TOPEKA (WIBW), – The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis is recognized for his efforts to keep the hospital safe.
Arnold King served six-years as the Environmental Services Director at the University of Kansas Health System St. Francis campus.
King states that quality patient care is his top priority. It’s actually something I love to do.
Arnold King has been the Environmental Service director since 2016. He is passionate about keeping the facility clean, and keeping patients safe.
King said that my main focus when I come in every day is to make sure that the staff has the right supplies, that the staff is safe and that the staff engages with their patients in the rooms they are cleaning.
King claims he is passionate about keeping his facility clean and keeping his patients safe.
You create a healing environment by creating a clean environment. A clean environment creates a safe space. King explained that if you create a clean environment, people can see and feel the difference. It’s more than a passion. It’s something I feel like a calling.
When I first started this business, I was a trashman and a puller of medical waste. I was 15-16 years old when someone saw something in my that I am forever grateful for.
King claims he pushes his team to adhere to the hospitals four-star cleanliness standards. I instill this in my managers and my supervisors. He said that he instilled that in workers who have been here for 20 years, and in workers who have only been here two months. So they know from the top that if something is on the floor, if the director picks up it, you pick it. I have the same expectations for everyone below me if I am in contact with a doctor or nurse as I do for anyone walking down the hall.
King believes his team are the unsung heroes. We need the trash person, the person who is willing to enter the room and engage with the patient.
We need to have someone who is willing to sweep the floor. We also need someone who will talk to the patient every day as they clean the room. This will encourage the patient to be more active, he said.
He says that patients send him Thank Yous. Even though they were only in the room for eleven minutes, we feel that we are part the healing team here. Our physicians and nurses also tells us that. So we appreciate that they let us know that part of this healing team is a collective effort.
King oversees approximately 50 employees.
King stated that he hopes the hospital satisfaction scores will continue to rise.
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