Karren Keitt Wins UMF Corp's Annual Hygiene Specialist Excellence Award

Karren Keitt, a member of the environmental services (ES) team at the Regional Medical Center (RMC) in Orangeburg, S.C., has been named this years recipient of the Hygiene Specialist Excellence Award, sponsored by UMF Corporation, developer of the PerfectCLEAN® Environmental Hygiene System.

The award, in its second year, was established to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of ES, the first line of defense in providing a safe patient environment and reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).  ES managers nominate the housekeeper of their choice to receive the award.

Karren always goes above and beyond and always puts her patients and co-workers first, says RMC ES director Henry Miller in nominating Keitt for this years award.  She knows the role she plays in preventing patient infections and that her work must be performed properly.  Every area of our medical center wants Karren to be their ES worker and her scores for service have remained a perfect 100 percent.  She is a blessing to RMC to RMC patients.

Keitt joined the RMC team as an ES tech in 2005, and several years ago she was appointed as a lead person in ES. She is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. She and her husband, Jerry, reside in St. Matthews, S.C. They have six children. When not working at RMC, she enjoys attending church services and activities, meeting new people, cleaning and traveling.

The Hygiene Specialist Excellence award includes an all-expense-paid vacation for two to South Beach, Fla., including airfare and beachfront accommodations.

Commenting about the award, UMF Corporation CEO George Clarke says, "We want ES employees to be recognized for their critical role as the 'first line of defense' in reducing the risk of HAIs and ensuring a safe patient environment."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 out of every 20 hospitalized patients contract an infection during the course of receiving healthcare treatment for other conditions.

These infections related to medical care can be devastating and even deadly, Clarke adds.  Fortunately, medical centers like RMC are beginning to realize that ES is about more than just having a squeaky-clean, shiny hospital floor to make a positive impression on patients and visitors.

Structured programs that focus on training, education and ongoing reinforcement of best practices create a safer patient environment, he said.  And the use of more advanced infection prevention tools combined with hand-washing programs can have a dramatic impact on reducing HAIs.

This years Hygiene Specialist Excellence award comes as more hospitals are beginning to realize that environmental hygiene can play a significant role in improving patient satisfaction scores.  This includes the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which is a nationally standardized survey that captures patients perspectives of their hospital care, including cleanliness of the hospital environment. 

At the end of the day, its people like Karren Keitt who make the difference on many different levels infection prevention, patient satisfaction and ultimately a hospitals bottom line, Clarke says.  Were pleased to have her as this years recipient of the Hygiene Specialist Excellence Award.

Innovators and specialists in environmental hygiene, UMF Corporation delivers advanced, patented antimicrobial technology with industry-leading PerfectCLEAN® products, education, training, motivation and support.  UMF Corporation is the annual sponsor of the Hygiene Specialist Excellence award to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of ES.

For more information, visit http://www.perfectclean.com