4 | Shared Hospital Services
erations do, however, weigh heavily on the
mind of Mark Smoyer. As CEO of Shared
Hospital Services in Portsmouth, Virgin-
ia, Smoyer oversees operations at a 40,000
square-foot laundry facility that serves 11
acute care hospitals and more than 100 clin-
ics. Smoyer, along with his staff comprised
by more than 120 people, view their role in
terms that mean more than mere cleaning,
but vital to reducing the risks of the spread
of infection and fulfilling a mission to ensure
healthcare organizations and their patients,
can readily access an inventory of hygienical-
ly clean and safe linens, uniforms and other
textile resources. Smoyer has been in the in-
dustry for more than 35 years and formerly
served with America’s largest healthcare-co-
operative laundry enterprise prior to being
lured to the Tidewater region of Virginia
to lead Shared Hospital Services. The laun-
dry is a not-for-profit cooperative created by
the region’s leading healthcare providers. As
Smoyer explains, it was once quite custom-
ary for hospitals and care centers to main-
tain their own respective laundry operation
in-house. Maintaining the equipment and
staffing, and keeping-up with the regulatory
protocols pose considerable expenditures
