EVS Worker Honored With Hygiene Specialist Award

UMF Corp. announced that Crystal Foster, an environmental services (EVS) specialist at Beacon Hill, a senior living community in the Chicago suburbs, has received the company’s 12th annual Hygiene Specialist® Excellence Award. The award acknowledges the invaluable contribution of the unsung heroes staffing EVS departments in health care facilities across the country.

EVS departments are a first line of defense, providing safe environments in hospitals and long-term care facilities. They help stop the spread of COVID-19, and also help control and prevent health care-associated infections (HAIs). Prior to COVID-19, now the No. 1 HAI worldwide, HAIs were responsible for approximately 2.8 million infections and an estimated 360,000 deaths each year in nursing homes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Beacon Hill’s No. 1 priority is the health and safety of our residents and team members, and our EVS team plays an essential role,” said Beacon Hill Facilities Director Emmanuel Griffin, who nominated Foster for the award. “Our go-to person for second shift, Crystal has made herself available for every shift, and consistently volunteers to take on extra tasks. She is always on time and willing to stay late whenever needed. She not only cleans our community but goes above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of our residents.”

As this year’s award recipient, Foster will receive an all-expenses paid trip for two, including hotel and airfare, to a location of her choice within the 48 contiguous states.