On any given day, thousands of sheets, gowns, towels, scrubs and other textiles move through healthcare facilities. They need to be collected, processed, inspected, delivered and ready for use again. It’s easy to see the finished product. What is less visible is the work that happens behind it. We’d like to take a moment to recognize the people who keep healthcare textiles moving. From production teams to drivers and service representatives, every clean textile has people behind it.
A Large Operation Behind the Scenes
Healthcare textile service operates at a scale that can be hard to see from inside a hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that healthcare settings in the United States launder about 5 billion pounds of textiles each year. The CDC also notes that healthcare laundry can include sheets, blankets, towels, patient apparel, uniforms, scrubs, gowns and surgical drapes. That’s a lot of textiles to keep moving.
The larger linen, uniform, and facility services industry is supported by a significant workforce. According to TRSA, the North American industry employs more than 140,000 people and processes more than 16 billion pounds of laundry each year. At HCSC, our teams are part of that larger system. Their work helps healthcare facilities maintain a steady supply of textiles for patients and staff.
More Than Washing and Drying
Healthcare textile service involves many steps. Each one depends on people doing their jobs carefully and consistently. Depending on the product and facility, the process can include:
- Collecting and transporting soiled textiles
- Sorting products for processing
- Operating and monitoring laundry equipment
- Inspecting textiles for quality
- Folding and preparing clean products
- Building orders for healthcare facilities
- Loading carts and trucks
- Delivering clean textiles
- Managing inventory and customer needs
The process does not stop when a textile leaves the laundry. Drivers and service teams help make sure products reach the right facilities and departments. Customer service teams help solve problems, adjust inventory, and respond when needs change. It takes coordination across the entire operation.
People Make the Process Work
Technology and equipment play an important role in modern healthcare textile processing, but people make those systems work. Employees monitor equipment, inspect products, identify problems, prepare orders, keep trucks moving, and communicate with customers. That human role is especially important in healthcare.
The CDC recommends specific practices for handling and processing healthcare laundry. These include safe handling of soiled textiles and protecting clean textiles during storage and transportation. When established controls are followed, the CDC reports that the risk of disease transmission from healthcare laundry is negligible. Those processes depend on trained people following them day after day.
Recognizing the HCSC Team
For more than 50 years, HCSC has focused exclusively on serving the healthcare community. That history has been built by generations of employees who understand the demands of healthcare textile service. Some roles are highly visible and others happen behind the scenes. All are connected by the shared goal of keeping healthcare facilities supplied with the textiles they need.
To our production teams, drivers, service teams, maintenance staff, customer support teams, managers and everyone else who helps keep HCSC moving, thank you. Healthcare textile service is a people-powered operation. We are proud of the people and values behind HCSC and grateful for the work they do every day.