Call for Candidates: Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council Seeks Nominations For 2022-2024 Board of Directors

PLAINFIELD, Ill., Aug. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- With a "Call for Candidates," the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) is initiating the nomination process for its 2022-2024 board of directors. Applications, available on HLAC's website, are being accepted immediately with a deadline of Oct. 1, after which nominations will no longer be accepted.

HLAC is a nonprofit organization formed for the purpose of inspecting and accrediting laundries processing healthcare textiles for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. Incorporated in 2005, HLAC began actively inspecting and accrediting laundries in 2006 in response to years of requests from textile professionals for an independent accrediting body that would create a program of accreditation acknowledging that a laundry organization meets the organization's highest of standards for processing textiles.

HLAC's voluntary board of directors comprises an independent and highly experienced group of professionals – commercial laundry operators, association executives, co-op and on-premises laundry operators, infection control professionals, and representatives of federal government organizations.

The board, which is composed of four different director classifications, is responsible for overseeing the management, finance, and operations of HLAC as well as formulating policy. Board members serve a three-year term.

Commenting on the "Call for Candidates," Linda McCurdy, HLAC's current board president said, "If there's any silver lining to the coronavirus pandemic, it's from the inspirational examples set by front line healthcare workers that have found many people looking for ways they, too, can make a difference of some kind, things they can do to have a positive effect. I know from personal experience that HLAC's current and dedicated board members have realized with a certain level of pride the difference our organization has made in an often overlooked but critical healthcare niche – advancing the role of laundry practices in infection prevention and control.

"Our current 'Call for Candidates' opens up a number of opportunities for individuals seeking to make that kind of difference," McCurdy said.

Rocco Romeo, HLAC's president-elect whose term will begin Jan. 1, 2022, concurred, "This is the first time in a while that we've had openings in all four board member classifications. So, this does indeed create a unique moment in our history to bring together so many varied but relevant experts who want to play a part in shaping HLAC's future."

Newly elected board members are required to attend the board of directors meeting Nov. 17, 2021.

Openings are available in all four classes:

• Class 1: Individuals from textile maintenance companies (i.e., these are owners and/or operators and of non-cooperative or in-house laundries) who are engaged in healthcare textile processing and healthcare textile maintenance cooperatives (i.e., laundries owned by several healthcare facilities) and/or in-house (laundry) textile maintenance facilities for healthcare institutions. A minimum of one representative from a textile maintenance company and a healthcare textile maintenance cooperative is required.
• Class 2: Individuals who are laundry industry suppliers (textile, equipment, chemicals, consultants, other). Only one official or formal representative from a company is to be seated on the HLAC Board at a time.
• Class 3: Individuals who are infection control professionals (i.e., a professional who works or has worked within the last five years for a hospital or healthcare organization and who understands and applies standards, is responsible for the oversight, prevention and control of infection in their career or job); and environmentalists working in healthcare and dealing with laundry and linen (i.e., environmental hospital director, EVS housekeeping director, materials manager, central sterilization manager/director, operating room manager/director, or other).
• Class 4: Individuals who represents government agencies (i.e., works or has worked within the last five years for government as an employee and is familiar with writing, using, and complying with mandates and guidance), a microbiologist, infectious disease doctor, biotechnologist, or an academic who works doing research for either a university, the government or private company.

Media Contact

Regina A. Baras, CAE, Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council, 815-436-1404, [email protected]

Ken Swoyer, Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council, 847-424-1256, [email protected]

SOURCE Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council

Related Links

http://www.hlacnet.org