{"id":363254,"date":"2026-10-02T22:46:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T22:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/363254\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T22:46:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T22:46:14","slug":"day-in-the-life-nyc-health-hospitals-coler-environmental-services-evs-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/363254\/","title":{"rendered":"Day in the Life: NYC Health + Hospitals\/Coler Environmental Services (EVS) Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our hospitals, nursing homes and post-acute care facilities, cleanliness is about far more than appearance. Every disinfected surface, properly sanitized room and diligently maintained common area helps meet the rigorous safety, infection prevention, and environmental standards that protect residents and satisfy New York State regulations. At the heart of that effort are our EVS teams.<\/p>\n

In our latest Day in the Life photo essay, we shine a light on NYC Health + Hospitals\/Coler\u2019s EVS team. Their work is often invisible precisely because they do it so well. Yet the comfort, dignity and safety of every resident depend on tasks that many people would never choose to do.<\/p>\n

Morning Huddle<\/p>\n

During the morning huddle, senior EVS staff member Stephen Erzah Jr. (center) and the team go over task assignments, discuss ongoing projects, and share vital details about things like outbreaks\u2014like flu or COVID\u2014which will require extra diligence to keep EVS staff safe. Erzah Jr. has been with our health care system for over 27 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coler\u2019s EVS team includes multiple staff members who have been with our health system for more than twenty years and some as new as a few months.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

With every pass of the mop and every swipe of a cleaning cloth, Petdra John does more than clean the floor and disinfect surfaces. She helps create a safe comfortable home where Coler\u2019s residents can live with dignity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy coming to work here at Coler. I like coming in to do my part in making a difference in our residents\u2019 lives. We do have a good time interacting with them; it isn\u2019t only about cleaning. Some of our residents can be challenging, but at the end of the day it\u2019s about making sure they have a clean safe environments.\u201d -Emmanuel Gerlin<\/p>\n

Most people see a clean hallway. Few see the dedication, resilience and quiet pride of EVS staff like Emmanuel Gerlin, who make the floors shine. <\/p>\n

Emmanuel has been with our health system for 23 years started at the old Goldwater Memorial Hospital in 2002 before it merged into what is now NYC Health + Hospitals\/Coler.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur EVS staff clean everything you can put your eyes on. They clean and disinfect, tables, floors, ceilings and doors. We\u2019re responsible for moving patients in and out of quarantined areas when there\u2019s an outbreak\u2014like COVID or the flu or something else. There are also special ongoing projects that we\u2019re responsible for\u2014like making sure our stairwells are clean and safe and other projects such as \u2018terminal cleaning\u2019 which is essentially a very thorough and deep cleaning of high and low touch areas throughout the facility.\u201d -Kwame Thomas, Assistant Director, Environmental Services.<\/p>\n

Partnership and Commitment<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Joseph Pierre (L) checks-in with Kwame (R) to help out on a short-notice task;<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

EVS staff often partner with maintenance staff to complete projects that keep our facilities clean, safe and running optimally<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Kwame and Petdra John share a light moment in what is an oftentimes challenging and unseen role at our facilities.<\/p>\n

Project Shine<\/p>\n

The work of our EVS staff is powerful for our residents. They create comfort, peace of mind and a sense of belonging for those who live at Coler.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Daniel Afful and Owen Matthews in the middle of a resident room deep cleaning.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Vladimir Jean makes up the three-man team deep cleaning this patient room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s anywhere from 1 to 4 residents in a room and in order to complete these kinds of deep cleaning, we have to remove all of their belongings, the bed, tables; everything from these rooms and it isn\u2019t always an easy task to get them to understand that they have to be out of the room when we do these cleanings.\u00a0 Some of these units can be challenging to maintain\u2014because on many of them, residents have independence and autonomy and this is their space, so EVS has to account for how they choose to live in their space and must tactfully and respectfully engage with them to manage their belongings so we can clean their rooms. In order to do this efficiently, sometimes we partner with a particular nurse, provider or EVS staff who has a special relationship with a resident to get them to comply with a request to vacate their room so we can clean it.\u201d -Kwame Thomas<\/p>\n

A Deep Cleanse<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Cleaning isn\u2019t just about appearance. For residents living with complex health conditions, it means maintaining comfort, protecting health and creating a space where they can feel safe and cared for. Here Jesus Zabala (27 years) \u00a0and Hugh Cordoza (3 months) deep clean on-unit community toilets from top to bottom weekly. This is in addition to the twice-daily general cleaning.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo do this job, you have to be able to understand and appreciate how life can change in an instant and you become a resident of a place like Coler. Our best EVS staff are the ones who can put themselves in our residents\u2019 shoes and understand their experience\u2014and are usually the ones who always go above and beyond for our residents with compassion and care.\u201d -Kwame Thomas.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Their work begins where others might hesitate. Some of the most meaningful acts of care happen behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

EVS staff help preserve comfort and normalcy through work that is essential, demanding and deeply caring.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to be as friendly with our residents as I can, so they feel respected and at ease. I care for them like they\u2019re a loved one. It makes it easer to do and enjoy your job.\u201d -Jean Dieuvese Jean<\/p>\n

Like Family<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

The impact of EVS reaches far beyond cleanliness. It lives in the friendships and trust formed with the residents they serve. Emmanuel Gerlin (L)\u00a0 and resident Francine Benjamin have known each other for more than 20 years; before Goldwater Memorial Hospital merged to become NYC Health + Hospitals\/Coler.<\/p>\n

Quality of Life<\/p>\n

Every resident deserves to feel known, heard and respected. Through countless interactions, Coler\u2019s EVS staff help turn a place of care, into a community.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Here, Kwame Thomas is beckoned by resident Francine Benjamin to get a first-hand look at an issue that she would like to get resolved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI highly value the work they do. You just have to ask and they\u2019re there to help you!\u201d Francine Benjamin, Coler resident and President of the Resident Council.<\/p>\n

The Little Details<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Anthony Martin Leonardo manages one of the ongoing projects of dismantling, cleaning, disinfecting and reinstalling the 40+ fans positioned at nurses\u2019 stations throughout the facility.<\/p>\n

Decades of Dedication<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Kwame and EVS staff member Parbattie Seunarine catch up to quickly discuss the any special housekeeping needs on her unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first interviewed for this job, the person interviewing me was a man who said, this was a man\u2019s job. I told him give me five days to prove myself and you can make your decision. I tried using the buffing machine for the first time and it almost carried me away! So, I called by brother who was a supervisor in EVS at the time and he taught me how to use the various machines and 27 years later, I am still here. I learned by observing and I do an excellent job.\u201d -Parbattie Seunarine<\/p>\n

Behind every spotless space is a team of professionals performing demanding and sometimes unpleasant work that few people see and even fewer would volunteer to do. In a setting where health, safety, and dignity matter every day, these workers are among our health system\u2019s quietest and most essential caregivers. We thank our EVS staff for the essential work they do.<\/p>\n

To Make An Appointment<\/p>\n

Call 1-844-NYC-4NYC<\/a>
to make an appointment with an NYC Health + Hospitals provider today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In our hospitals, nursing homes and post-acute care facilities, cleanliness is about far more than appearance. Every disinfected…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-363254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}