healthcare textiles and laundry
healthcare textiles and laundry
By Joseph Ricci
Textiles and Uniforms Industry Association Calls for Federal Mandates to Improve Caregiver Protection
Representing the linen , uniform and facility services industry , TRSA hosted its annual Hill Day on March 23 , 2023 . TRSA operator and supplier partner member executives participated in 93 in-person meetings with federal lawmakers and staff to advance TRSA ’ s advocacy agenda . Members called for action on various priorities impacting the industry , with a focus on two top issues of importance to the healthcare hygiene sector :
● The need to ensure that healthcare staff are properly protected at work by requiring hospitals , healthcare facilities and other outpatient clinics to maintain minimum levels of reusable healthcare textile personal protective equipment ( PPE ) as a counterbalance to disposable equivalents .
● The need to maximize infection prevention by requiring hygienic laundering of healthcare uniforms by certified linen , uniform and facility services businesses .
COVID-19 ’ s Role and Calls to Action
The critical need to address these priorities was highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain disruptions . COVID-19 ’ s onset revealed the United States ’ overreliance on single-use healthcare textile substitutes , including patient gowns , scrubs and operating room linens . Hospitals and other medical facilities paid a price in caregiver safety when these inventories fell short due to high demand without enough reusable equivalents to compensate . Maximizing infection prevention through hygienic laundering is a perennial need that was magnified by the pandemic and uncertainty around how the COVID-19 virus is transmitted .
At TRSA ’ s 2023 Hill Day , members called for federal legislation or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) guidance incentivizing or requiring healthcare facilities to maintain a 50 percent operating inventory of reusable textiles to better protect our healthcare workers and our supply chain . Association members also called for the establishment of requirements for healthcare facilities to provide healthcare personnel attire ( HPA ) for all healthcare workers per shift as well as the need for healthcare workers to leave soiled HPA at their facilities .
Benefits of Reusables
In support of these calls to action , TRSA members educated legislators on the importance of maintaining inventories of reusable textiles to balance the use of single-use disposables . Overreliance on single-use disposables led to dangerous shortages during the pandemic , despite independent research by Florida State University and University of Kentucky demonstrating that reusable textiles are every bit as safe — if not safer than — their disposable substitutes , as well as being more environmentally-sound and cost-effective . In fact , one reusable gown can replace 75 single-use disposable gowns , helping to reduce PPE waste , which has accounted for tens of thousands of tons of waste annually since the beginning of the pandemic . Cost savings can result from the greater use of reusables due to the high cost of medical waste
disposal . One study conducted by the University of Maryland Medical Center found that by switching to reusable textiles more than 15 years ago , the system has saved nearly $ 40,000 annually . Finally , as TRSA members shared with decision makers on Capitol Hill , balancing inventories of disposables with reusables also strengthens our supply chain , which is weakened when U . S . healthcare facilities rely disproportionately on single-use substitutes ( primarily produced overseas ).
Hygienic Laundering Plays Critical Role in Healthcare Settings
At the TRSA Hill Day meetings , association members also informed lawmakers of the need for professionally laundered , hygienically clean Healthcare Personnel Attire ( HPA ) in order to prevent cross contamination . They described careful monitoring of industrial processes at their companies and the stringent requirements of TRSA ’ s Hygienically Clean certification , which recognizes companies ’ commitment to cleanliness through third-party , biological testing and inspection . Instead of allowing healthcare uniforms to be worn and washed at home , this process eliminates subjectivity around various individual standards for “ clean ” by focusing on results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and established industry guidelines , policies and procedures .
Educational Resources and Connecting Providers with Suppliers
To support the needs of healthcare institutions and others that use hygienically clean linens , textiles and uniforms in their day-to-day operations , TRSA recently launched a new website , LaundryServices . org , which provides education on the benefits of using commercial laundry services and connects service providers with suppliers . Website users can search by location and product or service type to identify vendors in their area that provide the products and services they require .
Making it easier for healthcare providers to find the products and services they need to ensure caregiver protection , combined with incentives or requirements for reusable inventory maintenance and independently verifiable standards for hygiene strengthens our healthcare system and its resilience against future pandemics and other disruptions .
Joseph Ricci is president and CEO of TRSA . TRSA ( www . trsa . org ) represents the nearly $ 40 billion linen , uniform and facility services industry by advocating for fair federal and state regulatory and legislative policy and promoting the economic and environmental benefits of reusable textiles . Visit trsa . org / advocacy to learn more about TRSA ’ s efforts to promote cleanliness , sustainability and safety in the linen , uniform and facility services industry by advocating for pro-business regulatory and legislative policy .
26 may 2023 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com