2025 EVS Department of the Year: Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County

Proudly surrounding a display commemorating their EVS Department of the Year Award are (from left) Advocate Health leadership team members Michael Clark, manager of EVS and linen distribution for Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County; Amy Petrauski, director of EVS and linen distribution for north and central Wisconsin; Jessi Moffatt, supervisor of EVS for Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County; and Jose Feliciano, system vice president of EVS, linen distribution and patient transport.

Image courtesy of Advocate Health

The environmental services (EVS) team at Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County (AMCSC) in Sheboygan, Wis., has long excelled at equipping leaders and teammates with standardized procedures and tools designed to drive success and ensure facility sanitation and cleanliness. This cohesive approach has paved the way for remarkable achievements that elevate both patient care and workplace culture, and now they have an EVS Department of the Year Award to prove it.

But that’s not the only honor recently bestowed upon this hospital’s EVS department. It also proudly earned a site internal award for patient throughput by streamlining workflows, ranking among the top facilities within Advocate Health’s Illinois and Wisconsin divisions.

“This was accomplished by collaborating with clinical departments and adjusting workflows within EVS,” says Michael Clark, Advocate Health’s manager of EVS and linen distribution. “Our EVS program is actually implemented across all hospitals in our divisions, making it a great benefit for teammates who want to transfer to another site within our organization.”

Raising the bar

In the past year, safety metrics soared past targets, with a stellar 99.9% success rate against a goal of 94%, while customer satisfaction climbed to 93.2%, surpassing the 85% benchmark. These gains were measured through rigorous hand-hygiene monitoring, targeted high-touch surface inspections and patient surveys. Partnering with physical therapy, EVS introduced teammate stretching routines during daily huddles, a simple innovation credited with eliminating injuries since its adoption.

Focusing on patient perceptions, AMCSC exceeded expectations with an 80.4% top-box score on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems cleanliness scale, above the target goal of 77.3%, for “room kept clean during stay” efforts, showcasing the tangible impact of EVS efforts.

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“This achievement reflects the dedication and consistency of the EVS team in upholding high standards of cleanliness for our patients and visitors,” says José Feliciano, system vice president of EVS, linen distribution and patient transport.

Cleaning and disinfection effectiveness is monitored through visual inspections, direct observations and high-touch audits aimed at validating disinfection of patient care areas. The team’s high-touch audits, using a tool that is used to mark frequently touched surfaces in a dirty, discharged room prior to the EVS teammate cleaning it, consistently achieve a 95.6% passing rate.

“After the room is cleaned by the teammate, the marked areas are inspected with a black light,” says Amy Petrauski, director of EVS and linen distribution for Advocate Health’s North and Central Wisconsin territories. “This process not only validates that the space was properly disinfected but also provides an excellent learning opportunity for our EVS team while ensuring the room is safe for the next patient.”

Yalexis Rondon, EVS assistant, cleaning the floor-to-ceiling glass that overlooks the cafeteria seating and healing garden.

Image courtesy of Advocate Health

Impressively, no C. diff health care-associated infections were reported in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2024 — clear evidence of the success of infection prevention strategies.

“Our sustainability dashboard tracks recycling rates, total waste reduction — including solid and medical waste — waste per adjusted patient day, medical waste percentage and paper usage,” notes Petrauski. “This data helps us measure progress and improve performance year over year.”

A department in sync

To update its approach to task management, the department swapped out old paper daily task schedules for an advanced online software solution. The platform monitors assignments in real time, records when tasks are finished and gives leaders the tools to distribute workloads more evenly. By reviewing key performance data — like team and shift productivity averages, time between tasks and alerts for jobs left unfinished or done too quickly — EVS can continually refine operations for maximum efficiency. The system also produces reports on how often specific areas are cleaned and includes features designed to assist EVS personnel in carrying out their work.

“EVS teammates provide essential services in close contact with patients, visitors and staff, spending about 10 minutes daily with each patient to maintain a clean, safe environment,” says Jessi Moffatt, CHEST, CSCT, EVS supervisor for Advocate Health. “Collaborating with nursing and infection prevention, EVS helps reduce health care-associated infections and enhance patient safety. And using data-driven methods and cost-saving measures, EVS adds strategic value beyond traditional janitorial roles.”

Kim Beltran, EVS assistant, mopping an emergency department exam room and safely preparing it for the next patient.

Image courtesy of Advocate Health

The EVS team’s diversity presents unique strengths as well as occasional challenges. Staff members fluent in multiple languages enhance communication with patients who speak languages other than English, fostering a more comfortable and positive patient experience.

“Collaboration within the EVS team and with other hospital departments is important for maintaining effective outcomes,” explains Clark. “The environment encourages mutual support among staff to better assist patients during their recovery.”

Employee retention remains a major focus, as evidenced by an impressive 81% rate, bolstered by consistent one-on-one check-ins, a structured training curriculum and a comprehensive onboarding program featuring warm welcome messages.

Kim Mertes, EVS lead (now retired), disinfecting the water fountains throughout the facility.

Image courtesy of Advocate Health

“The EVS department is highly engaged and takes pride in the work that they do. The team has grown significantly thanks to our personnel referring friends or family to the open positions in the department,” continues Feliciano.

Successes both big and small are celebrated regularly among the squad — from daily wins to birthdays marked with cards and cafe bucks, plus work anniversaries acknowledged with fanfare. The team is further energized with games, prizes, meals and treats during the organization’s annual EVS week.

Well-deserved applause

Moffatt says she’s honored to be recognized for the achievements her EVS team at AMCSC has accomplished. “This award has been an outstanding way to recognize the value that our EVS teammates bring to our organization and how important their work is to keep our environment a clean and safe place,” she says.

Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County’s EVS team with department leadership during their onsite celebration for winning the Association for the Health Care Environment’s EVS Department of the Year Award in the 1-249 beds category.

Image courtesy of Advocate Health

Clark is equally thrilled with the accolade. “This achievement reflects not only our skill and hard work but also the deep compassion and dedication we bring to caring for our patients each day,” he says. “It’s a testament to how determination, teamwork and a shared commitment to excellence can truly make a difference. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our patients and our community, and this award inspires us to continue raising the standard of care for all who walk through our doors.”

Finally, Review Task Force Judge Kimberly Miller, BS, CMIP, T-CHEST, T-CNACC, T-CSCT, vice president of support services for Valley Medical Center in Renton, Wash., praised the achievements. “In particular, they vastly improved their voluntary turnover rate and implemented autonomous equipment — allowing real-time monitoring,” she says.

Learn more about the Environmental Services Department of the Year Award

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Erik J. Martin is a freelance writer based in Oak Lawn, Ill.