Managing the Pandemic and Regrouping: An ISSA Show 2021 Primer

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our systems and consumed our attention since March 2020. Unfortunately, the other pathogens didn’t go away and, in some ways, we’re given a new chance to thrive. Patient beds were taken out of the known environments and pushed to the hallway so overworked hospital staff could care for a nonstop influx of patients. PPE and cleaning products were in short supply, so EVS made decisions on the fly about alternative cleaning solutions and methods. The industry did the best it could under the circumstances. Mistakes were made. Approvals were reversed. Confusion ensued. It turns out, as John LaRochelle puts it: “You can’t just throw labor at the problem”.

There were bright spots too. GBAC designed and launched its GBAC Star Accreditation program during the pandemic and has helped scores of hotels, stadiums, convention centers and more reopen their facilities safely. The public became educated in key public health issues that we could never have gotten them to think about in the past, creating wonderful opportunities to expand our dialogue and improve public safety going forward. And though it was often painful, we learned important messages about how to better communicate science to the public.

All of this sets the stage for the cleaning industry’s big return to in-person events at the ISSA Show 2021 in Las Vegas from November 15-18, 2021. This event is an opportunity for the best minds in the cleaning industry to come together, take stock of the past 18+ months, and regroup on priorities for 2022.

To help you get ready for the show, we’re talking with TIPS board members John LaRochelle and Dr. Rodney E. Rohde. John and Dr. Rohde provide an overview of where the pandemic has led the cleaning industry and they identify key issues that need our attention while we continue to grapple with COVID-19.

You can also check out John LaRochelle and Dr. Rodney Rohde (along with Daniel Gordon) speaking at the ISSA Show! They are presenting Post-Pandemic: The Truth About What Really Works in Hospitality on Tuesday November 16, 2021 from 1-2PM at Location: W205-W206.

If you’re headed to the ISSA Show then this episode will get you primed and ready to make the most of it. And even if you’re not, it’s full of expertise and insights that will help you plan for a productive 2022.

Complementary listening to expand on the topics discussed throughout this episode:

ISSA Show North America 2021

The Mission of ISSA Show North America is to be the leading resource for information, education, innovation, networking, and commercial opportunities for firms within the worldwide cleaning industry. It’s where leaders gather to transfer knowledge and create cutting-edge solutions to push the industry forward. In doing so, we leverage the strength of a global community to change the way the world views cleaning – increasing the appreciation for cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line.

THE ONE SHOW FOR FACILITY SOLUTIONS.

November 15-18, 2021, Las Vegas Convention Center

Learn more and register: https://www.issashow.com/

Global Biorisk Advisory Council^™ (GBAC), a division of ISSA

The Global Biorisk Advisory Council^™ (GBAC) helps organizations and businesses prepare for, respond to, and recover from biological threats, and biohazard situations and real-time crises. We offer education, training, certification, response management, and crisis consulting for situations where environments require a much higher level of cleaning, disinfection, and restoration. Learn more: Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) – (issa.com)

Dr. Rodney E. Rohde

Rodney E. Rohde, PhD is a Regents / University Distinguished Professor and Chair for the Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) Program in the College of Health Professions at Texas State University. He also serves as Associate Director for the Translational Health Research Center. Dr. Rohde is a Global Fellow, Fellow of the Association of Clinical Scientists, and Honorary Professor of International studies. He is an ASCP board certified Specialist in Virology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology. He spent a decade as a public health microbiologist and molecular epidemiologist with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Bureau of Laboratories and Zoonosis Control Division prior to his academic career, including two terms as a CDC Visiting Scientist. Dr. Rohde served as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Health Professions for nine years. His research interests include Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs), antimicrobial resistance, and clinical / public health microbiology especially zoonotic diseases (Rabies, Hantavirus, and others).

Dr. Rohde has published over 80 research articles and abstracts, two books and is a highly sought keynote presenter with over 100 international, national, and state conference presentations. His two books focus on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) adaptation and Clinical Considerations in Rabies, respectively. In recent years, he has become a globally viral author subject matter expert utilizing invited articles, TEDx talks, podcasts, video casts and interviews to enhance science communication and translational health research literacy in public health, healthcare and the medical laboratory environment. During the #SARSCoV2 / #COVID19 pandemic, Doc R is the #1 quoted Texas State subject matter expert and has conducted over 150 interviews for podcasts, TV, newspapers, and internet sites as well as delivered dozens of webinars and workshops at the international, national, state, and local levels. He has received numerous awards and honors during his career, and most recently, added to The Pathologist’s PowerList 2020 (global award).

Personal Website: https://rodneyerohde.wp.txstate.edu/

Twitter: @RodneyRohde | @TXST_CLS | @TXST_THR

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodneyerohde/ [personal]

https://www.linkedin.com/company/texas-state-clinical-laboratory-science-program/?viewAsMember=true [Texas State CLS Program]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010172941875 [personal]

https://www.facebook.com/txstate.cls/ [Texas State CLS Program]

https://www.facebook.com/txst.THR/ [Texas State Translational Health Research]

John LaRochelle

John is the President of Lighthouse Environmental Infection Prevention. He leads a team of experts who are dedicated to ensuring safe facility environments through building and maintaining effective environmental infection prevention programs. In 2017, John founded Environmental Infection Prevention (EIP) as a result of his career long commitment to reducing illness and saving lives through the elimination of infections with best-in-class people, process and technology. This expertise has been driving the expansion of the Lighthouse offering, culminating in its acquisition by Lighthouse in 2021 and the launch of the Lighthouse EIP brand.

John’s career in environmental infection prevention began over 35 years ago with Sodexo. He started his career as a housekeeper and rose through the ranks holding US, North American and Global Executive Leadership Positions. As the Global Leader for Environmental Infection Prevention, John was responsible for the development of their global environmental infection prevention and cleaning program.

John is an international speaker and recognized subject matter expert in environmental infection prevention. His professional career path has provided him with top to bottom expertise in environmental infection prevention, as well as the ability to establish productive collaboration with all the key stakeholders necessary to impact change. He is a Board Member of IC TIPS and HITS.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/johnlarochelle

Lighthouse Environmental Infection Prevention

Lighthouse EIP is the worldwide leader in environmental infection prevention – a title that we do not take lightly. Here at Lighthouse, our primary objective is to ensure that your facility, whether it’s a cruise ship, hospital, research lab, office park or a baseball park, is 100% clean and safe amidst any environmental circumstances. Vetted for 10+ years in over 500 of the most demanding hospital environments, Lighthouse’s comprehensive product portfolio and customized environmental infection prevention programs deliver proven effectiveness that addresses the critical goal of reducing infectious outbreaks, but goes even further to incorporate all aspects of maintaining a facility optimized for health, wellness, safety, energy efficiency, air purity and environmental sustainability. Lighthouse provides a foundation of best in class products, training, compliance management, and environmental monitoring solutions to bring industry leading cleaning, infection prevention, and optimized environmental health and wellness programs to distributors and customers across the globe. Our solutions are fully customized and catered to meet your needs – whatever they may be. Each of our programs and solutions is meticulously designed to meet CDC, EPA, WHO, APIC, and OSHA regulatory guidelines and compliance standards; the core foundational guidance that the world’s leading Environmental Infection Prevention organizations put forth. The safety and well-being of your staff and guests is jeopardized by the presence of unwanted pathogens that can ultimately lead to disease and infection. We strive to eliminate and remove the pathogens that cause disease and outbreak by implementing our platform of best-in-class solutions. Our mission is bold, yet simple: make tomorrow’s world a healthier, safer place by reducing the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses today.

Web: https://lighthouseeip.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lighthouse-environmental-infection-prevention/

Twitter: @Lighthouse_EIP