Laundry

Mercy Health Partners Unveils Innovative Lab Coats that Help Fight Pathogens

Vestagen Technical Textiles today announced that Mercy Medical Center St. Mary's, Mercy Medical Center North, and Mercy Medical Center West in Knoxville, Tenn., purchased Vestex™ nanotechnology-based lab coats. The lab coats were presented to staff physicians in honor ...More
March 25, 2010
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Study Shows Bacterial Contamination Associated With Home-Laundered Surgical Scrubs is Significantly Greater Than Other Options

A study comparing the aerobic bacterial bioburden associated with surgical scrub attire shows significantly greater contamination among home-laundered attire than scrubs laundered by the healthcare facility, scrubs sent out by the facility to a third-party company for ...More
January 8, 2010
Posted in News, Disinfection & Sterilization, PPE & Standard Precautions
Bacterial Contamination of Surgical Scrubs and Laundering Mechanisms: Infection Control Implications

By Carolyn L. Twomey, RN, BSN; Heather Beitz, BA, MEd; and Helen Boehm Johnson, MD Objective: To assess the bioburden associated with surgical scrub garments separated into eight categories based on single-use/re-usable status, use status (prior to use versus after ...More
October 19, 2009
Posted in Articles, PPE & Standard Precautions
Nominations for HLAC Board of Directors to Open Oct. 1

The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) will begin accepting nominations on Oct. 1, 2009 for its board of directors. Per the HLAC bylaws, each year four positions are elected or re-elected to the board of directors. Board seats are categorized into four classes: ...More
September 24, 2009
Posted in News
Who's Watching the Laundry?

Never before has the healthcare industry been faced with such a large number of challenges from every direction possible: infection prevention policies, staff shortages, rising costs, aging baby boomers, governmental mandates, media pressure and consumers who are taking a ...More
August 25, 2009
Posted in Articles, PPE & Standard Precautions
Disposable Medical Supplies Demand to Reach $59 Billion in 2013

U.S. demand for disposable medical supplies will increase 4.6 percent annually to $59 billion in 2013. The best growth opportunities are anticipated in intermittent catheters for urinary drainage; dry powder inhalers, prefilled syringes and transdermal patches for drug ...More
August 12, 2009
Posted in News
Processing Reusable Textiles in Healthcare Standards Open for Public Comment

The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) has opened its accreditation standards for public comment June 1 to July 31. The standards document titled, “Accreditation Standards for Processing Reusable Textiles for Use In Healthcare Facilities,” was first ...More
April 20, 2009
Posted in News, Disinfection & Sterilization
Hospital Scrubs are a Dangerous Fashion Statement

The Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID) announces it is calling on all hospitals in the U.S. to provide clean uniforms or scrubs for their personnel and to bar medical workers from wearing uniforms outside of hospital buildings. “You see them ...More
December 3, 2008
Posted in News
Coming Clean on Home Laundered Scrubs

Coming Clean on Home Laundered ScrubsRuth LeTexier, RN, BASN, PHNUniforms in healthcare have changed significantly over time. One used to be able to enter the hospital and easily recognize a nurse by the starched white uniform with the mandatory cap in place. Today, one ...More
October 1, 2001
Posted in Articles