Brian Hainse, president of Heritage Healthcare in Cranston, R.I., has seen many changes during his time in the facility management sector. One aspect of business, however, has remained the same – the commitment of his company to environmental stewardship and providing a high level of service to customers. That includes green cleaning practices.
“My parents founded the company based on their personal experience with a family member,” Hainse says. “They believed that senior adults living in a nursing home or other facility deserved the cleanest environment possible, including healthy cleaning methods that would enhance their quality of life.”
Heritage Healthcare has 350 employees, and provides facility management services to numerous clients in the Northeast. Customers include assisted living facilities, nursing homes and hospitals. At each facility that Heritage contracts, personnel run the operation like their own mini business. Each location has a site manager and the personnel required to successfully clean the facility.
Hainse reports that more clients are expecting more than just a clean facility. Many customers realize that cleanliness goes beyond appearance to the impact that products and equipment have on the indoor environment.
The company carefully selects the products, processes and equipment it uses in a holistic approach to cleaning. “We continually strive to take our operation to the next level especially when it comes to green cleaning,” Hainse says. “In the last five years, advances in technology and the availability of new, more environmentally friendly products and procedures have made it easier to expand our green commitment.”
There is no need to use a harsh chemical cleaner, he maintains, when there is a comparable environmentally friendly alternative available. When a green cleaning product becomes available, Heritage Healthcare does the research and, if warranted, becomes an early adopter.
Vacuuming is a key part of the company’s green cleaning regimen, and Heritage began using ProTeam vacuums five years ago. The company changed over its entire fleet to ProTeam models one year ago based on the equipment’s filtration technology, performance and the support Heritage receives from ProTeam. Hainse states that the company’s equipment and customer service helps prevent down time, and ProTeam’s marketing materials help him to market his own business.
“I believe ProTeam vacuums are the best equipment for removing harmful airborne particles,” Hainse says. “The ProTeam units remove the particles rather than redistributing them when we vacuum. Mold, dust and bacteria are taken out of the environment, which is better for our customers and the people they serve.”
Heritage began with a combination of ProTeam Super CoachVacs and TailVacs. The Super CoachVacs are used in common areas to clean hard floor surfaces and carpets. Hainse says that the 11-pound backpack unit is easy for personnel to use, and easily fits on the equipment carts. Facility staff uses the TailVac for housekeeping in resident or individual rooms, including cleaning air vents, light fixtures, baseboards, and blinds. The eight-pound units are comfortable for personnel to wear, and maneuvering around the room is very efficient using the hip-style vacs. The TailVac is also used to vacuum hard floors in individual rooms, which eliminates the need to dry mop or dust the floor. Both units feature a Four Level Filtration system using Intercept Micro Filters, which limits the reintroduction of harmful particles back into the air.
Jeff Drew, Heritage Healthcare’s director of business development, says new customers are impressed by what the ProTeam vacuums pick up. “We often take the bag out of a TailVac unit the first day we’re in a new facility and show it to our customers,” he says. “They’re amazed at how full the bag is when they thought an area had been cleaned using other equipment. The other facility management provider may have been doing okay, but we show them that we can provide better results based on the equipment we use.”
Heritage is also adopting ProTeam’s QuietPro vacuum based on the model’s ultra-quiet operation. “We can vacuum without disrupting a conversation, which is important,” Drew says. “Our personnel can keep working in an area, and others in the room don’t have to speak louder to be heard or wait to finish a conversation when we’re done. Integrating the QuietPro is yet another step in our company’s commitment to using the best equipment available to serve our customers.”
Learn more about ProTeam Vacuums in healthcare environments here.
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