NORTH AMERICA
More than 175 attendees of the recent Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) annual conference visited the Hygienically Clean stand organised by the Textile Rental Services Association at the conference’s trade show. Visitors learned the value of doing business with a Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified launderer and how the certification verifies laundries’ best management practices (BMPs) and quantifies laundered product cleanliness.
The vast majority of the visitors indicated their employers (mostly hospitals, some outpatient facilities) outsource laundry. Most of these could state the name of the linen service they use. Many told Hygienically Clean staff they have toured such laundries and said they would discuss certification with their launderers.
Several visitors to the Hygienically Clean exhibit expressed concern about the product and service quality of their uniform and linen services providers. Using a Hygienically Clean certified launderer addresses this, they were told, as inspectors focus on a facility’s quality-assurance manual as the hub of control measures (BMPs) that minimise potential for error.
Visitors received copies of the Hygienically Clean Healthcare standard and the brochure that explains benefits of using such a certified launderer. They also were welcome to a copy of “The Six C’s: Handling Soiled Linen in a Healthcare Environment,” a training video for personnel provided on a flash drive. Both represent Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified laundries’ commitment to sharing textile product management expertise with customers so they make more effective and efficient use of linen and uniform services.
The conference, which took place 14-16 June in Portland, Oregon, drew nearly 5,000 healthcare professionals. The event is recognized as the largest gathering of its kind in the world.
