Business View - October 2015 153
Healthcare
October – Business View
73
competition with, nor does it conflict with any other
accrediting organization, including JCAHO.
No neutral organization existed that could offer the
program desired, so an industry task force created
HLAC in July 2005. The HLAC board of directors
was carefully recruited to represent all interested
parties in the healthcare laundry industry: the laundries
themselves, their employees, and, most importantly,
their healthcare facility customers. No single voice
dominates the board. It is truly independent and works
in the best interests of the industry and its customers.
The principal benefit of being accredited is that an
independent third party has inspected your laundry
organization and found that it meets the highest
standards for processing healthcare textiles. A laundry
organization cannot inspect and accredit itself, and its
customers generally do not have the time or expertise
to perform a comprehensive inspection as conducted
by HLAC.
“The healthcare customer of an HLAC-accredited
laundry can confidently expect a consistent and smooth
flow of clean textiles; and, ultimately, the knowledge
of safety for their employees and the end user – the
patient,” Gicewicz said.
In the wake of the Ebola emergency, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention has provided Interim
Guidance For Environmental Infection Control in
Hospitals for Ebola Virus, which “cover topics related to
waste, linens and recommended personal protective
equipment for environmental services,” Gicewicz said.
In addition to the CDC guidelines, Gicewicz said
there also are HLAC standards and procedures that
are particularly relevant to the Ebola emergency and
can be found in Accreditation Standards for Processing
Reusable Textiles for use in Healthcare Facilities, 2011
Edition, which is available at HLAC’s website (www.
HLACnet.org).
These include parts and sections pertaining to
laundry facilities, laundry personnel, quality assessment,
handling, collection and transportation of soiled
healthcare textiles, sorting and washing and extraction.
An HLAC-accredited laundry organization has
demonstrated that the laundry organization managers
understand and follow key government mandates
for handling, processing and transporting healthcare
textiles. In particular, the laundry organization is
following OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
to the letter. Additional, accreditation signals that the
laundry organization is designed and maintained to
provide for the health and safety of its personnel and
that of the healthcare facility customer – the patient,
that the personnel who handle healthcare textiles
are properly trained, that the organization follows
recommended “good industry practices” in its systems,
policies and procedures that will provide the consistent
delivery of healthcare textiles in the quality and quantity
expected by the customer and that it is committed to
excellence and challenging itself to meet the highest
industry standards.
Regina Baras –
Executive Director
Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council
HEALTHCARE
