DOVER —  Bayhealth’s Sterile Processing Department at the Kent and Sussex campuses, responsible for ensuring the safety of hundreds of thousands of clinical tools each year, is named 2021 Sterile Processing Department of the Year, a national recognition. 

 “Each year, Healthcare Purchasing News selects only one SPD team across the nation that not only achieves excellence in their work but also sets the standards for culture, quality, and safety in their work,” Brian Dolan, vice president of Resource Management at Bayhealth, said in a prepared statement. “This year, Bayhealth brought that honor home to Delaware.” 

This is the first time that an entire health system is recognized for this honor, which has only been traditionally earned by single hospitals. Consistent with Bayhealth’s commitment to bringing the nation’s best healthcare home to Delaware, the 2021 SPD of the Year award is a testament to the dedication of the Bayhealth SPD team members. 

 “In all of my 42 years serving the Bayhealth mission, I never would have imagined Bayhealth would achieve national recognition for our sterile processing work,” said Lead Tech Inis Hicks. “I feel so honored and appreciated. I love the job that I do; I do it for my patients; I do it with pleasure in my heart. This honor is what sets Bayhealth apart from the rest. We don’t just talk about doing what’s right, we actually do it, and we do it for the right reason, for our patients.” 

 The drive to achieve new heights within the SPD team at Bayhealth was the vision of Bayhealth Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Deborah Watson, who noticed a couple of years ago that the team was looking for a way to leave their mark on healthcare not only in Delaware but across the nation. 

 “I challenged them to challenge themselves,” Ms. Watson said. “I knew they could do it, and I knew they would do it. This team has always had a fire in them for delivering the best care possible; they just needed a nudge to share their best practices and their story with the rest of the nation.  All of us at Bayhealth couldn’t be prouder of the Bayhealth Sterile Processing Department for continuing to bring the nation’s best healthcare home to Delaware.”