ISSA, the Association for Cleaning and Facility Solutions, launched ISSA Healthcare Environmental Hygiene Professional Certification (HEHP). The three-tier training program builds a consistent framework of environmental hygiene standards for in-house healthcare environmental services teams and any healthcare professionals who hold accountability for cleaning, disinfection, and patient care.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), reemerging diseases, and antimicrobial resistance remain the most pressing challenges facing hospitals and U.S. healthcare systems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on any given day about one in 31 hospital patients has at least one HAI, driving billions of dollars each year in avoidable healthcare costs, longer stays, readmissions, reputational damage, and operational strain.

 Developed collaboratively by environmental service (EVS) leaders, infection preventionists, nursing professionals, and healthcare industry thought leaders, HEHP is grounded in voice-of-customer input, current science, and evidence-based cleaning and disinfection standards to help address the challenges healthcare organizations face every day such as mitigating the spread of HAIs.

This certification is designed for hospital, ambulatory care center, long-term care facility, and other healthcare facility teams seeking a modern, standardized approach to environmental hygiene training and performance improvement. Delivered onsite at the healthcare facility through classroom instruction and hands-on practicums, the program integrates infection prevention principles and the science behind the work at every level.

“Environmental hygiene plays a critical role in infection prevention, patient confidence, and overall healthcare quality,” said ISSA Executive Director Kim Althoff. “The ISSA Healthcare Environmental Hygiene Professional Certification was created to provide healthcare organizations with a practical, scalable, and measurable framework that elevates environmental services from a task-oriented function to a strategic component of patient safety and operational excellence.”

HEHP delivers a comprehensive and integrated approach to environmental hygiene improvement. The program combines three core elements:

• Foundational and advanced environmental hygiene education focused on evidence-based cleaning and disinfection practices for healthcare environments.
• Hands-on competency development and workforce training designed to improve consistency, accountability, and front-line staff performance.
• Measurement, validation, and continuous improvement strategies that help healthcare organizations monitor outcomes and sustain long-term improvements.

HEHP is intended to help healthcare facilities:

• Improve consistency of the competencies and skills needed for cleaning and disinfection.
• Integrate EVS teams as a core member of the interprofessional patient care team.
• Enhance interprofessional communication.
• Incorporate evidence-based infection prevention principles through every level of the training process.
• Improve implementation of skills gained through in-person instruction, hands-on practicum, and onsite semiannual observational visits.

“Healthcare leaders are under increasing pressure to improve outcomes while managing staffing challenges and rising operational costs,” said Linda Lybert, ISSA Healthcare Lead and Healthcare Surfaces Institute Executive Director. “This program helps organizations establish a culture of environmental hygiene excellence that is measurable, sustainable, and directly connected to patient care.”

Additional information about the ISSA Healthcare Environmental Hygiene Program is available here.

Atlanta partnered with Throne Labs to install 12 smart restrooms near park entrances across Atlanta. City officials said the restrooms help address a long-standing shortage of public restrooms, Atlanta News First reported.

The first 10 self-contained restrooms opened to the public on May 28. The full-service restrooms contain:

• A flushing toilet and running-water sink
• A baby-changing station
• Complimentary menstrual products
• Touchless flush, faucet, and exit features
• A ramp for wheelchair and walker access
• NaviLens codes to guide people who are blind or low vision

An Atlanta team will handle all cleaning, maintenance, and operations, using real-time cleanliness ratings to keep every unit spotless and stocked. The smart restrooms contain over 21 sensors in each unit, but not cameras. The sensors detect motion, fluid levels, smoke, and odor. The sensors also alert teams to when a unit needs to be pumped, water is running low, or something is damaged.

Restroom users open the door via a QR code, text message, the Throne app, or a phoneless entry card. Usage is limited to ten minutes. While every user remains anonymous, a unique ID is assigned to address misuse without ever knowing the restroom user.

After a visit, users can rate the cleanliness of the restroom via SMS or a Throne mobile app. Maintenance teams can then use this data to drive cleaning schedules. The Throne app also pinpoints restroom locations.

A recent survey of public restrooms by a team from Georgia State University’s School of Public Health found 30 facilities that resembled public restroom. Of these 30, only 18 were free, not in a restricted location, and open to everyone, with no purchase, or badge required. However, those 18 restrooms came with major limitations: Only three were open 24/7, four required permission, five were single-stall facilities, and only 5 were located downtown. Near Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will host the World Cup beginning this month, Atlanta has no guaranteed public restrooms, the university team reported.