How she shines: I am deeply committed to supporting and improving the community I serve. One example of this is creating a SHARPS community drop-off, providing community members with a safe and responsible way to dispose of unwanted sharps and helping address an important public safety and environmental concern. I am also heavily involved in community outreach programs and volunteer opportunities. I believe that being a leader in healthcare means serving not only the patients who enter our facility, but also the community around us. I make it a priority to participate, volunteer, and look for opportunities wherever I can make a positive difference outside of my day-to-day responsibilities.
I also helped introduce a new technology to our EVS operations. The system uses water and an electrolysis process to create a cleaning/disinfection solution on-site. Bringing this technology into our facility demonstrates my willingness to look beyond traditional methods, explore innovative solutions, and help my team adapt to new technology that can improve the way we work. By producing the solution on-site using water and electrolysis, we can reduce our reliance on traditional chemical products and minimize some of the packaging, transportation, and waste associated with conventional cleaning chemicals. I see sustainability as finding smarter ways to provide the same high standards of cleanliness and safety while being more responsible with the resources we use.
Years in the industry: 6 years
Job responsibilities: As a member of Leadership & Staff Management, she supervises, trains, and coaches EVS staff; develops employee schedules and ensures adequate staffing coverage, assigns daily cleaning duties and monitors completion; conducts employee orientation and ongoing training; addresses attendance, performance, and disciplinary issues; completes employee evaluations and provides ongoing feedback; promotes teamwork, professionalism, and excellent customer service; and maintains appropriate staffing levels and assists with recruitment and retention.
As Cleaning & Sanitation Operations, she oversees daily cleaning and disinfection of patient rooms, offices, public areas, restrooms, and other facility spaces; ensures proper cleaning procedures are followed according to hospital policies; monitors high-touch surfaces and high-risk areas; ensures terminal cleaning is completed appropriately after patient discharge; establishes and maintains cleaning schedules and frequencies; conducts routine inspections and quality audits; responds to cleaning complaints and service requests promptly; and ensures adequate supplies and equipment are available.
As an overseer of Infection Prevention & Regulatory Compliance, she works closely with Infection Prevention to maintain appropriate environmental cleaning standards; ensures EVS practices comply with applicable healthcare regulations and accreditation requirements; maintains knowledge of OSHA, CDC, CMS, and other applicable standards and guidelines; ensures proper handling, labeling, storage, and disposal of chemicals and regulated waste; monitors staff compliance with PPE requirements and infection-control practices; and participates in infection-prevention initiatives and facility inspections.
As an overseer of Supplies & Inventory, she monitors inventory levels for cleaning chemicals, paper products, linens, PPE, and other EVS supplies; places and manages supply orders; tracks usage and identifies opportunities to reduce waste; maintains appropriate par levels; ensures chemicals are properly labeled and stored; and monitors equipment condition and coordinates repairs or replacement.
For Budget & Financial Management, she develops and manages the EVS department budget; monitors labor costs, overtime, supplies, and other department expenses; reviews productivity and staffing levels; identifies cost-saving opportunities without compromising patient safety or cleanliness; approves or coordinates purchasing according to organizational policies; and tracks department expenses against budget.
When overseeing Quality & Performance, she establishes measurable EVS performance standards; conducts routine environmental rounds and quality inspections; tracks cleaning quality and corrective actions; reviews patient and staff feedback; develops action plans when standards are not met; monitors departmental performance metrics and productivity; and maintains documentation required for audits and inspections.
To facilitate communication and collaboration, she works closely with Nursing, Infection Prevention, Facilities, Administration, Dietary, and other departments; communicates changes in cleaning requirements or facility needs to staff; participates in department and leadership meetings; responds to concerns from patients, visitors, and staff; coordinates EVS services for special events, construction, renovations, and emergencies.
To ensure safety, she promotes a safe working environment for EVS employees, patients, and visitors; ensures employees receive training on chemical safety, bloodborne pathogens, ergonomics, PPE, and equipment; investigates workplace accidents and injuries; maintains Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and required safety documentation; and ensures proper use and maintenance of cleaning equipment.
As a member of Department Administration, she maintains employee schedules, timekeeping, training records, inspections, and other department documentation; develops and maintains EVS policies and procedures; prepares reports for administration; participates in hiring, onboarding, and competency validation; coordinates EVS operations across multiple buildings or locations when applicable; and ensures department operations continue during staffing shortages, emergencies, or unexpected events.
Career path: My career journey with Horizon Health has been anything but traditional, and I believe that is one of the things that has shaped me most as a leader.
My journey began when I applied for a registration position and was initially rejected. Rather than letting that rejection define my path, I was given an opportunity to join the organization in Medical Records. From there, my career continued to grow and evolve as I moved through several different roles, including Nurse Advisory, Insurance Representative, Educator, and eventually Environmental Services Management.
Each position taught me something different about healthcare and, more importantly, showed me how interconnected every department truly is. I was able to see the organization from multiple perspectives—from patient information and clinical needs to insurance, education, and ultimately the environmental services that support the entire facility.
By the time I moved into management, I had gained an understanding of how decisions made in one department can have a ripple effect throughout the organization. I learned to look beyond just my own department and consider how a change might affect patients, nurses, providers, support services, finances, workflow, and the overall patient experience.
That perspective has become incredibly important to me as a leader. When considering a new process, technology, staffing change, or operational decision, I don't just ask, "How will this affect EVS?" I ask, "How will this affect the entire facility?"
My career path has taught me that healthcare is a team effort, and every department is connected. The experiences I gained in each role have allowed me to bring a broader perspective to management, make more informed decisions, and better understand and collaborate with the people and departments I serve.
What started with a rejection ultimately became a journey through many different areas of healthcare, and those experiences have helped shape the leader I am today.
Best advice received: The best career advice I have received is to understand the difference between rubber balls and glass balls.
Throughout our careers, we are constantly juggling responsibilities. Some things are like rubber balls—they may fall, and we can pick them back up and keep going. Other things are like glass balls—they are fragile, and if we drop them, the damage may be much harder to repair.
For me, this advice has taught me to understand what truly matters and to prioritize accordingly. Not every task has the same level of urgency or consequence. As a leader, I have learned to recognize which responsibilities require my immediate attention and which ones can wait.
It has also taught me that being a good leader doesn't mean trying to do everything at once. It means knowing what deserves your attention, protecting the things that are most important, and trusting your team with the responsibilities they are capable of handling.
I carry this lesson with me every day—not only in my work, but in how I approach challenges, make decisions, and support the people around me. Sometimes the most important part of leadership isn't doing more; it's knowing what you cannot afford to drop.
Fun fact: Outside of my full-time career, I'm also an entrepreneur. I own/co-own two side businesses: a photography business and a mobile bar that I co-own with a friend.