VSHE Newsletter ~ April 2021

Virginia Society of Healthcare Engineers

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

April 2021

Blue Ridge

District

Central Virginia

District

Hampton Roads District

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Philip Prescott

President

April 2020 was, without doubt, the most hectic and crazy month of many of our careers. In Virginia, those of us in healthcare facilities management worked to prepare our facilities for the upcoming surge. We did a lot of out-of-the-box thinking and problem solving to keep our facilities running, keep our co-workers safe and provide space to safely treat patients. We worked together and shared solutions and best practices. In a time where it could have been everyone for themselves, those of us in the healthcare facilities management field came together and tackled this problem together.

April 2021 looks very different. We’ve been in this for over a year now. We’re used to wearing masks. We can set up a HEPA unit in our sleep. We have vaccines that are effective. Things have changed, and they are looking up.

VSHE is looking forward as well. We are planning our 11^th Annual Conference, taking place September 27-30^th at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott in Norfolk, VA. We’re looking forward to getting together and sharing our experiences in person as well as participating in a great line-up of speakers and educational sessions.

Additionally, VSHE is working on how we communicate with our membership. In particular, we are reworking our social media presence and making LinkedIn our primary method of communicating via social media. Please make sure that you follow our LinkedIn page at linkedin.com/company/v-s-h-e/.

Philip Prescott

VSHE President 2020-2021

ADVOCACY UPDATE

Mike Karcher

Advocacy Chair

Summer is Coming!

With warmer weather and vaccinations increasing, it’s easy to be optimistic as this phase of the pandemic starts to ease. People are looking forward to going back to “normal” and attending conferences and sharing knowledge.

ASHE continues to provide information with their newsletter, “My ASHE”, which distributes current information and 'lessons learned' from our fellow healthcare associates in dealing with the issues and problems with the coronavirus.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Epidemic Task Force has recently provided guidance on reopening buildings and increasing filtration levels. To view the complete airborne transmission statement and other COVID-19 resources, visit ashrae.org/COVID-19. Questions specific to Epidemic Task Force guidance can be emailed to covid-19@ashrae.org.

I attended the virtual ASHE Quarter 1 Sustainability and Advocacy Liaison meeting on March 9th, which provided updates on codes and references:

NFPA: Healthcare (Standard 99) and Life Safety (Standard 101) are being revised, and ASHE will provide a document showing changes from 2012 to this version

ASHRAE: Standard 170 is being republished in 2021 and will be part of the 2022 FGI Guidelines

Standard 100 provides information on energy efficiency in existing buildings

Standard 514 covers building water systems and is more comprehensive than Standard 188 (legionella). Please read

ICC: There is an ICC committee on Healthcare, and ASHE will review the upcoming cycle of proposed changes and will let us know what changes

FGI: 2022 edition will be out at the end of this year

Future events/webinars with ASHE or of interest:

May 17 – 20: U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Virtual Summit (free)
June 2 – 4: 2021 ASHE PDC Summit (virtual)
August 1 – 4: 2021 ASHE Annual Conference (In person and virtual at this time)
The ASHE website has a multitude of educational events, from “Lunch + Learn” presentations to on-demand and e-learning courses. There are workshops and programs addressing a range of topics from commissioning to compliance with the multiple code

Mike Karcher

VSHE Advocacy Chair 2020-2021

SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE

Marina Sotelo

Sustainability Liaison

I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and my new role with VSHE. My name is Marina Sotelo and I am one of the newest members of the VSHE Board. In my full-time job, I am the Efficiency & Sustainability Coordinator for Carilion Clinic, and my role with VSHE is your Sustainability Liaison.

Read Marina's Full Bio Here

In this role, I look forward to working with you to get your organizations setup and utilizing the Energy to Care dashboard, provide support for those already using the dashboard, and participating in the chapter challenges. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if there is any way I can assist you.

In the last Sustainability update, you were introduced to ASHE’s new sustainability guide. The first step was to establish a sustainability champion. If you have completed that step, you are now ready to move on to step two.

Step 2 – Use Educational Resources

In this step, it is time to familiarize the sustainability champion with educational resources available on the Energy to Care website. The Energy to Care website contains an abundance of resources to assist health care facilities on the journey to sustainability. The educational tools contain unbiased resources that empower facilities with actionable tasks to improve their environmental footprint. Resources include the following:

Energy to Care Toolkit: Reduce energy use and get the most out of the Energy to Care Program with the resources in this toolkit.
Energy Conservation Measures: Integrate sustainable practices into the health care environment with these guides.
Energy to Care Benefits Calculator: Use actual data to estimate the benefits of your participation in the Energy to Care Program.
Success Stories: Read about the health care facilities that have experienced energy savings through the Energy to Care Program.
Sustainability Tips: Gain knowledge related to reducing energy usage and associated costs, motivating employee behavior and more.
Energy University: Take advantage of 200+ free courses to help you identify implement and monitor efficiency improvements.
ASHE Monographs: Browse ASHE’s extensive collection of monographs authored by experts in the field.

For more information on ASHE’s NEW Sustainability Guide, visit the website here.

Thank you,

Marina Sotelo, M. Eng., M.A.Ed.

VSHE Sustainability Liaison 2020-2021

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Jerry Baker

Membership Chair

Time for a fresh start as we round the corner of spring and life begins to look somewhat normal again. As VSHE members, you are well aware of the challenges we have faced this past year. As part of the general public we dealt with everything from toilet paper shortages to strict COVID-19 regulations, however beyond that, as healthcare professionals, we have remained front and center to serve the needs of our families, friends, and community. The reality of the virus consumed us on a completely different level. There has been no escape or respite for those of us committed to the care and well-being of others.

That said, let’s pause to celebrate a job well done and recognize the sacrifice that was made. VSHE has been a hub for sharing information, peer support, and educating our community throughout the pandemic. We remain poised to continue offering our members resources to help equip them to serve with excellence. If you’re not a member, please consider joining to support our commitment to Virginia’s health and well-being.

Jerry Baker

VSHE Membership Chair 2020-2021

CONFERENCE UPDATE

Lee Harrelson

Conference Chair

The conference planning committee has been meeting regularly to plan the upcoming annual conference in Norfolk, Virginia. The committee has been reviewing presentation abstracts and we encourage any other interested parties to submit an abstract before the cutoff date. This year participants from the Hampton Roads District are excited to be hosting the annual conference in their district and have been collaborating with the rest of the committee to make this event a great one. Stay posted for a signup link this summer and we look forward to seeing you all!

Lee Harrelson

VSHE Conference Chair 2020-2021