Sodexo, P&G Professional, Clorox Healthcare and GOJO Launch the Safer Together Pilot Program to Help Give Consumers More Confidence in Shared Hospital Spaces

Gaithersburg, MD, Nov. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Four of the most trusted companies in professional cleaning – Sodexo, P&G Professional, Clorox Healthcare and GOJO – have collaborated to launch Sodexo’s Safer Together program, designed to help give consumers more confidence about the cleaning and safety of shared and public spaces in hospitals. Safer Together, an enhanced cleaning and disinfection program incorporating well-known brands and targeting shared spaces in hospitals, and used in conjunction with other CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19, including physical distancing and mask wearing, launches its pilot today at select Care New England hospitals.

Clorox Healthcare recently surveyed 1,700 patients and recent hospital visitors, and 79 percent said that seeing posted signs featuring cleaning, disinfecting and hand sanitizing products from brands they know and trust would make them feel more comfortable about visiting a hospital.¹.  Sodexo designed Safer Together with this need in mind, and the program will go a long way toward instilling consumer comfort to re-enter hospitals.

“Safety is a critical factor in people’s decision to come back to hospitals. They need to know and feel hospitals are taking additional steps to help increase their safety,” said Catherine Tabaka, CEO, Sodexo Healthcare North America. “Working together with these respected cleaning brands in cleaning, disinfection and hand hygiene, patients and the neighboring hospital community will quickly see the hospital’s increased attention to helping create a cleaner & healthier environment.”

“Clorox disinfecting products have been trusted in households and hospitals for over 100 years, and by extending our commitment to clean outside of the home and into more hospitals, we can make a real difference in helping to provide enhanced safety and public health,” said Chris Tucker, Vice President, Clorox Professional Products. “We are proud to be a part of efforts that will support the needs of today’s patients and help restore their confidence in visiting their community hospital.”

“We know that cleaning and disinfecting are top of mind with everyone during the pandemic, but especially for consumers during trips to hospitals,” said Paul Edmondson, Vice President, P&G Professional.   “Our research corroborates the finding that patients visiting a healthcare facility would like the facility to use cleaning products from manufacturers or brands they know and trust. That’s why our trusted brands, like Mr. Clean® Professional, Spic and Span®, and Comet®, are the right choice for this important program.”

“GOJO has been a trusted provider of innovative solutions for hospitals for decades – we understand the vital role a community hospital plays,” said Carey Jaros, President and CEO, GOJO. “Patients need to feel safe going back to their local hospital – before a potential issue turns into an emergency. Bringing together PURELL® Hand Sanitizer, America’s #1 brand of hand sanitizer – and one of the most trusted brands in healthcare, with other first-class brands, will help patients feel safer visiting their hospital.”

Cleaning and disinfection products in the Safer Together program will be used in shared and common spaces in the hospital, including high-touch surfaces like doorknobs and handles, light switches and countertops, safety shields, toilets, sinks and other restroom surfaces and as well as all areas around lobbies and corridors where patients and visitors travel. Signage will be available and placed in high-traffic areas to provide reassurance that cleaning and disinfecting initiatives are in place to provide safer common spaces for visitors.  The hospitals will also have PURELL^® hand sanitizer stations available upon facility entry and throughout the hospitals in other high-traffic areas – to help provide an additional safety measure for patients and visitors.  

The Safer Together program, in conjunction with other measures recommended by the CDC to prevent the spread of germs, can help hospitals reassure patients that the proper steps are being taken to increase their safety while visiting the facility.

 builds trusted partnerships with hospitals and healthcare organizations using science, insights and imagination. Leveraging data to drive real-time solutions, our teams enhance patients' and caregivers' experience, while improving clients' financial health. Sodexo Healthcare's 31,000 employees provide human-centered care with food and nutrition, environmental and clinical engineering services that support care teams and overall operations of more than 1,200 clients. To learn more about the Safer Together campaign, visit us.sodexo.com/industry/healthcare/safer-together.html

About Sodexo North America

Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 67 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 160,000 people at 13,500 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada, and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $17B in goods and services from small to large businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., in 2019, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation mobilized 37,000 Sodexo volunteers to distribute 3.2 million meals to help 2.3 million children and adults meet their immediate food needs.  Since 1996, the Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed nearly $34.5 million to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit . Connect with us on , , , and .

About Procter & Gamble Professional

P&G Professional is the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble, serving the hospitality, foodservice, building cleaning and maintenance, healthcare, and food/drug/mass industries. P&G Professional offers complete solutions utilizing its parent company's scale, trusted brands and strengths in market and consumer understanding. P&G Professional features such brands as Tide® Professional, Dawn® Professional, Cascade® Professional, Mr. Clean® Professional, Febreze® Professional, Swiffer® Professional, Comet®, Spic and Span®, Bounty®, Safeguard®, and its own brand, P&G Pro Line®. Please visit for the latest information about P&G Professional's solutions and services.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit  for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.

About The Clorox Company

The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products. Building on a century-long legacy in cleaning and disinfecting, Clorox Healthcare products from CloroxPro offer healthcare facilities a wide range of solutions to help prevent and stop the spread of infections and create cleaner, healthier environments. From comprehensive surface disinfection to advanced technologies, Clorox Healthcare is committed to providing efficacious solutions to healthcare facilities across the continuum of care. For more information, visit and follow us on and .

About GOJO

GOJO, the maker of PURELL^® Hand Sanitizer, is a leading global producer and marketer of skin health and hygiene solutions for away-from-home settings. The broad GOJO product portfolio includes hand cleaning, handwashing, hand sanitizing, skin care formulas, and surface sprays under the GOJO^®, PURELL^®, and PROVON^® brand names. GOJO formulations use the latest advances in the science of skin care and sustainability. GOJO is known for state-of-the-art dispensing technology, engineered with attention to design, sustainability, and functionality. GOJO programs promote healthy behaviors for hygiene, skin care, and compliance in critical environments. GOJO is a family enterprise headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with operations in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Canada. .

¹ Source: Gauge Insights Survey for Clorox Healthcare, July 2020, amongst 1701 adults who have visited a hospital in the past two years.

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