NYC Health + Hospitals has completed a five-year upgrade to its linen management machines, a project that is expected to save the health system $3.06 million annually.
The health system installed 193 alEx Linen Centers across its 11 hospitals to improve inventory management and reduce waste through a partnership with Sodexo. The machines track linen by weight, limit access to authorized users and send restocking alerts automatically when supplies run low, according to a Nov. 7 news release.
In the project’s first phase, NYC Health + Hospitals decreased linen use in its emergency departments by 55%. The system has since expanded the machines to nursing departments across the organization.
“Reducing linen use by more than half in key departments isn’t just a financial win — it’s a smarter, more effective way to manage resources for patients and staff alike,” Mercedes Redwood, assistant vice president of managed services at NYC Health + Hospitals, said in the release.
In total, the health system uses nearly 15 million pounds of linen each year.
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