Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Hospital Environmental Services Workers Contribute to the Economy

I just read that research carried out by UK think tank New Economics Foundation (NEF) indicates that workers who clean hospitals are worth more to society than bankers. According to the study, bankers are a drain on the country because of the damage they caused to the global economy; they reportedly destroy $11.25 of value for every $1.50 they earn. In contrast, hospital environmental services workers create $16.00 of value for every $1.60 they are paid!

Some of the feedback I hear most about SJMC is how clean our hospital is. If you've ever been hospitalized, you know how important cleanliness is, both in terms of infection control and also in terms of general comfort. Here at St. Joseph Medical Center, we are all aware of the enormous value our Environmental Services (EVS) associates provide to our business. Our patients, their families and our staff depend on them and they do a fantastic job.

The NEF study also claims that advertising executives "create stress" and are "responsible for campaigns which encourage overconsumption."

We have been working diligently on reducing our consumption of the earth's resources here at the hospital. Our "Green Team" meets regularly and we recently celebrated our first pick-up of recycled paper – 3,000 pounds. This amount is not being sent to the landfill for disposal and equals money saved in disposal fees. Our Green Team certainly creates value and we appreciate their efforts.

What parts of your business don't just make money but also create value?

No comments:

Post a Comment