of membership in ASHE.

Professional membership groups like ASHE also are about friendships. Having a group of peers and colleagues in the industry who share their insights with each other and provide support to one another is one of ASHE's most valuable features.

Finally, ASHE is involved with advocacy by providing input on the development of codes and standards, providing on-site and Web-based educational programs, developing books, a magazine, a weekly electronic newsletter and much more.

Health facility professionals can count on ASHE to provide current information and the tools they need to meet the challenges of an ever-changing health care environment. Whether it is a new treatment modality or a new standard, ASHE members have the inside information to ensure that their physical environment is safe and functional for patients, visitors and staff.

While everybody in a modern health care organization has a defined role to play, those roles also are intertwined. From the physician who makes a diagnosis, to the nurse who provides bedside care, to the facility manager who maintains the physical environment and equipment, they all work together as health care service providers, relying on the support of others in the facility to accomplish their important tasks.

Health facility professionals need to think about the important roles and functions they serve in their facilities. Everything they do is designed to help meet the needs of patients and the communities that they serve.

Too often, this goes unnoticed. That's why health facility managers should occasionally look around their hospitals and see for themselves the impact their efforts make. Health facility professionals should take pride in what they do, and know they are an important member of the health care provider team.

If you are an ASHE member, you are encouraged to take advantage of all that the organization has to offer. If you are not a member, please visit ASHE's website at www.ashe.org to see what's available. For more information on joining the organization, call 312-422-3800 or e-mail ashe@aha.org.

ASHE insight

Resources available

ASHE offers a number of valuable resources at special prices to professionals in the health care industry.

They include the following:

• Health Facility Commissioning Guidelines. Written by health care professionals, this resource helps optimize construction or renovation delivery. It enables project teams to deliver cost-effective and efficient health care facilities that yield the desired return on investment. The guidelines can help ensure a suc­cessful transition from construction completion to a sustainable, high-
  performance operation.
• Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities. The 2010 guidelines cover minimum program, space and design needs for all clinical and support areas of hospitals, nursing facilities, freestanding psychiatric facilities, outpatient and rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care facilities. They also include new material on acoustics, patient handling and movement, patient safety, bariatric patient care, cancer treatment and emergency services. For information on purchasing either of these valuable references, click here.