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The COVID-19 pandemic presented many new and unique challenges to healthcare systems. While often left out of national conversations about healthcare, team members in the Environmental Services Department (ESD) have been at the forefront of protecting the people who work and receive care at Sentara from contagious pathogens by keeping facilities clean and safe.
Milinda McLawhorn is one of those team members as an Environmental Service Technician I. She’s been in environmental services for more than 36 years at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center (SAMC).
“So many of us at Sentara are not directly taking care of patients, but everyone knows the critical role ESD plays in both patient safety and patient experience,” she says.
While ESD team members methodically clean patient rooms and other areas throughout the hospital, they frequently interact with patients and their visitors, sometimes becoming a friendly, soothing presence.
“One patient was in an altered mental state and she began to recognize me,” Milinda recalls. “She didn’t want me to leave her. When I was there, she was calmer and more peaceful. It is always rewarding to see the impact we make directly, whether it’s with a smile at the bedside or by following increasingly complicated infection prevention protocols.”
During the pandemic, working in healthcare has become more complicated, especially in environmental services. As the situation evolved and protocols were developed to contain it, Milinda knew ESD needed to be at the table in decision making.
“Because of my years of experience in environmental services at Sentara, I have become more confident and know that we have a voice that needs to be heard and ideas that are important,” says Milinda. “It’s great that those conversations are a priority at Sentara.”
Milinda, who’s from Elizabeth City, says ESD is a close department, often eating lunch together, gathering for coffee and celebrating different special occasions. During her time off, she enjoys visiting Charlotte, N.C. to see her two grandchildren.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented many new and unique challenges to healthcare systems. While often left out of national conversations about healthcare, team members in the Environmental Services Department (ESD) have been at the forefront of protecting the people who work and receive care at Sentara from contagious pathogens by keeping facilities clean and safe.
Milinda McLawhorn is one of those team members as an Environmental Service Technician I. She’s been in environmental services for more than 36 years at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center (SAMC).
“So many of us at Sentara are not directly taking care of patients, but everyone knows the critical role ESD plays in both patient safety and patient experience,” she says.
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