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.

The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortages brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be an opportunity for a Virginia health system to not only address supply chain issues, but also to improve its environmental footprint, according to a news release.

Enhanced templates for members’ use in documenting their programs for compliance with OSHA bloodborne pathogens and hazard communication rules are now available on TRSA.org. These Microsoft Office files, accessible via TRSA member logon and password, enable linen, uniform and facility services companies to insert their company names and edit provisions to suit their specific practices.

TRSA recently updated its Infection Response Center online with information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health on how linens contaminated with the monkeypox virus should be handled.

Cupron Inc., Richmond, VA, and Up To Date Laundry, Baltimore, recently announced an exclusive agreement to offer Cupron Medical Textiles to Up To Date’s healthcare customers in Maryland, Delaware and Washington, DC, according to a news release.

While the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 7 begins hearing a challenge to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on employee vaccinations/testing, the ETS remains in effect – at least for now. Laundry operators with 100 or more employees who aren’t taking steps to comply with the ETS’ vaccination and testing requirements could face fines, and possibly even criminal penalties, said TRSA’s Kevin Schwalb during a one-hour webinar on OSHA’s ETS.

The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over yet, but Congress and the White House are busy trying to prepare for the next pandemic episode. TRSA is making its case for positive changes aimed at safeguarding supply chains ensuring hygienically clean scrubs for healthcare professionals.

NOVO Health Services CEO David Stern recently stepped down, with Karl Fillip II succeeding him on Nov. 1. In an interview with Textile Services Weekly, Stern confirmed that he’s retiring from healthcare. Below, he reflects on a long and successful career during which the outsource laundry healthcare market boomed.

TRSA operator member Alsco Uniforms recently presented an employee at its Jacksonville, FL, facility with a $10,000 award for participating in the company’s “Vax to the Future” campaign to encourage employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The award ceremony was captured by the local CBS affiliate.

The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is now reviewing a draft Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) from OSHA that would require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees of companies with staffs of 100 or more and weekly testing for unvaccinated employees, according to news reports. In essence, that means that the COVID ETS that President Joe Biden (D) announced in September could take effect at any time.