August 17 , 2007

Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville      PRC’s Cleanest Hospital

For the second consecutive year, Crothall client Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville (PHH), was recognized as the Top Performer in the “Cleanliness of Hospital” category by Professional Research Consultants, Inc (PRC).  PRC surveys patients following discharge from their client facilities.  One of the questions asked of patients by a PRC representative is “Overall, how would you rate the cleanliness of the hospital?”  Patients can respond: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, or Poor. 

In 2006, 78.6% of the PHH patients surveyed gave an “Excellent” response to this question.  This was the best performance of any hospital in the country utilizing PRC to gauge their customer satisfaction.  The same award was received in 2005 for a 79.2% excellent response rate.

In addition to receiving Top Performer as the cleanest hospital, PHH was also recognized as the Top Performer in the “Cleanliness of the Emergency Department” category.  Crothall Environmental Services Director John Grippo gives all the credit to his team and the leadership provided by the hospital, “Our EVS staff works extremely hard and takes a lot of pride in the appearance and cleanliness of the hospital.  What makes it especially nice at PHH is that this pride in how the hospital looks doesn’t just end with EVS.  All staff members here are focused on the patient and the patient’s needs.  What could be more important than cleanliness?  It is rare to find a piece of litter anywhere here because chances are it was picked up moments after hitting the floor.  That’s the culture that Presbyterian leadership has instilled.”  PRC’s recognition of PHH didn’t end with cleanliness. Four other Top Performer Awards in other categories were collected for 2006.

PHH, located in Huntersville, NC, approximately 20 miles north of Charlotte, is a part of Presbyterian Healthcare, whose other three hospitals, Presbyterian Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital Matthews, and Presbyterian Orthopaedics, are all Crothall customers for Environmental Services and Patient Transportation.  PHH is the newest addition to the Presbyterian System and has been a client since its opening in October, 2004.  Crothall’s original account manager, Jerry Harris, started and ran the program for the first two years before turning it over to John Grippo.   Director of Professional and Support Services and Crothall client contact, Velvette Thacker Jones, views the partnership with Crothall as “the vital and integral component that provides the foundation for this success.  When two organizations share a similar vision and mission in creating a remarkable patient experience, every dimension, every time, there is a cohesiveness that demands accountability to every process in the hospital.  Crothall, as a business entity, is engaged in all the processes that impact cleanliness and sanitation at PHH that ultimately influences patient safety and satisfaction.”

John Grippo and the EVS staff at PHH look forward to 2007 as an opportunity for a “threepeat”.