Minnesota Laundry Co-Op Discusses COVID-19 Planning

Health Systems Cooperative Laundries (HSCL), St. Paul, MN, a co-op owned by the Twin Cities’ major healthcare companies that provides laundry services to every metro hospital, recently detailed how it has updated its operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, HSCL has already seen a roughly 25% increase in laundry needs of the light blue-colored scrub suits as well as a 25% increase for yellow isolation gowns considered to be personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by healthcare workers in the field.

“Our job is just to execute,” Phil Foussard, manager of HSCL, said. “It’s a customer service-oriented facility, but you don’t hear much unless there’s a problem.”

Since Gov. Tim Walz called off elective surgeries and treatments to clear space for COVID-19 patients, HSCL’s overall laundry volume has dropped 30%, Foussard said. “Unfortunately, what is happening right now is that it’s kind of the calm before the storm,” Foussard said. “All of these hospitals, the occupancy is way down.”

HSCL can handle a surge of 50% in its facility in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood, and its leaders have reached out to other laundries in the idled hospitality industry for additional capacity if it’s needed. Foussard said they are “watching very closely” how other similar laundry services in harder-hit areas of the country are responding to demand.

Foussard said he’s had a keen eye on his 370-person workforce after one worker had COVID-19 symptoms, but not a confirmed case, after traveling outside of the country about two weeks ago. Two other workers have been away from work to care for family members who have shown COVID-19 symptoms.

HSCL has been encouraging workers to keep distance and has been receiving hand sanitizer from neighbor 11 Wells Spirits distillery. With HSCL’s background role coming to the forefront, longtime employees, a majority who have been at the co-op for more than 10 years, have felt pride. To read the full article, click here.