January 16, 2008

Crothall Signs Up 12 Laundries for Accreditation by HLAC 

FAIRWAY, KS, 1/16/08 - The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) is pleased to announce that the Laundry Services division of Crothall Services Group has signed up 12 of its plants for accreditation. Ten Crothall laundries are signed up for inspection and two have already received accreditation. 

HLAC's mission is to publish high standards for laundering healthcare textiles, and to provide an inspection and accreditation process that recognizes those laundries that meet these high standards. The decision to become accredited is completely voluntary. To date, more than 70 laundries have signed up for accreditation. 

Crothall provides laundry services to healthcare facilities, both in laundries it owns as well as those it manages and operates. In 2007, Crothall Laundry Senior Vice President Michael Bailey made the commitment to have a large number of its laundries accredited. To date, two Crothall-managed facilities have been inspected and accredited: Rappahannock Goodwill Industries in Fredericksburg, Va., and Hospital Laundry Services in Wheeling, Ill. The 10 additional laundries are now preparing for inspection and it is the goal of Crothall to continue the accreditation process until all of its plants have received accreditation. 

"Since our involvement in the initial task force, which led to the formation of the HLAC, Crothall Laundry Services has been fully supportive of the need to have healthcare textile processing standards for all laundries," says Bailey. "Although numerous regulatory agencies do make recommendations and enforce standards, the HLAC accreditation process is thorough and all-encompassing. We look forward to having all of our facilities complete the rigorous process and becoming fully accredited." 

Why Accreditation?
The primary benefit of accreditation is that an independent third party has inspected the laundry and found that it meets or exceeds the highest standards for processing healthcare textiles. A laundry cannot inspect and accredit itself and its customers generally do not have the time or expertise to conduct inspections.

The HLAC accreditation process was developed with several industry groups, including:

• Association of Linen Management (ALM)
• Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)
• American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA)
• American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services (ASHES)
• International Association for Healthcare Textile Management (IAHTM)
• Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA)
   

For more information on HLAC and the benefits of accreditation, check the HLAC website at www.hlacnet.org.

ASHES MEDIA CONTACT: Nancy Jenkins, 913/432-6177