Visit Baltimore Announces Partnership with Global Biorisk Advisory Council®

(Baltimore, MD – June 15, 2020) – Visit Baltimore, the official destination sales and marketing organization for Baltimore, today announced a partnership with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a division of ISSA, to help Baltimore City facilities achieve GBAC STAR™ accreditation, the gold standard for prepared facilities. More than 200 Baltimore City facilities including meeting venues, hotels, restaurants, museums, attractions, public markets, and more have already signed on to become GBAC STAR-accredited by implementing the most stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention.

As the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation, GBAC STAR™ helps facilities establish protocols and procedures, offers expert-led training and assesses a facility’s readiness for biorisk situations. The program will verify that Baltimore facilities implement best practices to prepare for, respond to and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.

“GBAC STAR accreditation empowers facility owners and managers to assure workers, customers and key stakeholders that they have proven systems in place to maintain clean and healthy environments,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “By taking this important step to pursue GBAC STAR, these Baltimore facilities will receive third-party validation that they follow strict protocols for biorisk situations, thereby demonstrating preparedness and commitment to operating safely.”

To achieve GBAC STAR™ accreditation, facilities must demonstrate compliance with the program’s 20 core elements, which range from standard operating procedures and risk assessment strategies to personal protective equipment and emergency preparedness and response measures. Learn more about GBAC STAR accreditation at www.gbac.org.

“When it’s time to welcome leisure and business travelers back to the great City of Baltimore, we want them to feel safe and healthy as they explore Charm City,” said Al Hutchinson, President & CEO at Visit Baltimore. “By pursuing GBAC STAR accreditation, we and our partners commit to providing a clean, safety-conscious environment for those who visit. We hope this provides peace of mind to employees and visitors moving forward.”

About Visit Baltimore

Visit Baltimore is the official sales and marketing arm for the City of Baltimore. The 501(c)(6) organization generates economic benefits for stakeholders through the attraction of convention, group and leisure visitors. In 2019, spending by travelers totaled $6 billion in direct spending throughout the city, supporting 86,827 total jobs and generating $750 million in state and city tax revenues. For more information, please visit Baltimore.org.

About GBAC, a Division of ISSA

Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance and leadership to government, commercial and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization’s services include biorisk management program assessment and training, Forensic Restoration® response and remediation, the GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation program, training and certification of individuals and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.

About ISSA

With more than 9,300 members—including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, building service contractors, in-house service providers, residential cleaners and associated service members—ISSA is the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry. The association is committed to changing the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment and an improved bottom line. Headquartered in Northbrook, Ill., USA, the association has regional offices in Mainz, Germany; Whitby, Canada; Parramatta, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. For more information about ISSA, visit www.issa.com or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.

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Jessie Walker
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
410-659-7032