APIC Exhibit Promotes Hygienically Clean
Learn More about Hygienically Clean Healthcare
More than 175 attendees of the recent Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) annual conference visited the Hygienically Clean exhibit at the trade show. Visitors learned the value of doing business with a Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified launderer and how the certification verifies laundries’ best management practices (BMPs) and quantifies laundered product cleanliness.
It was the certification’s second such exhibit at this conference, capitalizing on infection preventionists’ interest in the importance of linen service cleanliness. The vast majority of the visitors to the exhibit indicated their employers (mostly hospitals, some outpatient facilities) outsource laundry. Most of these could state the name of the linen service they use. Many told Hygienically Clean staff they have toured such laundries and said they would discuss certification with their launderers.
“Infection preventionist” was the listed job title for about two-thirds of visitors to the Hygienically Clean exhibit. Other types of professionals who stopped by included:
- Chief Nursing Officer
- Epidemiologist
- Nurse Practitioner
- Public Health
- Quality/Process Improvement
- Registered Nurse
Several visitors to the Hygienically Clean exhibit expressed concern about the product and service quality of their uniform and linen services providers. Using a Hygienically Clean certified launderer addresses this, they were told, as inspectors focus on a facility’s quality-assurance manual as the hub of control measures (BMPs) that minimize potential for error. In addition, unlike Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) certification, Hygienically Clean microbial testing measures finished product quality, enforcing a total microbial content ceiling and detecting absence of yeast, mold and bacteria.
Visitors received copies of the Hygienically Clean Healthcare standard and the brochure that explains benefits of using such a certified launderer. They also were welcome to a copy of The Six C’s: Handling Soiled Linen in a Healthcare Environment, a training video for personnel provided on a flash drive. Both represent Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified laundries’ commitment to sharing textile product management expertise with customers so they make more effective and efficient use of linen and uniform services.
The conference, which took place June 14-16 in Portland, OR, drew nearly 5,000 healthcare professionals interested in the latest science, technologies and best practices for creating a safer world through prevention of infection. The event is recognized as the largest gathering of its kind in the world.