Roberta Place, a Jarlette Health Services 140-bed long-term care home, has received recognition through JohnsonDiversey as a ‘Healthy High Performance (HHP) Cleaning’ home.

“This means that we have altered our cleaning chemicals and other housekeeping products such that we have received recognition with the HHP Environmentally Responsible Program,” explains Carolyn McLeod, administrator of Roberta Place.

“We are the first long-term care home in Simcoe County to be awarded this status.”

McLeod was approached by the long-term care home’s environmental services supervisor earlier this year about making changes to better support the environment.

“Steve Hesch, our environmental services supervisor, is a very forward-thinking gentleman looking for ways to make the home more efficient and environmentally-friendly.”

The home's supplier, Morgan Scott Paper Products, Janitorial and Industrial Supplies, approached Hesch with the opportunity to use more environmentally-friendly products. As a result, Roberta Place has changed over some of its chemicals. For instance, it now uses a bathroom cleaner that is more environmentally-friendly and a microfibre floor cleaner instead of the traditional push broom. As well, the home is now using recycled paper products including toilet paper and paper towels.

“We’ve taken some baby steps here,” says Hesch.

“We’re taking steps to be more environmentally-friendly.”

While just in the infancy stages, it’s an initiative that “combines best practices with environmentally-friendly products, tools and equipment,” says McLeod. “We’re making the plunge ahead.”

It’s an accreditation year for Roberta Place and accreditation focuses very much on the community, says McLeod. Being more environmentally-friendly makes a good contribution to the home’s broader community, she says.

“Our mission is ‘Making a Positive Difference In The Lives Of Those We Touch.’ Leading by example is essentially how we got to this point.”