NORTH AMERICA
Paris Healthcare Laundry Services, a division of NOVO Health Services, has again achieved Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification at its flagship Dubois, Pennsylvania, location. The designation reflects commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing.
Dubois is home to the Paris chain, which also includes facilities in Ravenna, Ohio and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The company is known for data sharing with customers that controls their costs by providing them with cost per adjusted patient day information, comprehensive performance data and real-time tracking. Service are provided to hospitals, non-acute care, surgical centres and long-term care. In January 2020, Paris merged with NOVO (Atlanta, GA), bringing together two regional healthcare laundry leaders to form a strong and sustainable company that can continue to grow.
The Dubois laundry was last certified in 2017. Recertification confirms the organization’s continuing dedication to infection prevention, compliance with recognized industry standards and processing healthcare textiles using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation. The independent, third-party inspection must also confirm essential evidence that:
• Employees are properly trained and protected
• Managers understand regulatory requirements
• OSHA-compliant
• Physical plant operates effectively
Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.
Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with Hygienically Clean launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles.
“Congratulations to NOVO Paris on their recertification,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their ongoing commitment to infection prevention and that their laundry facilities take every step possible to prevent human illness.”