Emergency Preparedness: How HandCraft Keeps Hospitals Covered
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities don’t get the option to slow down when something goes wrong. A hurricane, an ice storm, a power outage, or even a sudden surge in patients can turn operations upside down in an instant. That’s why accrediting bodies, like CMS and The Joint Commission, expect facilities to have strong emergency management plans. Those plans aren’t just about keeping the lights on; they must show how patient care will continue, and that includes having the basics covered.
Linen may not be the first thing people think of, but it’s written into those requirements for a reason. Clean sheets, gowns, scrubs, and towels are part of patient dignity, safety, and infection prevention.
At HandCraft, we see it the same way. We know that if healthcare facilities can’t get clean linen, patient care suffers. So, we’ve built our operations to stay steady even when the unexpected happens. Here’s how we back up our customers when emergencies occur:
- Leadership that’s Trained and Ready – Our plant managers and leadership teams don’t just sit in an office with a binder on the shelf. They meet regularly, walk through our Emergency Action Plan, and train new leaders so everyone knows their role. We run drills for fires and severe weather, so our people know what to do when an emergency strikes.
- Multiple Processing Lines – If one line goes down, another can pick up the slack. That flexibility keeps production moving.
- Rerouting Between Plants – If one location is affected by weather or power loss, we can reroute work to another HandCraft plant.
- Reserve Linen – We keep reserve linen ready to go so we can pivot fast if needed.
- Transportation Solutions – Emergencies can mean closed roads, flooded routes, or delayed trucks. Our team works together to find alternate routes, solutions, and to make sure the linen keeps moving.
- Clear, Proactive Communication – Nobody likes surprises when it comes to patient care. If a delivery ever becomes a tricky one, our service teams call it out right away. We’d rather over-communicate than leave you guessing, so you know what to expect and can plan around it.
At the end of the day, emergency preparedness isn’t just about checking a regulatory box. Patients still need clean sheets. Nurses and other staff still need scrubs. Infection prevention doesn’t take a day off. HandCraft builds flexibility, communication, and backup into everything we do so that when the unexpected happens, our customers know they can count on us.
Contact Handcraft for more information
If you are looking for the right partner to help prevent linen loss and decrease your linen loss costs, you have found us. We have the experience, the industry-backed expertise, the technology, and the professionals to help you achieve your goals. Remember to look at our HandCraft’s Linen Awareness Program – healthcare linen management strategies that save costs and improve service.
About the Author:
Liz Barber, BSN, RN
Liz is a registered nurse with experience in clinical and non-clinical settings. She built her clinical expertise in Med-Surg and the ICU. Beyond patient care, Liz has also served in Administrative Supervision, Quality Improvement, Employee Health, and Infection Prevention.
