HFH West Bloomfield Staff Honors Doctor For Using Spare Time To Clean Patients Rooms During Staff Shortage

(CBS Detroit)- In an effort to fight against COVID-19 the Environmental Services team at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, uses a UV robot when cleaning and sanitizing rooms. The team named their newest machine Lamont, in honor of a special colleague.

"I realized how one person can make a huge difference, and I wanted everybody to know what he did." said Zdenka Jonic the Environmental Service Manager at HFH West Bloomfield

Jonic is speaking about Dr. Lamont Jones. In the spring when COVID-19 cases were at peak levels and elective surgeries were canceled, Dr. Jones decided to use his free time to help out another department in need.

"I thought it would be a simple and easy thing to do, to help support the hospital."

Dr. Jones traded in his lab coat for cleaning scrubs, grabbed a UV robot, and went to work cleaning the rooms of COVID-19 patients. Jonic says at a time when the EVS department was experiencing a critical staff shortage.

"At some point Environmental Services reached about 50% shortage in the department."

Not only did Dr. Jones help fulfill the staffing gap, he says he also encouraged others in his department to join in.

"Once I did the first shift I sent an email out to see if others were interested."

"I'm like oh my God, people were signing up for shifts I mean for two months." Jonic said during an interview

Everyone from doctors to nurses and physician assistants covered about 100 shifts, a perfect example of those coming together for colleagues in need. All prompted by a surgeon who was forced to take a pause during a global pandemic.

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