The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) is calling for a heightened awareness and increased understanding of the role of the healthcare laundry facility in infection prevention and patient safety.
This, in the wake of a newly published report in FEMS Microbiology Letters that suggests "dirty laundry" may be a source of surface Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) contamination.
"The message of this study is clear: The healthcare laundry needs to be part of any infection prevention strategy," said Joan Blanchard, an infection preventionist on the HLAC Board of Directors.
The report, resulting from an investigation of a laundry facility that services several Seattle-area hospitals, determined if C. difficile, a hospital and community-acquired pathogen, could be cultured from clinical laundry facility surfaces.
IAQ and Infection Mitigation: Plans Into Actions
Case Study: How NYU Langone Rebuilt for Resilience After Superstorm Sandy
Dayton Children's Hospital Announces New Rehabilitative Services Building
The Debate on Laundering Microfibers in Healthcare
Construction Begins for New Cancer Center at OhioHealth's Administrative Campus