APPA Library

"Multi-Tasking: Protecting Your Facilities from Infectious Diseases"
Author: Torry, Chris,
Published In: Facilities Manager
Date: November/December 2008

When October 2007 dawned, the only thing that Catherine Anne Bentley, Shae Kiernan, and Ashton Bonds had in common was that they were in the process of winding their way through various stages of their educations. By October 15, all three had lost their lives as a result of contracting Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an extremely virulent strain of staph infection that does not respond well to antibiotics like methicillin. The deaths of three students in 2007 became a landmark year for MRSA and its affect on educational communities. According to a "New York Times" report, elementary and secondary schools from Connecticut to Mississippi, New Hampshire to California, and North Carolina to Washington had to be closed at some point during the school year as cleaning crews disinfected buses, lockers, restrooms, and classrooms in the response to the threat of a MRSA outbreak. The level of personal hygiene will always be at the whim of the individual, but when it comes to facilities, operators and managers have no recourse but to provide the most hygienic surroundings possible for their patrons. While the rate of reported Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) outbreaks continues to grow alarmingly, the high-profile events of 2007 have shed some much-needed light on the importance of cleanliness in educational facilities. In this article, the author discusses how to protect educational facilities from infectious diseases.

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