Left to Right: Alex Valencia, Housekeeping; Dolores Cendretta, Laundry; and Steve Delgado, Facility MaintenanceJune 17, 2016 - When people think of a hospital, they usually think of nurses and doctors, but there are so many people behind the scenes that make it possible for the medical staff to give quality patient care. A patient comes in to Gila Regional Medical Center (GRMC) with an illness for care. Doctors and nurses work to treat and cure the patient and get them home and back to their daily lives as soon as possible. Before and after the care process the housekeeping department ensures that the rooms are clean and sanitary. Some illnesses are contagious, such as the flu. Every day, these caregivers make sure that their rooms are as clean as possible for the incoming patient. The Laundry department is also critical to making the rooms clean. If an illness is contagious, these caregivers suit up in an isolation gown and collect the bedding that the sick patient used. Over 32,000 lbs of laundry is washed, sanitized, dried and folded every month at GRMC.

"These caregivers take pride in their work, and have received the prestige of being recognized as some of the best in the nation for cleanliness," said Cynthia Anderson, Laundry Supervisor, "A clean environment is critical to the healing process, we could not give the quality care we do without the Housekeeping and Laundry departments."

During their stay at GRMC, a patient needs healthy and tasty food to eat. The Dietary department works night and day to ensure quality meals are prepared and delivered to the patient's room. A dietitian plans the menus for the in-patient meals, keeping in mind dietary restrictions due to such conditions as diabetes or Celiac disease. The cooks and staff prepare the meals as well as operate the Courtyard Caf+