Friday, April 20, 2007
The HMHP laundry department has about 32 employees.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Humility of Mary Health Partners recently placed its biomedical department under the auspices of Catholic Health Initiatives and is considering outsourcing its laundry operation.
The biomedical department, also referred to as clinical engineering, is responsible for maintaining all medical equipment, including vendor contracts for some of the more complex equipment such as CT scan (computerized axial tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), said Tina Creighton, hospital spokeswoman.
Creighton said all but one of the biomedical department employees opted to work for Catholic Health Initiatives, based in Denver. The one employee who is not working for CHI did not apply. All employees had the opportunity to work for CHI, she added.
According to its Web site, CHI is a national not-for-profit health-care organization comprising 68 hospitals, 44 long-term care, assisted, independent living and residential facilities, and six community health service organizationsCreighton said HMHP is exploring options regarding its laundry department, which has about 32 employees.
"It is not a reflection on the people who work in the laundry," said Creighton, who emphasized that no final decision has been made.
Rather, the exploration of options was prompted by cost. Very few hospitals maintain their own laundries anymore because of the cost of personnel and equipment. The laundry at St. Elizabeth Health Center handles all of HMHP's facilities, and would also do the laundry for the new Boardman hospital when it opens if nothing is changed, she said.
Creighton said the hospital is always looking for ways to operate more efficiently. Making adjustments in response to market and industry changes is the fiscally responsible thing to do if the hospital system is to have sufficient resources to invest in technology and continue to provide quality health care, she added.
alcorn@vindy.com