TMC: Environmental Services

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In many hospitals, the doctors and nurses are the face of the organization; they function in the spot light. In the background, away from the spot light, there is a flurry of activity where multiple departments are responsible for performing a myriad of tasks, all in an effort to create a healing environment for the patients and to support the caregivers and guests. At Texoma Medical Center, the Environmental Services and Linen departments function mostly in the background, but do play an integral role in the services provided our patients and guests.

The primary focus of Environmental Services is cleaning the facility, which is an around-the-clock responsibility. At any given time, EVS Techs, as they are called, can be found cleaning anything from a patient room to a public restroom and lots of flooring in between. Although the types of areas to be cleaned vary widely, the goal remains the same, to provide a clean environment that is safe from an infection-control perspective and one that is aesthetically appealing. With the cleanable area at the new Texoma Medical Center being approximately 293,000 square feet, 100,000 square feet more than the previous TMC, it is a challenging undertaking.

With a facility the size of Texoma Medical Center, tasks such as emptying the trash or cleaning the bathroom, tasks many people have performed themselves, may help in putting the scale of the operation in perspective. There are in excess of 700 trash containers scattered throughout the hospital that are emptied virtually every day, some multiple times each day. There are 259 toilets in the new facility. That means there are 259 toilet tissue dispensers to stock, each holding 2 or 4 rolls of tissue. If you were to unroll all the tissue and place it end to end, it would be 292,000 feet long, 55 miles of toilet tissue, a little more than the average household’s.

Along with cleaning, Environmental Services assist with moving furniture and bulk records, rearranging conference rooms, providing certain audio visual equipment and overseeing a pest management program.

The Linen Department focuses on receiving and distributing clean linen throughout the facility. All linen is processed by a laundry contracted to provide the service. Once cleaned, the linen is delivered to the Linen Room where it is placed on carts in predetermined quantities and distributed to the 27 delivery points within the hospital. On an average day, 400-500 sheets, pillow cases and towels will be used, as well as more than 800 wash cloths and hundreds of gowns, blankets and other items. In all, it adds up to a total of more than 100,000 individual items, or about 45,000 pounds of clean linen handled every month.

Whether the job is in the spot light or behind the scenes, whether the job is considered large or small, each and every department has a role they must play in order to provide the quality of care our patients deserve.

by Paul Palmer
Director of Environmental Services
Texoma Medical Center
Denison, Texas