Two Jamestown Regional Medical Center employees were recognized for completing specialized training, called “CHEST.”
Linen Services Technician Angel Cysewski and Environmental Services Technician Stephanie Hess received accreditations for Certified Health Care Environmental Services Technician (CHEST). The CHEST certification is through the (AHE) Association for Health Care Environment a division through the AHA (American Hospital Association).
“We are proud of Angel and Stephanie,” said Cory Rowell, environmental and linen services supervisor. “At any time, this certification means they are specially trained to ensure the best care of patients. During a pandemic, the value of this certification is even more evident.”
Cysewski and Hess are among six linen and environmental services technicians at JRMC with this accreditation.
“When the public thinks of healthcare, they don’t always think about clean rooms or folded laundry. However, these employees save lives. They ensure each patient receives care in a clean and germ-free space. This was especially challenging during the pandemic, when rooms were full,” said JRMC President & CEO Mike Delfs. “The pandemic required the fast response of Angel, Stephanie and their teams. We are grateful for their legendary commitment to excellence.”
The CHEST Program offers this certification for Environmental and Linen Services frontline workers. This program covers all aspects of a frontline workers typical daily tasks and responsibilities. The employees play an essential role in patients’ experience of care as well as ensuring patient safety and satisfaction.
The program began in 2015 and has close to 4,727 Certified Health Care Environmental Service Technicians throughout the United States. The State of North Dakota has five T-CHEST Trainers who are certified to train participants to become CHEST certified in their facilities.
JRMC is pleased to now have six employees that are CHEST certified, as well as two T-CHEST Trainers.