Doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists are all on the front lines treating patients who have the new coronavirus.
But other hospital workers are also playing critical roles.
At Rochester General Hospital, Scott Sleeper and Vic Zeno are the environmental services operations managers.
"(We) basically ensure the hospital has all the resources to maintain a clean and safe environment for all that enter the building," Zeno said.
Sleeper and Zeno work with other hospital staff to make sure there are enough supplies, like disinfectant, on hand and supervise the cleaning of rooms and common areas.
"Things like doorknobs, elevator buttons," Zeno said. "Things people don't think about, we definitely clean."
When you're talking about cleaning a hospital -- removing pathogens from every surface -- that requires some training, and Sleeper doesn't underestimate the importance of that.
"I've gotta tell you the truth," he said. "I've been in this career my whole life, so to me, it is glamorous. I mean, we save lives."
That may seem more evident in the midst of a pandemic. If the coronavirus can be spread by touching surfaces -- and medical experts say it can -- it is the job of environmental services to make sure every possible surface is disinfected.
"Personally, I feel safer in this building than I do in Walmart, or Kmart, or any other retail store," Zeno said. "In this building, we have all the tools and equipment and personnel to keep the place clean."
Zeno and Sleeper said it's also part of their crews' job to interact with patients and give them a positive experience while they are in the hospital. With elective surgeries and procedures temporarily on hold, there are fewer patients coming in. Sleeper said this allows the environmental services teams to take more time to do this.
"We, like everyone else, would like this to come to an end," he said. "But in the meantime, we're here for the patients and our team."
