HHC After Dark
Deep Cleaning After Sunset
By Brian Spyros
Picture it — it’s 11 o’clock at night and you’re getting ready for bed, or already fast asleep. Meanwhile, some HHC colleagues are just clocking in for work as they prepare to tackle the overnight shift and care for our patients and facilities.
“The hospital never closes, it’s always open. Even in the middle of the night, we make sure the hospital looks good,” said Hipolito Pedraza, a housekeeper with the Environmental Services Department at The Hospital of Central Connecticut.
Pedraza works third shift, from 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. The majority of his time is spent in the Emergency Department — emptying trash, sanitizing patient rooms, nursing stations, waiting areas and making sure the floors are spotless. Even in the middle of the night, the pace can be non-stop.
“It’s like a movie, sometimes, working in the Emergency Department. Ambulance after ambulance, patients constantly coming in,” Pedraza explained.
Some nights, his work extends beyond the Emergency Department and onto patient floors like the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). His responsibilities are the same there as they are in the ED, but it’s often on the floors where Pedraza gets to really focus on what he called his favorite part of the job — forging connections with patients who might be awake while the rest of the world is sleeping.
Hipolito Pedraza works third shift keeping many parts of The Hospital of Central Connecticut clean.
Photo by Rusty Kimball
“At that time of night, most patients are asleep. If the patient is awake, though, I will introduce myself and make small talk. Many of them are receptive because they are lonely since visitors aren’t allowed that late,” Pedraza said.
“Some are experiencing pain or may be scared being in the hospital. Having a conversation can put them at ease and let them know they are not alone. I try to lift their spirits.”
While Pedraza ensures the hospital looks and feels good for the arrival of the first-shift workers, he admitted that part of his job involves providing comfort. He’s even made it his mission to buy get-well cards with his own money. He pens notes inside and leaves them for patients to read when they wake up.
“At that time of night, most patients are asleep. If the patient is awake, though, I will introduce myself and make small talk. Many of them are receptive because they are lonely since visitors aren’t allowed that late,” Pedraza said.
“The nursing staff will tell me that a patient got one of my cards and it made them so happy. It makes me feel good about the job I do,” Pedraza said.