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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | February 2015
L
ook for complete transparency when
shopping for the laundry vendor that
meets your needs, suggests Lynne
Gossett, RN, BSN, MHI, the director of periop-
erative services at Oro Valley (Ariz.) Hospital.
"During a tour of the facility, they showed
us the laundry logs and walked us through
their cleaning process," she explains. "They
also showed us competencies and training that their employees complete. Anything
we wanted to see, they were happy to share."
Also look to partner with accredited facilities. The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation
Council (hlacnet.org) is an independent, non-profit organization that inspects and
accredits laundries that process surgical textiles. The accreditation should give you
peace of mind in knowing your textiles are handled and cleaned properly. In addi-
tion, the Textile Rental Services Association (trsa.org) certifies launderers that have
practices in place to prevent laundered goods from becoming a source of bacterial
infection and have mastered the fundamentals of processing healthcare linen.
Just last month, the Hygienically Clean Advisory Board partnered with TRSA to up
the ante for commercial laundry facilities that process healthcare textiles and seek
the HCAB's Hygienically Clean Certification. The new testing protocols stipulate that
facilities must submit 2 random textiles to an independent, TRSA-approved lab for 3
rounds of approved bacteriological testing.
Laundry facilities must also pass an on-site inspection to qualify for certification.
After qualification, facilities agree to regular testing of their protocols; submit bian-
nual tests of cleaned fabrics to show that 7 microorganisms commonly found in
healthcare environments have been eradicated; prove best practices in the cleaning
of transportation vehicles and storage bins that house laundered textiles; and
demonstrate proper handling, separation and storage of textiles upon delivery to
healthcare facilities. — Daniel Cook
HeaLTHCare LauNDrIeS
Accreditation and Transparency Matters
z COMING CLEAN Laundry vendors should
take pride in the appearance of their facilities
and the performance of their employees.
