Business View Magazine - September 2015

82 Business View - September 2015 Business View - September 2015 83 Healthcare October – Business Vi w 75 74 Bu iness View – October Healthcare Adherence to these standards and procedures would be essential if the Ebola outbreak were to spread to the United States with any consequence, Gicewicz said. The principal benefit to the healthcare customer is the knowledge and confidence that their textile provider is meeting the highest standards for processing healthcare textiles in the industry, including strict adherence to federal government regulations and guidelines. The customer can expect a consistent and smooth flow of clean textiles; and, ultimately, the knowledge of safety for their employees and the end user – the patient. As of July 1, the HLAC board no longer allows reaccreditation after a laundry organization’s expiration date. Organizations due for reaccreditation can be inspected at any time 60 days prior to and up to the expiration date of their current accreditation. Organizations that do not complete their reaccreditation during this timeframe will lose their accreditation. On the day after the accreditation expiration date, the laundry organization’s name will be removed from the HLAC website and all marketing stating they are HLAC Accredited must be stopped immediately. Inspections take one day and are comprised of two parts: a physical walk-through of the entire plant, and conference time in a quiet room for review of documents. Inspectors use a checklist that closely follows the Accreditation Standards for Processing Reusable Textiles for Use in Healthcare Facilities, 2011 Edition, published on the HLAC website. Each item is essentially a statement of fact and the inspector will mark “yes,” “no,” or “not applicable,” and add remarks as necessary. Possible inspection outcomes are “Approval,” “Remediation” and “Accreditation Denied/ Revoked.” Healthcare Healthcare