Yuma Medical Center EVS Team Wins National Award, Improves Care

Onvida Health Yuma Medical Center's Environmental Services team has been nationally recognized after a series of operational reforms that hospital leaders and a trade profile say improved patient safety and throughput. The team won the Association for the Health Care Environment EVS Department of the Year award in its category, and Healthcare Facilities Management described several specific changes that drove measurable results.

The EVS group reorganized its work into three service lines focused on patient experience, discharge cleaning, and ancillary cleaning. The team also instituted daily and quarterly quality reviews and adopted real time bed board monitoring along with electronic inspection tools. Those shifts combined process redesign with new digital oversight to reduce variability and track performance continuously.

Results reported in the profile include faster room turnarounds in certain units, with improvements from more than 20 minutes to under 16 minutes. Patient cleanliness ratings also improved, with the hospital reporting a higher than average percentage of patients saying rooms and bathrooms were "always" clean. Infection prevention metrics showed gains, and the hospital attributed part of those improvements to standardized cleaning protocols and ongoing inspection feedback. Workforce retention initiatives were credited with stabilizing staffing, which hospital reporting linked to consistent performance and sustained gains.

For Yuma County residents these operational improvements have direct public health implications. Faster room turnover helps hospitals place patients more quickly, which can reduce emergency department crowding and shorten waits for inpatient care. Strong sanitation and improved infection prevention reduce the risk of health care associated infections, a critical concern for older adults, people with chronic conditions, and those facing barriers to follow up care. Stable EVS staffing also touches equity, since many EVS workers are lower paid and represent communities that can be disproportionately affected by poor working conditions and high turnover.

The profile reframed EVS as a strategic contributor to patient flow and safety rather than solely a support function. That perspective has implications for hospital policy and resource allocation. Investments in training, technology, and quality measurement for cleaning teams can yield operational dividends while addressing occupational stability and dignity for workers who perform essential public health work.

As hospitals nationwide confront capacity pressures and scrutiny over infection prevention, the Yuma example suggests practical steps for other facilities serving rural border communities. Sustained improvement will require continued investment in workforce development, transparent data reporting, and integration of EVS leadership into broader patient flow and safety planning. For patients and families in Yuma County the changes promise cleaner rooms, shorter waits, and a health system that recognizes sanitation teams as key partners in safe, equitable care.