How Healthcare Laundry is Saving Lives and Impacting Communities
Hey there, I’m Greg.
When most people walk into a hospital, they see state-of-the-art equipment, skilled doctors, and compassionate nurses. But what they don’t see is one of the most essential yet overlooked components of patient care: linen.
Linen is literally everywhere in a hospital. It’s the towels used in burn units, the drapes covering patients in the operating room, the scrubs worn by surgeons, and even the mop heads used to sanitize floors. Hospitals rely on over 100 different types of linen, and if even one piece isn’t cleaned or handled correctly, patients are at risk.
Yet, few people think about the journey linen takes before it reaches a patient’s bed.
This unseen world of healthcare linen is exactly what I uncover in my soon-to-be-released book, “Linen Saves Lives: How Linen Compliance Can Prevent Infection, Improve Patient Safety, and Maximize Profits,” and I’m offering early access to my book before its official release.
If you’d like a copy, just reply to this email with “Book,” and I’ll put you on the list!
In the meantime, let’s dive into the real story of healthcare linen — the one behind the curtains.
Behind The Scenes of Healthcare Linen
A single piece of hospital linen goes through an entire unseen world of work before it ever reaches a patient’s bed.
Housekeeping staff strip the beds and bundle soiled linens into carts.
Linen is transported — often miles away — to an off-site healthcare laundry.
It’s sorted, washed, disinfected, dried, folded, and packed under strict protocols.
Clean linens are delivered back, stocked in closets, and prepared for patient use.
Then the cycle begins again.
But behind every laundered piece of linen is a team of hardworking people, many of whom are getting a second chance, supporting their families, and rebuilding their lives.
At laundries across the country, the people processing, washing, folding, and delivering hospital linens are often looking for a fresh start. Many come from disadvantaged backgrounds, some have criminal records, and for many, this work represents steps toward stability, self-sufficiency, and financial security.
These are the unsung heroes behind every clean sheet, sterile surgical drape, and fresh hospital gown.
Healthcare Laundry Facilities Are Community and Economic Anchors
Hospitals and healthcare systems are some of the largest employers in the country. But beyond caring for patients, they also have an opportunity to drive economic growth in their communities.
That’s why many hospitals are starting to rethink their supply chains, including their linen providers, to better support local economies. Organizations like the Healthcare Anchor Network are helping hospitals partner with local businesses, laundries, and other service providers that create stable jobs and generate positive impact at home.
Take Fillmore Linen Service in Chicago, for example. I started working with these guys a few months back as a consultant, and am now operating as the COO – and it has been nothing short of remarkable. This laundry was primarily established to address the economic inequality in the community, providing hundreds of stable, full-time jobs to residents who needed them most. Not only do laundries like this offer reliable, entry-level roles that pay fairly and provide benefits, but it gives people meaningful work with real impact.
I’ve been in this industry for closer to three decades, and I’ve found that laundry workers who genuinely understand the importance of their role take a lot of pride and care in their work. One of the tips I offer in my book is to take staff on a visit to the hospital. Once laundry workers see just how critical their job is firsthand — and the real people they are helping at the other end — I guarantee they will feel a much more purposeful connection to their work.
Final Thought
The complex journey and the many layers that healthcare textiles go through matter more than you think. And the topics I’ve mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg in what is a very multifaceted and nuanced subject.
If you want to know more, I deep dive into everything I’ve learned throughout the decades in my upcoming book. I take a deep dive into how hospitals can rethink their linen programs to reduce infection risks, cut costs, and improve patient safety — on top of making sustainability, community impacts plus much more.
Here’s what Dr. Carol McLay, DrPH, MPH, RN, CIC FAPIC, FSHEA, 2025 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) President, had to say after reading an early copy:
“As an infection preventionist, I’ve seen firsthand how improperly handled linens can compromise patient safety. Gregory Gicewicz masterfully breaks down the science and operational best practices behind healthcare linen compliance. [This book] is a must-read for anyone responsible for preventing healthcare-associated infections."
Until next time,
Greg