Do You Need To Improve Infection Control In Your Senior Living Facility?

One simple way to prevent superbug infections

Controlling the spread of infection and superbug outbreaks has been a decade-long conversation in the healthcare industry. A linen management system makes proper handling of linens and other textiles easy, limiting the spread of these “nightmare bacteria” among long-term care facility residents.

Superbugs, commonly known by their acronyms such as CRE, C.diff, and MRSA, are an increasing problem in settings where they are more easily spread between individuals sharing close quarters such as long-term care and senior living facilities. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) can result in painful, long-term symptoms or even death for infected individuals. According to part one of an article published in American Laundry News, HAIs contribute to nearly 100,000 deaths each year and cost the U.S. upwards of $28.4 billion in annual overall direct medical costs.

Improper linen handling has been linked to superbug outbreaks

If not sorted, laundered, distributed and stored properly, linens have the potential to harbor the potentially harmful microorganisms that lead to superbug infections. When past outbreaks at healthcare facilities have been linked to linens, it was often due to improper delivery or linen storage at the facility where the materials were being used. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that the risk of actual disease transmission from soiled linen is negligible and when it occurs, it is almost exclusively attributable to improper handling. Plainly stated, infection via linens is preventable.

The Revolution Linen™ system starts with the basics

Encompass Group LLC in collaboration with other industry leaders designed The Revolution Linen™ system (RLS) to take the guesswork out of the entire linen handling process, including laundry, distribution, bed-making and soiled linen handling.

Keeping CDC recommendations in mind, this strategically-designed system combines basic linen handling practices with premier quality products including:

• Hamper carts with color-coded soiled linen bags, which make bagging on location fast and easy
• Snug-fitting soiled linen bag lids to remove the risk of cross-contamination during transfer
• Easily identifiable products that don’t require extensive sorting and reduce the time staff handles soiled linens in laundry facilities
• Customizable ward carts to designated to clean linen storage and transfer between laundry facilities and resident rooms

RLS aims to make the whole linen handling process as efficient as possible for healthcare staff while reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infection transmission for residents.

Call your local Encompass Group sales representative at 1-800-328-5525 today to learn more about how RLS can help your staff handle linens the right way.