Hendricks Regional Health

Hendricks Regional Health's Support Services would like to recognize Ann Salerno as our laundry hero!

Ann is the team lead that looks over all our laundry prodution here at HRH. Ann exudes the values of HRH in everything she does. She manages her team with dedication, empathy, leadership, and goes above and beyond what is asked of her. Ann comes in every morning with a smile on her face, even when dealing with staff shortages.

In the last year, laundry production within the hospital has been in higher demand than ever before. On average, laundry/wash does 4,350 pounds of wash per day, roughly 26,100 pounds per week. They also fold/iron 6,500 twin sheets per week, equaling 1,083 twin sheets per day, 338,000 per year! With that being said, Ann has taken on things not within her job description to help her team out. When her staff has been low due to illness, call-offs, etc., she herself stepped in and took on the responsibilities of those missing to ensure her team stayed on track for the demands of the growing hospital. Not only does she work in laundry when needed, she also goes around patient floors to help housekeeping staff. When asked to do something, she never hesitates, she will jump right in and help wherever she's needed.

Ann exemplifies the 7 values that HRH asks of their associates: respect, courage, engagement, collaboration, empathy, integrity, and loyalty. She leads her team by example and is one of the kindest people we know. Ann deserves recognition for her dedication to her laundry associates and her dedication to Hendricks Regional Health as a whole. This hospital is better because Ann Salerno is an associate here, she is a hero in more ways than one!

Crothall Ontario, California

The Crothall Laundry Services Ontario, CA plant is proud to feature their most senior associates! From L to R: Ana Cruz (21 yrs.), Isabel Ortiz (22 yrs.) Maria Toral (23 yrs.) Guadalupe Solis (29 yrs.), Araceli Flores (21 yrs.), Maria Moran (21 yrs.), Maria Mayorga (30 yrs.)

Crothall Phoenix, Arizona

The Crothall Phoenix plant is proud of its outstanding retention rate with over 30 hourly employees with over 20 yrs. Pictured are those with over 40 years! L to R: Pat Foley (42 yrs.), Norma Varela (44 yrs.), Sylvia Terrones (46 yrs.), Lupe Daniels (43 yrs.), Frank Ramirez (43 yrs.)

Crothall La Mirada, California

Crothall Laundry Service in La Mirada, California, celebrates its most senior hourly employees: (L to R) Elvira Quinones (34 yrs.), Maria Garcia (42 yrs.), Maria Nava (37 yrs.), Maria Vega (33 yrs.), Teresa Barancas (32 yrs.) This plant is proud to say they have over 30 other employees who have been there longer than 20 years!

Virginia Healthcare Laundry Services

Sherida Kemp, CLLM, Customer Service Manager for Virginia Healthcare Laundry Services , shared the fun plans for this year's Laundry & Linen Week! Each day is themed like the old school spirit week (think back to high school). Monday was Pajama Day; Tuesday was Hat day; today is Who Am I? Dress as your favorite person; Thursday is Shine Bright-Dress in your brightest craziest outfit; and Friday is Sports Day-Wear your favorite sports team!

2022 marks 50 years of Linen Services. Thanks to our team for their hard work! At Mohawk Medbuy’s Linens Facility in Hamilton Ontario, did you know our team:

The facility also does daily prize drawings, and each employee who participates everyday is entered into a drawing for a special prize at the end of the week! Sherida says they look at this time to have a bit of fun, break out of the norm, and show appreciation for their laundry staff's hard work.

We look forward to seeing the pics from the rest of the week, and hope other facilities take a page out of her book! Just because it's work doesn't mean it can't be fun!

Service Source

Angel Proctor, manager with Service Source, wrote in to share a little background about their hard-working linen team. Service Source currently tends to a large "dormitory" style facility filing closets with fresh packaged linen for students.

Their team may be little, but it's fierce. Supervisor Jackie Breeden has tenure with the facility and is always the "go-to" if there are any linen-related questions or concerns. Angel said she appreciates Jackie's attentiveness and dependability.

Another tenured employee, Varlos Williams, is familiar with the Service Source linen pieces and always shows up to work with a positive attitude.

And last, Angel wanted to recognize a newer employee who works like they've been there a while! Anthony Wright has fit right in with the linen processes and procedures, and his willingness to help and "go get it" attitude fits right in with the team.

Thank you for all you do!

Thunder Valley Casino Resort

Thunder Valley Casino Resort is proud to have participated in National Laundry & Linen Week during April 23-29, 2023, by recognizing the efforts of our team and their contributions to the overall success of the property. Our in-house Laundry Team provides services for our guest rooms (over 400), spa, pool and food & beverage department. They process nearly 10,000 pounds of soiled linens per day. Our three supervisors, Melinda Cowan, Patty Fitzgerald and Tuan Nguyen help to lead the efforts of our Job Coaches who work with our PRIDE Industries workgroups. The PRIDE Team includes 30+ Team Members with developmental disabilities who fulfill instrumental positions in our 6,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art laundry facility.

Over the week’s celebration, appreciation was shown to the team through daily activities, giveaways, and refreshments. Laundry Manager Khawar Qureshi expressed his gratitude for all that the team has accomplished since we opened our facility in 2019. Fittingly for our company, this has been a win-win project for all.

Ramsey County Correctional Facility

Officer Brian Sanders has been a Correctional Officer at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in St. Paul Minnesota for 17 years. Through that time, he has filled in as a relief officer in the laundry, managing a work crew of 30+ inmates and doing laundry service for 3 facilities. Recently, Officer Sanders was promoted to the full-time position of laundry officer and has taken on the challenges of running the program during a pandemic. Now with only 10 workers and doing service for 2 facilities he is making the job his own. His hard work and willingness to tackle the day-to-day challenges of not only being a Correctional Officer but also cleaning over 1,200 pounds of laundry daily, shows his dedication and enthusiasm in serving his community.

Daniel's Textile Rental

Mark Heekin, general manager of Daniel's Textile Rental, shared the following story:

"I just wanted to share that Angie Leist, Supervisor (left), and Hannah Heekin, Operations Manager (right), work together to insure Daniel’s Textile Rent linens are sanitized. Also, they spray and wash delivery carts, processing tables, and equipment.

It got more intense during the pandemic with wearing masks, gloves, and protective gowns while washing the customer textiles. We were selected to handle a local university's COVID laundry needs for quarantined and infected students.

My hat is off to Angie, Hannah, and staff for going the extra mile and handling the stressful times!"

Gibson Area Hospital

This week we recognize the value and hard work provided to healthcare services through the efforts of textile professionals! The GAHHS Linen Services Team is THE Best! Thank you for all you do!!

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

Laundry & Linen Appreciation Week is an opportunity to recognize an important group of behind-the-scenes champions at #TBRHSC. Join us in thanking everyone in our Laundry & Linen Department for their hard work, tireless effort & vital contribution to the patient care experience.

Mohawk Medbuy

1972 – the start of “Mohawk Laundry Services” (later Mohawk Medbuy). Our facility began with 100 employees & serviced 7 hospitals. We now serve 40+ sites!

2022 marks 50 years of Linen Services. Thanks to our team for their hard work! At Mohawk Medbuy’s Linens Facility in Hamilton Ontario, did you know our team:

• Processes 13.3 million kgs of healthcare linens per yr
• Services 40+ healthcare sites in Ontario
• Operates 363 days/yr

Amazing stats! Thank you & happy Laundry & Linen Appreciation Week to this incredible team!

Greenwood Leflore Hospital

This is National Laundry & Linen Week! Thank you to all of our hard-working staff in our Laundry department for all the work they do for our patients! We are proud to have you on our Greenwood Leflore Hospital team! Happy National Laundry & Linen Week!

Business Operations Center at Edward-Elmhurst Health

Jill Maida, a PT in Neurosciences, who was assigned a screening role in the Labor Pool, recently worked with the Business Operations Center (BOC) of Edward-Elmhurst Health. The BOC is where system laundry is processed, and Jill was appreciative for the opportunity to work in the Labor Pool instead of sent home, furloughed, or let go.

"Through the Labor Pool, I've met unsung heroes from other departments I would not have had the opportunity to meet during my normal daily tasks. The BOC staff are a hardworking, dedicated group of people who deal with all the waste and laundry that COVID-19 creates. They are the reason we all have fresh, clean linen that has been sanitized and made safe for patients and staff to use. The BOC is quite the operation, with huge washers, dryers, and folding stations, and several people working long hours to get the hospitals the laundry they need. I don't think (hospital) staff realize where the laundry comes from or what staff go through during the cleaning process.

We all have safety on our minds these days and I feel Edward-Elmhurst Health is doing their best to keep us as safe as possible. Like the rest of us, BOC has taken additional safety steps during the pandemic to ensure the safety of the staff and the laundry they produce. Let's do our part to keep the BOC staff safe. It is amazing what they find in the pockets of scrubs or wrapped in sheets and blankets, i.e., gloves, masks, paper, pends, cell phones, dentures, instruments, and many other items that could put them at risk. Please empty out scrub pockets and check the linen carefully as you dispose of it according to your department's policies. Make sure you are putting the linen in the correct bins and closing the bags completely to help keep everyone in the organization safe.

The BOC has a remarkable team and I am thankful to work with them. let's do our part to help them, help us."

Jamie Hill of Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System

Jamie Hill has worked for the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System - Textile Plant for over three and a half years. She was recently promoted to Laundry Work Leader, primarily due to her meticulous ability to plan, manage, and organize. As the sole work leader for the Textile Care Processing Facility, Jamie’s dedication has made a strong positive impact within the Environmental Management Service. Over the course of this pandemic, Jamie has been directly responsible for the processing, distribution, and delivery of over 3.5 million pounds of clean linen for 14 different customers across 4 states.

Over the course of this pandemic, she flawlessly led a staff of 13 laundry workers to process all linen and uniform items in a safe and timely fashion, which minimized direct contact with COVID-positive patients. She made sure all laundry employees adhered to all COVID-19 protocols, reducing the chances for an outbreak of COVID-19 within the laundry facility.

Jamie displays excellent business acumen. The entire textile department would not function as well as it does without her presence. Her impact is very significant to our day-to-day operations. She displays a unique capability to lead and make decisions with little to no guidance under the toughest circumstances. She's a very informed leader who genuinely cares about our mission here at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System. Jamie can always be counted on to overcome the toughest challenges while delivering A+ results. The epitome of a laundry worker.

Tyrone Crittenden of Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System

As one of three laundry supervisors for the Processing Plant and surrounding buildings, Tyrone's dedication has been a key contributing factor to the Textile Care Processing Facility’s success. Over the course of this unprecedented pandemic, Tyrone has been directly responsible for the processing, distribution, and delivery of over 3.5 million pounds of clean linen for 14 different customers across 4 states. As the “Soil Side” and “Clean Side” supervisor during the COVID-19 pandemic, he flawlessly led a staff of 20 laundry workers to process all linen safely, despite being in direct contact with positive COVID-19 patients. He made sure all laundry employees adhered to all COVID-19 protocols ensuring everyone's safety and keeping the infection rate for all laundry employees under his charge to ZERO.

Tyrone displays excellent business acumen, and the laundry department would not function as well as it does without his daily efforts. He displays the capability to lead and make decisions with little to no guidance under the toughest circumstances. He's a very informed supervisor who genuinely cares about our mission here at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System. His outstanding rapport with customers supports a positive business relationship which has contributed to a satisfying partnership with all 14 of our current customers that produced an opportunity to gain multiple future customers. Tyrone is a dynamic leader and passionate veteran who serves his fellow veterans to the best of his ability.

Virginia Healthcare Laundry Service

Sherida Kemp, CLLM, Customer Service Manager for Virginia Healthcare Laundry Services shared the following:

I would like to share a story about my co-workers at Virginia Healthcare Laundry Services.

As I am sure many of us have experienced over the last few months, staff has been hard to come by. The past two weeks were extremely hard as we didn’t have enough staff to operate the plant. As I am on the road visiting facilities most of the day, I was shocked to walk into the plant and find the Executive Vice President, Plant Manager, and HR on the production floor. I immediately inquired as to what was happening. I was told that we had less than half of the staff needed to operate the plant. Although I had an injury to my left arm (which is in a sling), I immediately found a place pulling precaution gowns.

Over the course of the next two weeks the Mechanical Engineer Manager, all of the mechanics and utility staff worked the production floor. The truck drivers helped after their shift. Staff worked overtime and came in on their off days. Administration worked production on the weekend. Watching everyone pull together to get the linen out without complaint was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. Especially in year where we have all seen such ugliness.

I am so proud to be a part of this team and I am very proud of the leadership of our Executive Vice-President, Meredith Bowery. She has developed an environment of hard work, compassion, and kindness.