The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS)

Empowering and Engaging the Everyday Cleaner with John LaRochelle

In this episode, we talk with John LaRochelle, a long-standing contributor and board member at TIPS, and President of  Lighthouse Environmental Infection Prevention [https://lighthouseeip.com/]. To gain a deeper understanding of John's impact, I turned to Michael Diamond, who succinctly framed John's journey: 'John has dedicated his career to uplifting those in the least paid positions. His advocacy and development of technologies and programs have not only enhanced environmental cleaning but also empowered and elevated the cleaners themselves.' John's life and career are fundamentally about empowering and engaging the everyday cleaner. During our discussion, we explored several key themes: * John's journey and career in the cleaning industry * His progression from a cleaner to a manager and eventually an industry leader. * Strategies to offer similar growth opportunities to your employees. * The importance of respecting cleaners, both as individuals and in their roles, and the impact of making them feel valued. * The extensive and varied benefits that arise from this approach. John's narrative is an inspirational tale of discovering one's true calling, climbing the ranks in an industry, and consistently making a meaningful difference in the world.   For full show notes and links, visit https://deepdive.tips [https://deepdive.tips]

The Science Behind Long Lasting Surface Disinfection with Jay Denktash and Amit Sehgal

The cleaning industry has long been focused on the concept of contact time. But what happens between cleanings? This question grows increasingly pertinent as we navigate both labor shortages and heightened expectations of cleanliness and safety from customers, guests, and patients. A potential part of the solution lies in long-lasting disinfection technology. In this episode, we talk with Jay Denktash and Amit Sehgal from Solvay [https://www.solvay.com/en/] about the science underpinning long-lasting surface disinfection. This concept isn't new. Scientists have been exploring it since the late 1990s, achieving some success. The industry has managed to produce long-lasting disinfectants, but their user experience often left much to be desired. They might emit a strong odor, leave a sticky residue, or simply be difficult to use. When Solvay took on this challenge, they placed a high priority on aesthetics. To truly succeed, they needed to create a product that was both effective and appealing to end-users. Jay and Amit recount how Solvay harnessed its extensive range of over 2,000 surfactants and polymers, applying its vast expertise to overcome usability issues and develop the innovative Actizone® [https://www.solvay.com/en/brands/actizone-disinfection-that-lasts] technology. The task of creating a product that both cleans effectively and lasts a long time is monumental, and the science behind it is FASCINATING. Jay and Amit break it down in an easily understandable manner. I'm confident you’ll find it as enlightening as I did. We also delve into how Solvay fostered an internal startup culture to nurture this innovation and discuss the challenges they faced in introducing such a novel product to the market – a process supported by the TIPS Science to Market program.   For full show notes and links, visit https://deepdive.tips [https://deepdive.tips]

Operationalizing Environmental Regulation in Healthcare w/ Shari Solomon

On this episode, we're joined by Shari Solomon, the President of CleanHealth Environmental LLC [https://www.cleanhealthenv.com/], and a TIPS Advisory Council member. Shari's journey in the world of environmental policy and law began with a deep-seated interest in environmental matters. Her desire to influence and effect change led her to study law, which subsequently led her to Capitol Hill, where she dedicated her time to shaping environmental policies. During this period, Shari's fascination with Indoor Air Quality took root, specifically focusing on infection risks posed by microorganisms in the air, such as mold. Driven by the urge to have a more hands-on and direct impact on these crucial issues, Shari established CleanHealth Environmental nine years ago, and she hasn't looked back since. Today, Shari brings her diverse perspectives to the forefront, assisting healthcare facilities in comprehending the complex web of laws, rules, and regulations that govern them. She constructs tailored programs and standard operating procedures to ensure effective, efficient, and consistent execution of these regulations. Done right, or conversely, done wrong, these aspects have a significant influence on the day-to-day operations of healthcare facilities. They play a pivotal role in ensuring patient safety, staff training and safety, and the ability to retain those staff. These aspects can also affect patient satisfaction scores, which, in turn, can impact revenue. Navigating the intricacies of healthcare requires a nuanced approach, and Shari adeptly breaks down the complexities to show us that achieving excellence in all these areas is not only possible but necessary. In this episode, we also delve into the updated ICRA 2.0, a Healthcare renovation and maintenance industry standard that helps us evaluate the risks involved in construction or renovation activities within active healthcare facilities. Shari provides insights into what ICRA 2.0 is, who should be concerned, what's new, and how to prepare for it. Prepare for a comprehensive crash course on Infection Prevention and Industrial Hygiene, guided by someone who is truly making a difference.   For full show notes and links visit https://deepdive.tips [https://deepdive.tips]

Helping People Breathe Healthier Indoor Air with Dr. John McKeon

As an emergency room doctor, John McKeon often recommended allergy and asthma-friendly products to his patients. One patient’s mother, while trying to take in all the details, told him it would be so nice if someone would just put a label on these products so that she could know which ones met his specs. That single comment was enough to ignite the latent entrepreneurial tendencies that John had always had. Now, John is the CEO of Allergy Standards Ltd (ASL) [https://www.allergystandards.com/], a company on a mission to help people breathe healthier indoor air. John and his team do this through science (ASL Standards), education (iAIR Academy), and innovation (iAIR Institute). On this episode, we talk with John about his journey from the expected path of being a medical doctor to his inevitable path as a serial entrepreneur and business leader. This, of course, was not an easy endeavor but John knew there was value in going upstream and addressing health problems at the root cause. We discuss key learnings along the way, including: * How key partnerships can lend credibility to early-stage companies. * The challenges of measuring the ROI of prevention and dealing with its extremely long feedback loop. * How to use leading measures or KPIs to support your claims while keeping an eye on the longer-term clinical and economic outcomes. * The process and science behind ASL’s certification, verification, and licensing. * Finding the intersection of business and health that allows you to do well by doing good. * Confronting the realities of economics and resource allocation in healthcare. * The psychology of business and behavior change * The importance of whole-brain thinking in innovation This is a wide-ranging conversation and John shared a ton of insights from his journey that will be useful to all of you who are out there innovating, building, and trying to make a difference. For full show notes and links, visit: https://deepdive.tips [https://deepdive.tips]

How To Make Engaging Online Content with Michael Justason

On this episode, we talk with Michael Justason from McMaster University and the LightBoard Depot [https://www.lightboarddepot.com/] about online communication. Specifically, we talk about how to do it better. Michael has been teaching in person and online for years and he’s learned some tricks that he says, in some ways, have made him more effective online than in person. Now this was a surprise even to him, and he’s going to explain. Overall, our goal is to share with you these tricks, plus some tools, that Michael has found along the way. We’ll cover a few basic things you can do with lighting, sound, positioning, etc. that will apply to anyone that spends any time communicating online. That’s pretty much all of us these days.  Then, we’ll show you the LightBoard. This is a tool that allows Michael to interact with his content in new and interesting ways that his students call “next level”. Some of this is a bit more sophisticated, but not as hard or as expensive as you may think. And it can have a dramatic impact on the effectiveness of your online communications. This is where those of you who do corporate training and education are going to want to listen up. NOTE: This is typically an audio podcast. But today’s topic calls for something a bit different. Head over to DeepDive.Tips [https://deepdive.tips/], pull up this episode and there you can find the full interview on video. That’s not necessary for the entire conversation, but it will help tremendously in a few sections of the interview. The first of which (a quick demo of the LightBoard) starts at 10m and 30s.   Learn more: https://deepdive.tips/ [https://deepdive.tips/]  https://www.lightboarddepot.com/ [https://www.lightboarddepot.com/]