Keeping Patients Safe with Quality Sterilization (Central Processing Department)

Every clinical department at Sierra View Medical Center has a set of specific tools to use in the safe delivery of quality patient care. The Central Processing Department works closely with our teams in many departments including Surgery, Labor & Delivery, ER, Cath Lab, and the ICU. They ensure that all medical and surgical instrumentation is clean, sterile, well inspected, and safe to use on patients. If a surgery is about to occur, a member of the Central Processing team is always involved. The team stays in close communication with others and remains flexible to changing needs throughout the week.

Central Processing Supervisor Mariza Torres credits the SVMC value of Accountability for the department’s ability to provide high-quality instrumentation maintenance. “We are responsible for what we do. We are the heart of the hospital and patients are our key focus,” she says. Mariza was born in Terceira, Azores Islands in Portugal, and moved to the United States when she was 3 years old. She and her family now live in Poplar, a small community to the west of Porterville, and enjoys working with the community. “Knowing I can help patients and show my kids how much I love my job keeping patients safe feels good.”

Mariza began her career at Sierra View 18 years ago and was first a Central Processing Tech before becoming the department’s supervisor. Mariza credits the SVMC value of Accountability for the department’s ability to provide high-quality instrumentation maintenance. “We are responsible for what we do. We are the heart of the hospital and patients are our key focus,” she says.

The Central Processing team includes:

• Mariza Torres, CPD Supervisor

• Kimson Torres, CPD Tech II

• Maria E Diaz, CPD Tech II

• Rosa Kieffer, CPD Tech II

• Stevin Morin, CPD Tech II

• Brendan Ward, CPD Tech I

• Alice Ramos, CPD Tech II

To learn more about career opportunities at Sierra View Medical Center, please visit www.sierra-view.com/careers. For more information about Sterile Processing Week, please visit the website of the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) www.iahcsmm.org.