May 4, 2021 —Many residents, their families, and staff want to know that senior living communities are committed to maintaining safe and healthy environments now more than ever before.
On April 12, Kendal at Hanover became the first Life Plan Community in the United States to receive SafeGuard Certification, a 58-point infection control and hygiene inspection program developed by Bureau Veritas. The certification is meant to give “quality assurance to clients, residents, family members and guests that all necessary steps have been taken and maintained to ensure enhanced infection controls.” Hygiene and medical staff experts designed the senior living program’s guidelines and survey checklists on infection control and prevention.
“Infection control is something we take very seriously and this can be seen in our training, our policies, and our daily work,” said JoAnn Coulombe, KaH’s Director of Environmental Services. “Receiving this certification is a reflection of the hard work and dedication our staff have taken to keep our residents and employees safe.”
Bureau Veritas, recognized as a world leader in testing, inspection and certification services, spent one day at KaH focusing on community-specific infection control polities, documentation of staff training and knowledge of COVID-19 protocols, personal protective equipment supply and usage, and sanitizer and hygiene practices.
“This was done as a pilot and offered to Kendal through our relationship with Entegra, our new procurement service partner for affiliates,” said Ben Butler, the Kendal Corporation’s Vice President for Culinary Services & Procurement. “Veritas previously has done hospital inspections, including for the Cleveland Clinic. This was a new opportunity. Bureau Veritas was looking for a post-acute community for a pilot survey, and this clearly speaks to Kendal at Hanover’s openness to innovation.”
“This was a very thorough process and it was clear that the surveyor was incredibly detail-oriented,” said Coulombe. “It was a great learning experience for everyone involved and I am grateful for the opportunity and receiving their SafeGuard Certification.”
Founded in 1828 in Belgium, Bureau Veritas is a world leader in testing, inspections and certification services. With more than 78,000 employees, they are present in 140 countries through a network of over 1,500 offices and laboratories.