ASHES Changes Name to Association for the Healthcare Environment

The Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) is the new brand formally announced today at the ASHES 25th annual conference and healthcare marketplace being held at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Md. Sept. 26-30, 2010. AHE continues to be a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association (AHA).

"Our new brand is fresh, bold, simple, and touches everything we do as healthcare professionals," says Fiona Nemetz, CHESP, 2010 board president. "It is a prominent mark that in its simplicity conveys our excellence, leadership, and sustainability. More importantly, it paves the way for our growth and expansion in our next 25 years into long-term care, assisted living, ambulatory care, surgery centers, and other channels."

In response to one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and online surveys undertaken at the 2009 conference, members indicated that they saw the association as being:

- The premier organization for environmental services, the voice of the profession;

- An educational institute, enabling members to advance careers through certification, professional development and continuing education;

- A global leader advocating for the standardization of best practices;

- The driving force behind members achieving their full potential;

The research also indicated that members want the association to attract new, younger professionals to the membership, eliminate brand confusion with other membership groups, and consistently meet member expectations in the constantly evolving areas most important to them.

"We were very excited by the energy from the membership and realized we needed to mobilize quickly to capture their vision," Nemetz adds. "Our immediate goal for the AHE brand is to eliminate brand confusion with the environmentalists and other internal and external membership groups. We are confident that with the new brand, we will raise the visibility and recognition of environmental services as having matured into a profession making a significant impact on the quality of care and the quality of the care environment."