(Credit: TRSA)

NORTH AMERICA

TRSA, North America’s leading association representing the $50 billion linen, uniform and facility services industry, will host a multipart webinar series to provide infection preventionists, healthcare professionals and other attendees answers to some of the most common questions about hygienically clean reusable linens and textiles in healthcare. 

This free webinar series is open to the public. It will feature leaders in healthcare and the linen, uniform and facility services industry discussing what infection preventionists and others need to know about the hygienically clean process, the pitfalls of laundering scrubs at home and the proper way to handle reusable textiles in the healthcare setting.  

“Hygienically clean linens and textiles play a critical role in the delivery of healthcare,” said Joseph Ricci, President and CEO at TRSA. “They protect frontline workers and patients from the spread of infection and other hazards, and they allow patients and providers to feel more comfortable and secure in the healthcare setting. But we know there are common questions and misinformation that surround reusable textiles, and it’s our job to address them. This webinar series will help share the facts, answer questions and explain how hygienically clean reusable textiles can best protect workers and patients.”

The webinar series will kick off on 1 May with a discussion on what infection preventionists and other healthcare professionals should look for when visiting a healthcare-certified professional laundry facility, followed by webinars in June and July on the risks of home laundering and best practices for handling reusable textiles in healthcare.

More information on each webinar is below. To register for the series, please be sure to visit: https://www.trsa.org/event/healthcare-linens-textiles-1/

  • 1 May – Mastering Laundry Inspections: A Best Practices Checklist for Infection Preventionists
    Ensuring that healthcare textiles meet strict infection control standards is critical for maintaining a safe and healthy healthcare environment. This webinar will provide infection preventionists and other healthcare professionals a guide for conducting effective site visits and inspections of facilities maintained by professional laundry service providers. The webinar will cover a checklist of key items that should be a part of any successful site visit, including key steps and compliance standards required throughout the hygienically clean laundry process.  Speakers will include:
    • Greg Cox, Auditor, Hygienically Clean Certifications
    • Liz Remillong, Vice President Strategic Accounts, CORE Linen Services
    • Dan Sanchez, President, Sanchez Advisory Group
    • Steve Tinker, Senior Vice President of Research & Development & Marketing, Gurtler Industries
  • 3 June  – The Risks of Home Laundering Facility-Provided Scrubs
    Home laundering may not reliably kill all pathogens found on scrubs and other healthcare attire, which places employees, families and communities at greater risk of infection and other hazards. This webinar will provide frontline workers, facility administrators and infection preventionists information on why professional laundry facilities are best equipped to provide hygienically clean scrubs, address common misperceptions about home laundering and share best practices to ensure patients and workers are safe. Speakers will include:
    • Liz Barber, BSN, RN, Clinical Educator, HandCraft Linen and Uniform Specialists
    • Scott Delin, VP, Indirect Healthcare Sales, Fashion Seal Healthcare
    • Dyan Troxel, MSN, RN, Director of Clinical Education, HandCraft Linen & Uniform Specialists
  • 10 July – Linen Handling Best Practices for Infection Control
    Proper handling of healthcare linens is essential for preventing the spread of infections in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. This webinar will provide healthcare workers with a detailed overview of best practices for handling both clean and soiled linen, from storage and transport to collection and distribution. Speakers will include:
    • Mike Lang, Process Analyst, Unitex Healthcare Laundry Services
    • Nancy Tree, Process QA and Compliance Manager, Alsco Uniforms

To learn more about this webinar series, please visit here.