Greetings Virginia Society of Healthcare Engineers,

My name is Philip Prescott. I am the newly elected President of the Virginia Society of Healthcare Engineers. I am taking over the President’s position from Dylan Henderson. Dylan is continuing his role on the VSHE Board of Directors as Past President. I want to thank Dylan for his leadership on the board. In the past year and a half Dylan has worked to deliver on VSHE’s vision to provide continuous education, forums for professional and personal growth of its members, and the pursuit of best practices in healthcare facilities. My hope is to continue the work that Dylan and the other members of the board have started.

2020 has been difficult. Those of us in and serving the healthcare industry have had a lot thrown on our shoulders. For the most part, we have adapted and pushed forward with our mission of protecting our environment of care, patients, staff and visitors. VSHE had to adapt as well. We replaced in-person meetings with virtual meetings. These virtual meetings hit subjects that were topical and pertinent to the changes that COVID threw at us. So much so that attendance included many people from across the commonwealth and the country.

Recently, the board met for its winter meeting planning meeting and retreat. This was the first time that the board had met in person in almost a year. It was good to see familiar and new faces, albeit mostly through masks and at appropriate social distance. More importantly, this meeting energized me and the board to keep working to live up to VSHEs mission and vision.

There are some exciting things in the works for 2021. We are planning for an in-person conference in the fall of 2021. We are continuing to provide virtual meeting opportunities throughout the winter and spring. We are working on a communication plan and strategic plan for VSHE that will help us deliver on our mission and vision. You will be hearing more about these topics in the coming months. The goal behind this work is to ensure that VSHE engages its members meaningfully and provides values to our membership and the profession.

Take a moment to find inspiration, purpose, and renewal in the new year. Hit the ground running in 2021.

Michael R. Karcher, P.E., HCDP, GPCP
Clark Nexsen, Inc.

Mike has over 40 years of design experience in the field of mechanical engineering for various facilities, including healthcare, institutional, commercial and government buildings. He grew up in western Pennsylvania and graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Architectural Engineering in 1978. He is licensed in Virginia and Maryland and has been involved in healthcare design since 1980.

Mike received his Healthcare Design Professional Certification from ASHRAE in December of 2007 and has been a member of ASHE and VSHE (since its founding) in 2006. He recently received his Guiding Principles Compliance Professional certification at the end of 2019. Mike was the VSHE Hampton Roads Chapter Program Co-Chair in 2010-11 and was the Chairperson from then on until 2015. He has made presentations to Blueridge and Hampton Roads Chapter meetings, and regularly attends either the ASHE PDC Summit Conference or the Annual Conference.

He enjoys exercising, with walking and swimming being the most of his effort. He plays at golf and relaxes with oil painting and visiting National Parks.
Office: (757) 351-1239
Cell: (757) 748-7586
Email: mkarcher@clarknexsen.com

“Every success starts with a single step.”

The question “How do I get started?” is always top of mind when facilities managers venture down the sustainability road. ASHE’s NEW sustainability guide was developed to provide step-by-step directions for proceeding on a path toward sustainability. Whether embarking on a new journey or solidifying an established effort, the guidance provided by ASHE’s tool will help define a path to sustainability in your health care facility.

In this update I encourage you to take the next few months to consider and take this one step on the path toward a more sustainable facility.  In our next update, we will look at step two.

Step 1 - Establish a sustainability champion

The initial step in a sustainability program is identifying the point lead person or people: your sustainability champion(s). A sustainability champion’s background varies, but it is essential that they have a notable passion for sustainability. The champion’s specific role and responsibilities should be defined clearly and recognized by each department lead with whom they will be interfacing. A clear reporting structure between the sustainability champion and facility manager (or other department lead, depending on the team) will lead to the success of this position. The sustainability champion and the individual to whom they report should have a direct reporting relationship. It is crucial that this team share a mental model of the facility’s sustainability vision and measures of success, as well as the accountability structure that will allow them to achieve that success.

For more information on ASHE’s NEW Sustainability Guide, visit: https://www.energytocare.org/sustainability-guide

Best,

Happy New Year VSHE Members!

I am certain that many of us are looking forward to 2021 and glad to leave 2020 behind. Although we are not quite certain about when the restrictions will be lifted and allow for more traditional engagement with one another, we do know that training, education, and advocacy does not stop. VSHE is moving forward with plans to continue member engagement and to bring value to our industry. We appreciate all the support and participation our members have contributed this past year. We also received healthy feedback that assisted us as we navigated the awkwardness of pivoting successfully to virtual offerings. While we all hope the opportunity to get together comes soon, we will continue to bring our members informative, and timely programs in the meantime.

We appreciate and value each and every VSHE member. Your voice is important and we would ask that you continue to provide feedback, thoughts, and ideas on how we can better serve you. Simply reach out to myself or any other Board Member. We wish you, your families, and colleagues the best in 2021.

Jerry Baker
VSHE Membership Chair 2020-2021

Transitioning from primarily in-person events to virtual events has kept the VSHE conference planning committee on their toes!  Lindsey Brackett with Legacy FM and Mike Sanford with Cummins kicked off our second VSHE educational webinar series on December 3rd based on the great participation and success of the earlier webinars.  This series will run through March, featuring a phenomenal lineup of educational sessions from some of the industry’s thought leaders.

The big question in everyone’s mind is whether the VSHE Spring Conference will happen this year.  Recently, ASHE has decided to follow the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on their determination that we are in the midst of a Public Health Emergency (PHE), and will not hold any in-person public or hosted education programs until this is lifted.  ASHE will re-evaluate this policy at the end of April.  Consequently, the VSHE Board has decided to push the annual spring conference program to the late summer/early fall in hopes that we can hold an in-person event.  Stay tuned for more conference details and a call for abstracts in the coming months!

We look forward to seeing you all on winter webinar series presentations and hopefully in person at our annual conference.

Mark Jacubec
Senior Project Manager
Bon Secours Mercy Health

Laura Joyce
Life Safety Engineer
Riverside Health System

Laura joined Riverside in February 2020 as the Life Safety Engineer. She has responsibility for life safety across the Riverside Health System. Laura has worked in healthcare for more than twenty years. Prior to joining the Riverside team, she worked for Cone Health in North Carolina and was an active member of North Carolina Healthcare Engineers Association (NCHEA) as well as a member of ASHE.

Laura is originally from Greensboro, North Carolina. She has six children and one grandchild. Laura enjoys traveling and spending time on the water.

BS UNC-Greensboro; MS Columbia Southern University; MBA Columbia Southern University
Cell: 336-451-0609
Email: ljoyce023@triad.rr.com

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