It is essential that your providers and staff can work in a clean, available environment at all times, for their safety and the safety of the people they are caring for. When your roof is not in good repair, it can impact your ability to care for your patients and for your team to perform their tasks. While a roof in need of repair can damage or interrupt any business, it can be particularly impactful to a hospital, nursing home or other medical establishment. From downtime to how your operation is perceived in the community, here’s how an ailing roof can impact your healthcare facility.

Interruption of Service

When your roof needs to be repaired repeatedly, your patients could have more difficulty accessing services. Key areas of your facility may need to be shut down while repairs are made, and contractor trucks and equipment could impede doorway access. The more often repairs are needed, the more your team and patients are disrupted.

Community Perception

You’ve worked hard to establish a quality, well regarded name that patients and families have confidence in. If there are always repair people about, your facility seems run-down or you have tarps covering leaks, your facility simply won’t live up to the branding you’ve worked to establish. When you have an unreliable roof, you’ll be chasing leaks and coping with problems, and patients will notice.

Equipment Damage

The delicate technology and equipment you need to care for patients can be damaged by extreme temperatures, moisture or even humidity. When your roof has deferred maintenance or more serious damage, water can get in. This can lead to damage to your most valuable equipment. You may have insurance, but this results in costly delays and a drop in patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Mildew and Mold

Your maintenance staff works hard to keep your facility in pristine condition – but there is not much they can do if your structure is letting in moisture through the roof. It does not take long for mildew and mold to develop. This is costly to eradicate, can put your most sensitive and fragile patients at risk and creates an obvious odor your janitorial staff won’t be able to easily eradicate.

From the moment patients, visitors and staff walk through your healthcare facility’s doors, they are your responsibility. Make sure your roof is providing the watertight protection that’s critical for the health of your occupants and your facility itself.