CRHEA News & Issues
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Watch the
On-Demand Webcast: "Emergency Preparedness: Critical Planning for Healthcare Facilities"
[December 12, 2017]
When an emergency strikes and lives are at stake, communities rely on healthcare providers. In every stage of an emergency—from preparing and responding, to mitigating damage and recovering—have you considered whether your hospital or facility prepared to handle an emergency itself?
Click here for the webcast.
The webinar includes:
Why an all-hazards approach is required for safety and compliance,
7 critical functions of a healthcare facility,
How to use technology and mobile apps to better manage healthcare compliance audits and post-audit tasks,
2017 industry insights and survey results
From ARC.
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Message from Jim Spinelli, 2017-2018 President, CRHEA
[August 1, 2017]
Greetings, CRHEA!
Thank all of you for your membership in the Columbia Region chapter of OSHE. We
continue to grow and are proud of the value offered to all of our members
provided by promoting an environment of personal and professional growth. And we
always seem to have a little fun along the way as well.
Please visit http://www.crhea.org/board.htm for an introduction to your CRHEA
board of directors for this year. Your Board has been active over this summer
planning the educational and social calendar of events for the upcoming
2017-2018 monthly membership meetings.
ALL meetings will be held at:
OHSU Collaborative Life Sciences Building (CLSB)
2730 SW Moody Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97201
> Directions
We are pleased to announce the dates for these monthly membership meetings
continuing as before on the third Thursday of September through April at 18:00
(except for September at 16:30), specifically:
- September 21 (meeting starts at 18:30)
- October 20th (no meeting due to WSHE Spokane)
- November 16
- December 14 (tentative)
- January 18
- February 15
- March 15
- April 19
Please save all of these dates in your calendar now. We will share information
about locations and educational presentations as these become finalized.
We look forward to another exciting year of education and socializing with our
peers and partners and of course, the food is always good. Your continuing
engagement guarantees our success.
Sincerely,
Jim Spinelli, 2017 – 2018 President, CRHEA
> Leadership page
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Your Opportunity to Comment on Proposed Code Involving Legionella Risk
Management
[October 13, 2014]
ASHRAE Releases Legionellosis Standard for Fourth Public Review Draft
ATLANTA - A fourth version of ASHRAE's proposed legionellosis standard is open
for public comment until November 10, 2014.
Standard 188P, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems,
currently under development, will establish minimum legionellosis risk
management requirements for building water systems. The standard is intended for
use by building owners and managers and those involved in the design,
construction, installation, commissioning, operation, maintenance and service of
centralized building water systems and components.
The draft of the document and instructions on submitting comments can be found
at
www.ashrae.org/publicreviews
The proposed standard will be available for access until Nov. 10, 2014.
Changes to the proposed standard since its last public review in January 2013
include:
- Alignment of the document with the revised title, purpose and scope.
- Removal of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP)
terminology; some of the principles of the - HACCP process are consistent
with the process utilized in the document.
- Inclusion of a normative appendix for health care facilities meeting
specific requirements that provides an alternate compliance path that is more
stringent than for other facilities.
- More emphasis on requirements for design, construction, installation,
commissioning, operation, maintenance and service.
Tom Watson, chair of the Standard 188P committee, notes that the standard
contains both normative sections and appendices that specify what is required to
comply. It also contains informative appendices and references as guidance about
how to do things that may be necessary for a given building water system.
"Building water systems vary substantially in their design and their capability
for transmission of Legionella," Watson said. "Scientific evidence is either
lacking or inconclusive in certain aspects of Legionella control. The
informative guidance is included to provide suggestions, recommendations and
references."
To learn more about actions regarding ASHRAE standards, visit
www.ashrae.org/listserv.
There, ASHRAE provides subscriptions to a variety of listserves, including one
for Standard 188P, that enable interested parties to stay up to date with the
latest news, publication offerings, and various other Society activities.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a global society advancing human well-being through
sustainable technology for the built environment. The Society and its more than
50,000 members worldwide focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor
air quality, refrigeration and sustainability. Through research, standards
writing, publishing, certification and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes
tomorrow's built environment today.
> More Information on the
ASHRAE News page
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Advocacy
alert: Changes to Power Strip Use, Plans for Improvement
[June 5, 2014]
ASHE members should be aware of several important compliance changes affecting
hospitals and other health facilities. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) is significantly restricting the use of power strips in patient
care areas effective immediately. Also, the Joint Commission is requiring
hospitals to address overdue plans for improvement (PFIs) by July 1, 2014.
Joint Commission Department of Engineering Director George Mills states that CMS
is not allowing relocatable power taps, referred to as RPTs or power strips, to
be used with medical equipment in patient care areas—effective immediately. That
includes operating rooms, patient rooms, and areas for recovery, exams, and
diagnostic procedures. Mills reports that many facility professionals are
frustrated by the change, arguing that restrictions on power strips would lead
to tripping hazards from long extension cords stretching across rooms.
> Continue Reading "Changes
to Power Strip Use, Plans for Improvement" Article on ASHE Website
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Spring 2014 Conference Presentations
[May 23, 2014]
View our 2014 Spring Conference Attendee List in our
Members Only section
Presentation:
"Lean, 3P Design in Healthcare and the Lean Leader" [26 pages]
Presented by Stephen Grose, Director of Facilities and
Production at Emerald Environmental Services and Cedar Grove
Composting; ASHE Region 10 Director, 2010-2011
The presentation explores awareness of the principles of
Kaizen/LEAN activities, values and challenges with
implementation efforts at VMMC.
Presentation:
"Fire Safety System Testing Requirements & Documentation per
NFPA: EC.02.03.05" [27 pages]
Presented by Bill Morgan, CHFM, FASHE, Senior Consultant,
Siemens
The presentation reviews initial and on-going required testing
of Fire Safety Systems including performance test process,
frequency and parameters as well as documentation requirements
for FS testing and scheduled maintenance.
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Advocacy Alert:
Clarifying 7 Concerns about Proposed Changes to Hospital Smoke Compartment Size
[May 27, 2014]
ASHE supports a proposal to change NFPA 101: Life Safety Code® that would increase the maximum smoke compartment size in new facilities from 22,500 square feet to 40,000 square feet. The proposal will be voted on at the National Fire Protection Association’s Technical Meeting in Las Vegas June 11-12, which is part of the NFPA Conference & Expo that runs June 9-12. However, some who will be attending the meeting have raised concerns about the proposal. A new ASHE advocacy alert explains the concerns—and the facts behind them—and urges ASHE members to contact their local building officials, fire marshals, and other NFPA members about the issue.
> Continue Reading "7 Concerns" Article on ASHE Website
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Mobile ASHE app provides resources for health care facility professionals
[October 28, 2013]
CHICAGO – A new app for mobile devices provides on-the-go access to resources for busy health care facility professionals, including regulatory updates, news, education opportunities, and acronyms.
Health care facility managers and engineers often work away from computers as they deal with issues around their facilities. The new Mobile ASHE app provides free mobile access to the following information:
News: The ASHE news feed provides the latest developments in the field, including regulatory updates on codes and standards, news stories, and press releases.
Acronyms: The health care field includes many acronyms. The Mobile ASHE app allows users to browse or search to find meanings for hundreds of health care, business, and military acronyms.
Monographs: ASHE members can access these publications, which cover single topics on issues such as facility engineering, design and construction, and safety and security management. One recent monograph tackled how to evaluate electrical distribution equipment to determine replacement needs, while another compared editions of the Life Safety Code®.
Calendar: The calendar provides an updated listing of ASHE events, including conferences, webinars, workshops, and educational opportunities.
Social Media: This section of the app connects users with ASHE’s social media channels, including LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and the ASHE Blog.
Mobile ASHE is available now for Apple and Android devices. Visit the iTunes store or Google Play and search for Mobile ASHE to find and download the app.
> Read More
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