Hot Springs Convention Center Achieves Accreditation From Global Biorisk Council for Establishing Controls For Infectious Agents Like the COVID-19 Virus | Hot Springs National Park Arkansas

HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — The Hot Springs Convention Center, under the leadership of Director of Operations Jennifer Wolcott, has achieved accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council for establishing and maintaining controls for infectious agents such as the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The convention center was awarded GBAC Star Facility Accreditation Tuesday after submitting more than 400 pages of documentation establishing the fact that Wolcott and her staff have implemented a program of rigid controls for all forms of infectious agents.

“Jennifer Wolcott, Curtis Franklin and Zach Tucker are to be commended for their tireless efforts to get this done,” Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said. “I don’t expect anyone to read the 416-page document that was submitted to achieve the accreditation, but it does show what is required of meeting facilities such as ours in this new pandemic world we live in.

“Only one other facility in Arkansas and only a handful nationally have achieved this designation. The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau was accredited in mid-March.”

“The effort put forth by Curtis and Zach and the other members of our convention services staff to meet the stringent requirements for the GBAC Star accreditation are a remarkable testament to our efforts every day to make the Hot Springs Convention Center among the safest places in the world for our customers to meet and enjoy themselves,” Wolcott said.

GBAC Star is the gold standard of prepared facilities. This accreditation means that a facility has:

• Established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus.
• The proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques and work practices in place to combat biohazards and infectious disease.
• Highly informed cleaning professionals who are trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response.
• The GBAC Star Accreditation Program is performance-based and designed to help facilities establish a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention for their staff and their building. The program relies on GBAC’s comprehensive training, which teaches the proper protocols, correct disinfection techniques and cleaning best practices for biohazard situations like the novel coronavirus.
• Successful GBAC Star facilities are able to demonstrate that correct work practices, procedures and systems are in place to prepare, respond and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.
• The GBAC Star Accreditation Program is based on quality management system principles and is similar in approach to other relevant industry programs like ISO 9001, ISO 45001, and ISO 35001.

For more information call Steve Arrison at 501-321-2027.

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