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Meet The Team
Bart Copes
HEM, CHSP, CHEP
VP of Regulatory Compliance & Support Services
Bart is a Certified Healthcare Environmental Manager (HEM), a Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP), and a Certified Health Care Emergency Management Professional (CHEP).
He currently serves 39 acute care hospitals overseeing Regulatory Compliance and setting up all new accounts with successful programs in Plant Operations and Maintenance, Clinical Engineering, Environmental Services, Security, Construction & Regulatory Compliance.
Bart has been with Vanguard for 23 years and served as Director of Facilities at multiple hospitals in 6 states.
He is a Lead Surveyor with DNV and an Interim Surveyor with the Centers for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ).
Bart is a Desert Storm Vet and served the US Army as a Combat Engineer.
Jennifer O'Connell
Fire Protection Engineer
Director of Regulatory Compliance
Jennifer (Jen) O’Connell is a Fire Protection Engineer with over 20 years of experience providing Regulatory Compliance consulting to health care facilities all over the country, with an emphasis on Life Safety.
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Jen has worked with many of the top hospitals in the country including Johns Hopkins Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, The Ohio State University Medical Center, and The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She has assisted over 200 hospitals to meet their Regulatory Compliance goals. Mrs. O’Connell is well versed in CMS, TJC, DNV, AAAHC, and HFAP survey standards as well as International Code Council (ICC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Standards, and State Codes. She also provides consulting for renovation and new design projects as a part of the design team or as a representative of the owner.
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Jen is the mother/step-mother of four and in her free time she volunteers at the Farm Heritage Museum in her home town and is the Manager and Booking Agent for her Husband’s classic rock band. She also enjoys gardening and photography.