Click Here to Send a Letter to Members of Congress Urging Action
In a rapid development on Capitol Hill, members of Congress are renewing demands that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) immediately release the completed National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) study evaluating the feasibility and potential national benefits of expanding the use of reusable healthcare textiles (HCTs) in healthcare facilities.
TRSA is calling on all member companies, and supporters to contact their U.S. senators and representatives today! Ask Congress to co-sign a letter directing HHS and NIOSH to immediately release the completed feasibility study on reusable healthcare textiles.
Your outreach is critical to ensuring Congress receives the data it needs to drive smarter, safer and more sustainable healthcare textile policy. The process is simple, visit the link at the top of the page and fill out the necessary information on the form. Letters will autogenerate to your specific members of Congress asking them to sign onto the letter.
The more letters sent, the higher the importance is put on congressional action. The closing date for legislators to sign the letter is March 6 at 5 p.m. EST. Your immediate response is needed to move the linen, uniform and facility services industry forward.
The push follows TRSA’s Laundry Hill Day activities to have members of Congress submit a formal letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging the department to make the long‑awaited report public – or provide a definitive timeline for its release. The report has been expected since August 2024, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) prior correspondence with Congress.
This accelerating pressure builds on the June 27, 2023, bipartisan congressional request that initiated the study, signed by U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) and other congressional leaders, who called on HHS and NIOSH to investigate safety, environmental impacts and the cost‑savings potential of the increased use of reusable HCTs in U.S. hospitals.
Meanwhile, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), under NIOSH sponsorship, confirmed in a 2024 workshop that reusable HCTs can reduce waste, greenhouse gases, energy use and water consumption while strengthening U.S. healthcare supply‑chain resilience when properly specified and processed.
Why this Matters
With the study reportedly complete and awaiting transmission to Congress, industry, health systems and policymakers warn that continued delays threaten progress on:
- Pandemic readiness and personal protective equipment (PPE) resilience
- Environmental sustainability in healthcare
- Evidence‑based national policy development
- Cost‑savings opportunities for hospitals and federal programs
The congressional request and CDC’s prior assurances indicate the study should already be finalized, and lawmakers are signaling that further delay is unacceptable.
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