TRSA's Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certification Earns AORN Seal of Recognition
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- TRSA, the leading global textile services trade association, today announces its Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certification program standards have received the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Seal of Recognition™ for its certification materials.
The AORN Seal of Recognition confirms the certification program has undergone a thorough quality review by AORN and is consistent with the organization's Guidelines for Perioperative Practice. According to AORN, this is not a product endorsement but rather a demonstration that the educational and informative material provided about the certification program is sound and reliable. Specifically, the Seal of Recognition recognizes the certification program's materials on the "Standard for Producing Hygienically Clean Reusable Textiles in the Healthcare Industry."
"Since the creation of the Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certification in 2012, TRSA has continued its work to raise the bar and standards within the commercial laundry industry through this program," explained Joseph Ricci, president and CEO of TRSA. "We're honored to have successfully earned AORN's Seal of Recognition for our Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certification program and we'll continue to work with our membership to ensure the industry is held to the highest possible standards of cleanliness and safety."
To be considered for Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certification, facilities handling healthcare linens are inspected for adherence to best practices and quality assurance requirements. This inspection is preceded by two rounds of bacteriological testing of laundered textiles by an independent, TRSA-approved laboratory. Samples must pass a total of three rounds of testing to qualify for certification.
To maintain certification, facilities must regularly repeat the tests: the Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) protocol, quarterly, rather than the previous protocol of twice per year; and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) 62, for microorganisms most commonly found in healthcare environments, twice yearly. This frequent quantification of performance fosters continuous improvement through adoption of new laundering techniques to deliver a better level of cleanliness.
"Hygienically Clean standards have a very large and positive impact on public health in general because they lower the overall community infectious disease risk burden," said David F. Goldsmith, MSPH, Ph.D, an occupational and environmental epidemiologist with George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health in Washington, D.C., who recently conducted a third-party review of the certification program. "TRSA Certification offers a serious marketing advantage versus competitor laundries who have not adopted the Hygienically Clean process."
According to TRSA, by Dec. 31, 2015, it expects approximately 50 percent of commercial laundries exclusively handling linens and other textiles from healthcare facilities will have earned its Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certification. Complete information on the program and its newly revised protocols and best practices can be found on the program's new website at hygienicallyclean.org.
ABOUT TRSA
TRSA (www.trsa.org) represents the $16 billion textile services industry which employs 200,000+ people at 1,500+ facilities nationwide by advocating for fair regulatory and legislative policy affecting the textile services industry and promoting the environmental benefits of reusable textiles. TRSA increases productivity, sustainability, safety and professionalism through education, certification, research, benchmarking and information-sharing. Most Americans benefit at least once per week from the cleanliness and safety of laundered, reusable linens, uniforms, towels, mats and other products provided to the service, industrial/manufacturing, hospitality, restaurant and healthcare sectors. TRSA quantifies our industry's commitment to cleanliness and sustainability through its Clean Green and Hygienically Clean Certification programs.
SOURCE TRSA
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