Ecotex Unveils New Plant in BC
Ecotex Healthcare Linen Services Inc., a Canadian-owned company based in Seattle, recently announced the opening of a new plant in Kelowna, British Columbia – about four hours northeast of Vancouver, BC.
The facility was designed to support the laundry needs of British Columbia’s Interior Health (IH) authority, according to a news release. “In 2016, Ecotex entered into a long-term agreement with Interior Health to provide the majority of the health authority’s linen and laundry services through this new centralized, linen-processing facility,” the release said. “The plant was commissioned in April and the first linens for interior health were processed in mid-May.
“To ensure continuity in the delivery of linen and laundry services at IH facilities, the transfer of service to Ecotex will be phased in over several months. Ecotex is currently midway through the transition of volumes.”
The transition noted above includes the closing of the Kelowna General Hospital laundry, which has forced the layoff of 29 employees. Union officials opposed the privatization of the laundry services as unnecessary and unfair to its members. Click here for details.
In a statement from Ecotex, the company emphasized its focus on improved efficiency and hygiene, and how it will benefit the IH authority as well as healthcare end users across the province.
“This new facility was designed to support the current best practices in linen handling and infection control,” the statement said. “Ecotex made significant investments in state-of-the-art equipment, technologies and automated control systems for processing hygienically clean healthcare linens.”
The statement also emphasized Ecotex’ commitment resource conservation.
“Ecotex is an established industry leader in environmental sustainability, and is certified Clean Green® for our laundry practices,” the statement said. “The new facility incorporates the industry best practices for energy conservation and fresh water use. This will reduce the environmental footprint from laundry generated by the IH by an estimated 60%.”
At least three Ecotex plants, those in Abbotsford, BC; Albuquerque, NM; and Tacoma, WA; also are certified to TRSA’s Hygienically Clean Healthcare standard, which requires documented implementation of laundry practices, plus quarterly inspections of healthcare textiles to ensure control of microorganisms.