This session addresses the importance of cognitive and mental health as our professionals work every day to maintain stress levels and stability. Great mental health is needed as we deal with patient safety, while also working to be both efficient and productive.

Learning Objectives:

    -Define the importance of good mental and cognitive health in SPD
    -Identify two issues that are prevalent: stress and English as a second language
    -Explain how to make your SPD a mentally and cognitive healthy environment

Sharon Greene-Golden: With more than 30 years of experience in the Sterile Processing profession—and countless more years serving the industry through her lively, informative and eye-opening speaking engagements and educational presentations—Greene-Golden knows how to engage, captivate and ignite passion in her audiences and staff members. Aside from serving as Sterile Processing manager for Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland, she has actively served on numerous boards and committees for the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association and served as President and Past-President on the Association’s Board of Directors (2013-2015). Greene-Golden has presented at national, regional and local HSPA meetings as well as on an international circuit at the Aesculap Academy in Germany, the World Sterilization Congress in Portugal in 2012 and Turkey in 2013, Christchurch, New Zealand, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Thailand, Taiwan, and China. She has also authored numerous articles, which have appeared in various healthcare trade publications and peer-reviewed healthcare journals. Greene-Golden is the co-author of “WILD the Pandemic: What I learned during the Pandemic” and the Amazon bestseller, “Speaking My Truth.” In February 2012, she was featured in the TODAY Show segment on “Dirty Surgical Instruments,” serving as a prominent face for the profession, and a Sterile Processing expert who demonstrated the importance of cleaning and processing instruments according to standards, best practices and manufacturer instructions for use. She’s a strong advocate for state-required certification of Sterile Processing professionals, and an outspoken proponent for always doing what’s right, every time, in the name of patient safety. Greene-Golden received the Award of Honor from HSPA in 2018.