This summer, I stepped into the role of senior general manager of Environmental and Distribution Services at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. I began my environmental services career as a housekeeper, and I’ve had the privilege to build upon my experience and evolve as an EVS leader in management positions at institutions throughout the region — most recently as the executive director for Environmental and Support Services for Metz Culinary Management. As one of the PPMC leadership team’s newest members, I am excited to share my commitment to operational excellence with a hospital dedicated to excellence in all areas.
EVS plays a vital role in the operations of the hospital, and it is my mission to create a healing environment that supports our clinicians’ work and our patients’ outcomes. All staff, patients, and visitors should be welcomed into a clean, disinfected environment, and patients deserve to have linens that are freshly laundered and delivered by compassionate, friendly staff. Family members must be able to trust that their loved one will be transported safely and efficiently, and staff should be able to expect reliable management and timely distribution of equipment. This is all especially important given our recent uptick in patients following the closing of Hahnemann University Hospital.
As a liaison between hospital leaders, front line staff, and patients and customers, I understand the importance of clear and consistent communication. In my first 30 days at Presby, I participated in a successful survey by The Joint Commission, and I observed leaders across the hospital exhibit a passion for interdepartmental collaboration and process improvement. In order to support these efforts, I plan to include additional metrics in our EVS quality assurance and quality inspection processes, and to welcome feedback from all of our key users so we can better understand how to enhance our work. I am also invested in providing continuing education for our housekeeping, transport, and distribution staff.
The past few months have been busy, but am eager to settle into this role. Thank you for the warm Presbyterian welcome, and I look forward to continuing to meet your needs and those of our patients and their loved ones.