Proper cleaning is important in all public areas but is especially critical in healthcare facilities. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that there are nearly 1.7 million cases of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). Of these more than 98,000 patients, one in 17, die due to contraction of a HAI while at a healthcare facility. This makes HAIs the most common complication of hospital care and one of the top leading causes of death in the USA. Implementing better cleaning and infection prevention practices is estimated to save between $25 billion to $32 billion in medical costs.

Ensuring appropriate education and training of those who work in a healthcare facility will increase compliance and use of best practices which will reduce the cases of HAIs. For those who are tasked with cleaning these facilities must take extra care to have proper hand hygiene, good safety culture, and an understanding of correct cleaning and disinfecting techniques for the areas they are working in. Training should include things like setting up the cleaning cart, how to properly put on personal protective equipment (PPE), and correct order to clean areas to ensure proper cleaning and disinfecting.

Those who are in charge of cleaning healthcare facilities have a critical role in preventing healthcare associated infections. The patients in healthcare facilities are at a higher risk for contracting infections. With proper training and understanding of techniques required to clean and disinfect healthcare facilities, many infections and deaths can be prevented. Refer to this directory for a list of qualified cleaning providers.