Nemours Children's Hospital Sets Benchmark by Elevating Sterile Processing as a Strategic Asset

This month, I had the opportunity to speak with the leadership team at Nemours Children’s Hospital, DE, our 2026 Sterile Processing Department of the Year, and it was one of the most energizing conversations I’ve had since joining Healthcare Purchasing News.

What stood out immediately was that this was about far more than trays, instruments, and workflows. It was about culture, leadership, and what can happen when a health system fully recognizes sterile processing as mission-critical.

At Nemours, SPD has a true seat at the table. Leaders are involved in strategy, capital planning, facility design, workforce development, and daily collaboration with the OR, infection prevention, and executive leadership. That level of integration has helped produce results many organizations are still striving for: zero vacancies, zero travelers, advanced certification rates, and a highly engaged team.

What impressed me most was the pride. The Nemours leaders spoke passionately about developing people, celebrating certifications, investing in technology, and eliminating the outdated idea that sterile processing is a hidden support function. They understand SPD for what it is and that’s an essential link in the patient safety chain.

Their story should resonate far beyond Delaware. As healthcare organizations work to improve perioperative performance, reduce turnover, and strengthen resilience, Nemours offers a blueprint: elevate sterile processing, invest in the people doing the work, and align the department with enterprise goals.

The future of SPD becomes brighter when leaders treat it like the strategic asset it already is. Nemours is proving exactly that.

Here are just a few of my favorite quotes from the interview with the Nemours team…

On Elevating SPD’s Role

“Here at Nemours, we do not view SPD as a support function or something to consider after the fact. SPD definitely has a seat at the table.”
— Dr. Edna Gilliam, Assistant Vice President, Perioperative Services & SPD, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware

“They’re no longer just the department that’s cleaning the dishes… this is a true critical area in our organization.”
— Dr. Gilliam

“SPD is not in the basement. It is on the third floor, and the OR is on the second floor.”
— Kwame Gyabaah, Manager, Sterile Processing, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware

On Workforce & Culture

“We invest in our people. We think that it’s very important to invest in our people.”
— Dr. Gilliam

“They are our equals. They are as important as we are. We cannot do one surgery without the work that they do.”
— Sharon Udy-Janczuk, Perioperative Services, Clinical Nurse Educator, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware

“Being number one is OK, but maintaining the number one is the hardest.”
— JeanPhilippe Grunderson, Sterile Processing Department Supervisor of Education, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware

On Staffing Success

“Because they invest, we don’t have travelers.”
— Grunderson

“We generate data to justify FTEs.”
— Gyabaah

On OR-SPD Partnership

“When we talk about the sterilization process, it starts in the OR.”
— Jacqueline Jenkins, Director of Perioperative Services and Sterile Processing, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware

“We’re all here for one common goal—for the patient.”
— Gyabaah

“Both departments, SPD and OR, we’re part of the same patient safety chain.”
— Grunderson

On Leadership & Communication

“Data speaks.”
— Jenkins

“Translation is everything.”
— Udy-Janczuk

On the Future of SPD

“I hope in the next five years we can continue to elevate the specialty.”
— Dr. Gilliam

“Compensation should match the actual work that they do.”
— Dr. Gilliam

“I would love to see how we can utilize AI to streamline some of the work that happens in SPD.”
— Dr. Gilliam