The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) has elected three new members to its board of directors: Charles Berge (top photo), president and general manager of Shared Hospital Services, Portsmouth,VA; Nicole Grubich (middle), executive director of West Michigan Shared Hospital Laundry (WMSHL); and Carol McLay (bottom) DrPH, MPH, RN, CIC, International Consultant.

The announcement follows a call for candidates to serve on HLAC's board for a three-year term beginning this year.

 HLAC is the nonprofit organization that inspects and accredits laundries processing textiles for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. HLAC's voluntary board of directors comprises a cross section of obective experts in infection prevention, environmental services, laundry operations and government inspection.

Dr. McLay is an international consultant in the fields of healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention and control, and public health.  She has been Board Certified in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) since 2000.  Grubich and Berge are healthcare laundry experts: Grubich is both CLLM- and RLLD-certified through the Association for Linen Management and she worked in the laundry division of Sodexo before joining WMSHL; Berge has more than 35 years of experience in the laundry industry with half that time  on the operational side, which includes a long stint at Aramark Uniform Services before joining Shared Hospital Services as president and general manager.

"We are delighted to announce the appointment of these new members to our board," said John Scherberger, HLAC board president. "The credentials and experience of Charles, Nicole and Carol align perfectly with HLAC's goal to raise the bar of excellence in the way healthcare textiles are processed in the name of patient safety."

 The new year also marks the end of the terms of HLAC board members Rocco Romeo and Sandra Hensley. "It's because of the efforts of Rocco and Sandra over the past several years that interest in HLAC accreditation continues to increase," Scherberger said. "We wish them well."

For more information, visit www.hlacnet.org.