Meet Our Facilities Dream Team
No one wants to have to go to a cancer hospital. But if you do, you want it to be a clean and inviting environment. The work of maintaining that environment at MSK falls on a diverse group of individuals. Their contributions keep MSK safe and functioning, and help our patients trust in the care they will receive from their first step inside to the completion of their treatment.
The Best Environment
MSK’s Environmental Services (EVS) team includes more than 600 dedicated staff members who work across the institution’s main campus and regional facilities, providing services that include waste management, cleaning and disinfection, grounds maintenance, recycling, pest control and in-house light weight moves. They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year, often behind the scenes, to maintain MSK’s more than 3 million square feet of space, turn over hundreds of beds, and dispose of thousands of pounds of general and medical waste.
These day-to-day tasks are vital to allowing our organization to function efficiently and provide exceptional patient care. Everything that is touched in an MSK facility must be clean, and efficient cleaning contributes to an optimal flow of patients throughout their journey.
Ryan Clifford, Operations Manager, Environmental Services
“Our team gives patients confidence in MSK as an institution, so they know they made the right choice in coming here,” says Ryan Clifford, Manager, Environmental Services. “We’re very much in the business of first impressions.”
The team has an eye on MSK’s various waste streams and understands what needs to happen to maximize costs and efficiencies. They clean operating rooms and change over a patient’s room to prepare it for the next patient.
“Teamwork, collaboration, and mutual respect is a cornerstone to success in any environment but is especially critical in our environment,” says Christopher Choudhry, Senior Director, Environmental Services.
“The work of EVS never ends and we take pride in our ability to create a great impression and set the tone throughout a patient’s journey.”
“It’s much more than just mopping the floors,” adds Ryan.
The EVS team’s work is especially important because much of MSK’s patient population is immunocompromised. “We’re the first line of defense against the spread of infection,” says Chris. “Cleanliness promotes healing, and the intervention of our team saves lives. There is nothing more important.”
Christopher Choudhry, Senior Director, Environmental Services
Working Where It Counts
EVS staff work tirelessly, knowing that their work can directly affect a patient’s health. They understand that if a tiny spot of blood is found in an operating room, that patient’s procedure must be canceled, something many patients cannot afford to have happen. “If we don’t provide a disinfected area, then we aren’t saving lives, which is why we all do the work that we do,” says Gabriel Castillo, Environmental Services Lead, who has been at MSK for 18 years. “I work to turn a patient’s room from dirty to clean as fast as possible, which in turn lowers the waiting time for patients in urgent care and gets them the help they need.”
Recognizing and respecting the role each team member plays in contributing to MSK’s valuable work is top of mind for EVS staff. “I know my job is just as important as that of the doctors and nurses at MSK,” says Yobanny Villa, Environmental Services Lead, who has been at MSK for 13 years. “We’re the first ones in and the last ones out. Without our team, MSK doesn’t run.”
Gabriel Castillo, Environmental Services Lead
Yobanny Villa, Environmental Services Lead
A Supportive Family
Respecting each other’s unique contributions to MSK’s mission is just one of the ways the EVS team is like a supportive family. Many of the staff have been with EVS for years. Some have gone on to grow their careers in other parts of MSK.
“It’s known that our group serves as a pipeline for employees to grow into roles outside of where they came from,” says Ryan. “Their work ethic is truly respected amongst their colleagues.”
Linda Rimple, Environmental Services Lead
Yobanny and Environmental Services Lead Linda Rimple, who has been at MSK for 17 years, couldn’t agree more. “You don’t see growth like that anywhere else — the sky’s the limit,” says Yobanny. “Now that I’m a lead, I see how much opportunity I’ve had at MSK,” added Linda.
Everyone who joins EVS is part of MSK’s mission to end cancer for life and wants to have a positive impact on the experience of our patients.
“After I lost both of my parents to cancer, I saw an opportunity to come to MSK and knew it was the right decision for me,” says Stephan Craigwell, Manager, Environmental Services.
Many EVS team members feel strong bonds with their colleagues. “We’ve become a family here,” says Yobanny. “I’ve worked at other hospitals where there wasn’t that same level of mutual respect and belonging.”
Gabriel agrees that MSK is his family, his home, and his life. “I’ll stay here until I retire,” he added.
Stephan Craigwell, Manager, Environmental Services