She Is MVP to Patients and Co-Workers: Housekeeper Karren Keitt is Recipient of UMF Corp's Annual Hygiene Specialist™ Excellence Award

CHICAGO, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Karren Keitt, a member of the Environmental Services (ES) team at the Regional Medical Center (RMC) in Orangeburg, SC, has been named this year's recipient of the Hygiene Specialist™ Excellence award, which is sponsored by UMF Corporation, developer of the PerfectCLEAN® Environmental Hygiene System.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120227/CG59253LOGO)  

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," said RMC ES director Henry Miller in nominating Keitt for this year's 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."

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

Commenting about the award, UMF Corporation CEO George Clarke said, "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."

This year's 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, it is people like Karren Keitt who make the difference on many different levels – infection prevention, patient satisfaction and ultimately a hospital's bottom line," Clarke said. 

About UMF Corporation

Innovators and specialists in environmental hygiene, UMF Corporation delivers advanced, patented antimicrobial technology with industry-leading PerfectCLEAN® products, education, training, motivation and support.  The company, headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, IL, is the only U.S. company that designs, engineers and manufactures high-performance fibers and accessories to help its customers meet tough new challenges in public health and safety.  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.

SOURCE UMF Corporation