Page 22 - BWM March 2013

22 | Business World Magazine | March 2013
Laundry services are among the most vital aspects of operations in healthcare systems. One
need only consider the bulk of bed sheets, mattress covers, towels, washcloths and garments
deployed on a daily basis at hospitals, clinics, senior care centers and other enterprises. The
costs and standards-of-care involved in the efficient and safe continuance of laundry opera-
tions has increasingly seen healthcare organizations rely more on specialty service provides.
These laundries allow healthcare to not only save on costs, but better focus on their mission to
care for patients. Yet, regardless of who is handling the laundry, the demand for safety, infec-
tion control and cleaner-than-typically-clean linen is much the same. The work of one industry
council has not only helped raise the bar in laundry standards, but has effectively created a
means of rapidly distinguishing quality professionals that embrace those standards.