Supply-Chain Management Update Part II: Healthcare Impact

03/09/2023

Randy Bartsch, chair and CEO of Ecotex Healthcare Linen Service, Vancouver, Canada, oversees his family-owned company’s 10 healthcare laundry facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Recently, Textile Services Weekly interviewed Bartsch – along with other industry experts – on supply-chain trends in the post-COVID-19 era as background for an upcoming article in Textile Services magazine. Below are excerpts from our discussion with Bartsch, who also is vice chair of TRSA.

March TS Preview: Ideas for Promoting Reusable Iso Gowns

02/10/2022

As the shortages of protective garments in hospitals in 2020 fade from memory, healthcare providers are reverting to their pre-COVID preference for disposable isolation gowns and other personal protective equipment (PPE), according to several operators and supplier partners that we contacted recently or who’ve spoken publicly on this topic.

Infection-Control Journal Article Recommends Reusable PPE

05/21/2021

A recent article that was published in the American Journal of Infection Control recommends the use of reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) such as medical gowns for healthcare providers, especially during surge-capacity situations, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study Highlights Safety Issues with Disposable Gowns

12/04/2020

A recent study by a patient safety organization shows that more than 50% of the disposable isolation gowns it tested failed to meet standard levels of protection, putting healthcare workers at risk of exposure to bloodborne or other pathogens, as well as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a news release.

Healthcare & COVID-19: The Good, the Bad and the Awful

12/04/2020

The first day of TRSA’s Virtual Healthcare Conference featured a two-hour, CEO/Executive Roundtable session that drew 30-plus healthcare laundry professionals from across North America for a lively discussion of industry issues, particularly the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Division Laundry Highlighted in Manufacturers’ E-Journal

08/14/2020

Division Laundry & Cleaners, San Antonio, recently received another salute from an area organization, the San Antonio Manufacturing Association (SAMA). This recognition comes on the heels of last month’s selection of Division as a Family-Owned Business of the Year by the San Antonio Business Journal.

Cintas Awards Program to Spotlight EVS Technicians

07/10/2020

TRSA operator member Cintas Corp., Mason, OH, is now accepting nominations for its first-annual C.A.P.E. Award (Cleaning to Advance the Patient Experience), which recognizes Environmental Service (EVS) in acute-care facilities as superheroes, according to a news release.

NOVO Acknowledged for Barrier Gown Pivot

05/29/2020

When COVID-19 struck, starting in March, it set off a scramble among hospitals nationwide that soon exhausted their supplies of disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) – mainly imported from the Far East. NOVO Health Services LLC, a regional laundry group based in Atlanta, responded by converting PPE intended for surgery centers for use as nonsterile reusable barrier gowns by hospitals, according to a recent news report from Chattanooga-based WDEF-TV, a CBS affiliate.

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