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Greetings!
Welcome to our first edition of our Member Newsletter. We encourage your comments and suggestions for future editions.
We've also updated our website by clicking here. Please take a moment to visit it and let me know what you think!
Sincerely,
Russ Harbaugh
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President's Report: Russ Harbaugh
Where did summer go?  It's funny how the change of season can sneak up on us so fast...one minute we are filling up cooling towers and the next we are renting compressors to blow out the sprinklers and worrying about snow removal contracts!
This has been one busy year for all of us, with the Joint Commission and CMS hitting most of our hospitals this year, not to mention the changes in the codes and standards that took effect last winter. Hospitals are being impacted by the down turn in the economy, resulting in facilities managers and directors being asked to reduce their budgets on a regular basis and all of us being asked to do more with less. When I started as a facilities manager the magic number was one mechanic per 28,000 square feet. The last count I heard was one in 64,000 square feet. Just think about how technology has changed along the way, we don't see mechanics today just working on hand crank beds. It can be overwhelming at times!
One big challenge we face today comes from the volume of new medical practices being purchased by hospitals. Incorporating new employees and facilities with different standards than those of our hospitals can be difficult. I see more and more of this happening as the make up of our industry continues to evolve. This will require more education on everyone's part; more time spent by the facilities maintenance staff; more inspections on compliance, and more money spent on bringing buildings up to code. All of these changes must be accomplished with fewer resources.
The positive in all of this is that our hospitals are better than they have ever been. There have been fewer fires than ever before and no deaths, thanks to you and your well trained staffs. My hat goes off to all those working in the trenches; the plant operators, the facilities mechanics and the specialists, and all the other people who share a common interest in providing a safer hospital for patients, visitors and staff. Each of these men and women are changing, much like the change of season, learning new codes, standards and procedures. These professionals are dealing with many kinds of new equipment, trying to keep up with new technology. Employees are asking tougher questions and are demanding better answers, holding those who have the authority more accountable. They are also holding vendors and contractors more accountable. The new answer is, "Sure I can take care of that...what is your cost code". This goes along with all the cost-saving measures we are dealing with.
I am glad I am part of ISHE and ASHE. I learn everyday from good people across the nation about how each of you is dealing with these changing times. As an association, we need to pull together and continue to provide educational opportunities and an open network for learning. I encourage all healthcare engineers to be part of something as good as these organizations are. Thanks for all your hard work and efforts!
Russ
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Roger Dean Leadership Recognized
ASHE's Emerging Regional Leadership Award
This prominent award recognizes 10 exceptional individuals one from each ASHE Region for their exemplary leadership skills and their commitment to the field of healthcare facilities management through their local and/or national involvement with ASHE.
We are proud to announce that this year's recipient for Region 10 is Roger Dean. Roger is the Director of Support Services Boise and Meridian. He is an active member of ISHE.
We congratulate Roger on this award and thank him for his dedication and contribution to our profession and to ISHE. |
Fall Conference in Sun Valley
October 3rd-5th Please join us for our annual fall conference in Sun Valley on October 3rd-5th. This event is held in conjunction with IHA's 76th Annual Convention "The Year of Change and Challenge". 
For more details on this event, visit our website by clicking here. To register, you must visit the IHA website by clicking here where you can register for both the IHA convention and the ISHE events. Discount registration is available until September 25th, so register today!
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Training and Education Opportunities
Did you know that ASHE has announced a new e-training course "Managing Life Safety"? Have you checked out the training opportunities available through NFPA? How about OSHA offerings?
The new ISHE website includes a page of helpful for training and educational opportunities. This page is a work in progress. If you have additional training opportunities that you would like to see posted on our website, please email your ideas to ourwebmaster.
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Spring is Green
A Review by Tracy Broome, ISHE President-Elect
 The 2009 Spring Symposium held at the Shore Lodge in beautiful McCall, Idaho, was an informative and well attended event.
Past ASHE President, John Wood, presented information on Project Management. Ken Baker from Better Bricks talked about benchmarking your hospital for energy performance. Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg talked about the benefits and value of a "Green Hospital". In addition, Roger Dean, P.E., shared information on how to achieve Energy Star status. Michael Hatten, P.E., talked about energy efficiency for small hospitals. Roger Gehrke provided updates on the new AIA codes and standards process and time lines for its completion. Mark Grimes talked about electronic reporting for disaster preparedness mandated by CMS and the timeline requirements.
We had great support from our vendors and they sponsored a wonderful and informative trade show.
The second annual Breakfast of Champions was a crowd favorite, giving attendees a chance to share ideas and best practices. A dinner at the North Fork Lodge was enjoyed by all. It was nice to just visit with everybody on a more personal level, eat great food and unwind.
All in all. it was a successful conference. Next year's Spring Symposium will be held at the Shore Lodge, per attendees' vote.
Thanks everybody for attending and especially to all the vendors that support ISHE. Great job everyone! |
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ISHE Accomplishes Platinum Chapter Status
What does that mean for our organization?
As you know, our chapter recently gained Platinum Chapter status with ASHE. This means that our members must work together to meet the criteria required by ASHE.
Among the criteria is the need to sponsor at least 24 hours of annual educational programming for our members. This would include planning regional training events throughout Idaho. We are looking for volunteers to create an educational committee.
Another requirement focuses on communication of information to our members. This includes newsletters such as this and other periodic email containing pertinent information that will be mailed to both members and potential members. If you have information you would like to have communicated, please send it to Russ Harbaugh or our webmaster.
In order to propel our organization forward, we need to recruit new members. New membership information is being developed and will be available the near future. Do you have ideas on how to increase our membership? Please let one the ISHE board members know! Their contact information is
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Let Your Voice Be Heard!
We want to hear your feedback and ideas for future ISHE Newsletters and E-mails!
We will be sending out ISHE Newsletters at least four times a year to our members and potential members. In addition, Info-Blast E-mails will be sent on a regular basis, sharing updates and articles of interest.
If you have ideas or information you would like to see included in these communications, please email Russ Harbaugh or our webmaster, Jayne Robinson. | |
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