HLAC accredited laundries, past president Gregory Gicewicz and current president Bradley J. Bushman were welcome contributors to a well-attended and impressive educational conference put together by the Association of Linen Management (ALM) held in Savannah, Ga.

 

HLAC is a nonprofit organization that inspects and accredits laundries processing textiles for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities.

 

Multiple speakers touched on fundamental aspects of the HLAC's accreditation process. Keynote speaker David Bernstein, president, Lapauw USA, LLC, identified the importance of accreditation but expressed concerns with the current state of affairs with competing accreditation processes. Gregory Gicewicz, HLAC inspection committee chair, presented practical insights into attaining HLAC accreditation and Dr. Elizabeth Easter, Ph.D, Professor, University of Kentucky, provided a straight forward understanding of the terms of cleaning, sanitization and disinfection including the condition of being hygienic.

 

"I was pleased to see such a good turnout for my presentation," said Gicewicz, who is president of Sterile Surgical Systems of Tumwater, WA, an HLAC-accredited laundry. "I could tell from the interest and questions asked that attendees view the process to become HLAC accredited as not only a means to achieve the distinction of accreditation but a pathway towards identifying industry best practices." Gicewicz indicated that process monitoring can be a key tool toward accomplishing process improvements and best practices, but facilities need to think beyond chemical titrations to include other aspects related to textile hygiene. Gicewicz provided various examples of how alternative pathways to address accreditation requirements in a practical and cost-effective manner can be accomplished. (Note: In 2014, Gicewicz authored the article, "The Benefits of Laundry Accreditation: An Owner-Operator's Journey From Reluctance to All-Out Advocacy," which appeared in Facility Care.)

 

HLAC Board President Bradley J. Bushman was on hand to meet current and interested textile service providers and laundries. "It is good to see the value of HLAC accreditation being recognized by professionals from across the breadth of our industry and the level of their engagement and desire to elevate best practices." He expressed the unwavering commitment of the HLAC board towards assisting operators in achieving accreditation and the associated best practices for cleaning and infection prevention. Bushman said, "The problem I see is that the textile service providers do not have the tools they need in their infection prevention tool box." Bushman says it will take strong leadership and direction to fill this gap.

 

HLAC is encouraging conference attendees who would like more information about the organization and its inspection and accreditation processes to visit HLAC's website, www.hlacnet.org.