P2 vs. Isolation Gowns

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Nationwide Children’s Hospital, one of the United States top 20 Children’s hospitals is expanding, and trying to go green. In order to be more environmentally friendly, and save costs, the facility has been using re-usable isolation gowns as opposed to disposable gowns. While this choice is more cost effective and good for the environment, the re-usable gowns were made out of a slick silky material instead of paper like the disposable gowns.

When building their new hospital the gowns started to cause all sorts of trouble:

• Gowns storage was required outside of EVERY patient room and in the main hallways.
• The cabinetry outside the patient rooms varied in size based on the department.
• The slippery material made it impossible to roll or fold the gowns. Set them on the shelf and they fell right off (not to mention looked like a mess!)

This is where Patterson Pope comes in (with cape!). We partnered with Ideal Environments to develop custom isolation gown storage for the facility. Working with project management and the nursing department we developed several different storage bins that meet the needs of the facility now and well into the future.

The bins were constructed of a High-Density Polypropylene and Plexiglas material (non-porous, easy to clean). Overhead cabinets were placed inside the current millwork without damaging the integrity of the cabinet – allowing the facility to remove and move the overhead bins at their discretion. The drawer units used existing holes inside the millwork to anchor drawer slides for ease of access.

Overall the project was a success. The bins are standard in the new hospital and will also be installed throughout the renovated departments in the old facility. With Patterson Pope Healthcare Solutions, we can solve any stuff problem, even if you’re dealing with slick silky stuff.

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Posted by: Linda Skelton