2012 Integrated Pest Management Excellence for Health Care Providers

Two health care organizations were named 2012 Gold Medal™ IPM Partner Award winners by Orkin, The IPM Institute of North America and the Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) for their outstanding commitment to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) partnerships.

“We are recognizing two health care providers that have gone above and beyond to collaborate with their Orkin teams in order to achieve pest management goals that are critical in protecting patients and staff, and surpassing Joint Commission standards,” said Orkin Director of Quality Systems Zia Siddiqi, Ph.D. “By making their Orkin teams an extension of their staff, they have set themselves up for IPM success.”

The 2012 Gold Medal™ IPM Partner Award winners in health care, selected from an elite group of nominees from across the country, are:

• St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System (Savannah, Ga.) – A private, faith-based, not-for-profit health system featuring two of Georgia’s oldest hospitals: St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital.

• Westminster-Thurber Community (Columbus, Ohio) - A not-for-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community designed to meet the needs of older adults now and into the future with various levels of care: independent living apartment homes, assisted living, memory care, rehab and long-term care nursing.

“In the second year of honoring health care providers with this award, we’ve seen a continued commitment to excellence in the preventive maintenance and sanitation practices that define a true IPM program.” said Thomas Green, Ph.D., president of The IPM Institute of North America.

As a co-presenter of the Awards, AHE brings a professional knowledge of the responsibilities and quality outcomes needed to maintain healthy communities in the health care environment.

“An effective IPM process offers the awareness, observation and cooperation necessary in the sensitive health care environment,” said Greg May, director of Environmental Services, Linen, & Sustainability at UC San Diego Health System. “As a health care provider, it’s critical to meet Joint Commission requirements and help your facility minimize the risk of exposure to chemicals. Our health care winners have really made these requirements a top priority through their successful IPM programs.”

About the Awards Jury

• Gregory May, director of Environmental Services, Linen, & Sustainability at UC San Diego Health System

• Austin M. Frishman, Ph.D., B.C.E., founder, AMF Pest Management Services, Inc.

• Dawn H. Gouge, Ph.D., associate professor and associate specialist - Community IPM, University of Arizona

• Thomas A. Green, Ph.D., president, The IPM Institute of North America, Inc.

• Ron Harrison, Ph.D., director of Technical Services, Orkin

• Frank Meek, BCE, International Technical and Training director, Orkin

• Zia Siddiqi, Ph.D., BCE, director of Quality Systems, Orkin