ReleaseWire Connect

ImageFIRST Tampa's own Duane Hamlin is making a difference for young men and women affected by medical hair loss. Duane had sported long silver locks for many years but was thrilled to donate some of his mane to a worthy cause. He donated more than 10 inches of hair to the public non-profit organization Locks of Love. Duane personifies ImageFIRST Tampa's dedication to giving back to the communities it serves and helping those in need as best they can. ImageFIRST Tampa, known for their healthcare laundry services for gowns and nurse scrubs in St. Augustine, FL, is proud to have Customer Advocates like Duane Hamlin.

ImageFIRST, a healthcare laundry provider with locations across and outside the U.S., often works with local charitable organizations in order to connect with and serve the communities in which its clients and associates live. One of its larger national partners, the Ronald McDonald House, provides families of children accessing specialized medical treatment with places to stay at little or no cost – a natural match for ImageFIRST, which serves many of the hospitals and clinics used by the charity's participants.

Every year, the HBS Healthcare Network Conference seeks to provide attendees from hospitals and outpatient facilities across the US with insights from high-profile speakers, aimed at helping improve operations and the medical system in general. At this year's conference, held in Boston, one subject in particular became the theme of many speakers' presentations: moving the industry towards transparency, and catering to increasing consumerism in healthcare. Consumers, noted several speakers, are now looking for more than just medical competency; they're seeking quality and service in their experience, too.

When it comes to patient satisfaction with their healthcare services, many providers are surprised to see the difference that comfortable, spotless healthcare linen can make in a patient's perception of their facility. One of the factors that may affect patients' opinions is the cleanliness of laundry; old, graying linens with notable wear-and-tear can make a hospital seem unsanitary, even when the linens have been processed correctly and are clean. At ImageFIRST Tampa, which provides linens, gowns, and scrubs uniforms to Orlando, FL, and nearby areas, all linens undergo a Triple BioShield Protection Process for sanitation, but are also subjected to the ImageFIRST Bright White Standard – meaning every healthcare linen item returned is guaranteed to be the crisp, bright white that patients expect.

Patient experience and satisfaction is important to healthcare facilities in many ways, not least of all because it is a reflection of the efforts made by staff to ensure that patients are comfortable and confident with the service they receive. The Beryl Institute, an organization that seeks to improve the patient experience worldwide through research and surveys, has recently released its 2015 State of Patient Experience report, which spans 21 countries and 1,561 respondents in order to identify key trends in patient experiences. ImageFIRST Tampa has shared this report with clients and associates alike in order to provide for a better understanding of the importance of patient feedback and satisfaction with their experience of the operations of medical providers.

Healthcare facilities nationwide have an ongoing challenge with sanitation: although handwashing by medical professionals is imperative to preventing the spread of disease, studies have shown that one in four hospitals have not implemented the practices and policies that are recommended for effective hand hygiene. Oftentimes, this is due to hospital employees' time and attention being occupied by smaller, less important, but necessary daily tasks. ImageFIRST Tampa, an industry leader in healthcare laundry services, is proud to contribute to sanitation by providing area hospitals with timely, personalized delivery and stocking services by dedicated Customer Advocates, which allow medical professionals the additional time they need to focus on patient care.

If there's anything to take away from a recent client testimonial video posted by ImageFIRST, a healthcare laundry provider with locations nationwide, it's that the relationship between clients and the associates of their local ImageFIRST location is what makes this growing business as successful as it's been. Lauded by their clients across the country for the responsiveness, timeliness and friendly and helpful attitudes of ImageFIRST associates, the testimonials video serves as an excellent reflection of the high customer service standards that the company actively strives to meet and exceed.