Solutions - Associated Hospital Services - New Orleans, LA
The cooperative laundry is currently producing in excess of 10,000,000 pounds of Healthcare Linen in only 40 hours per week.
After being devastated by Katrina in 2005, Associated Hospital Services (AHS) has recently completed a major equipment renovation that enables the laundry to achieve pre-Katrina production capacities. In August, 2005 the laundry received 6’ of water damage from the hurricane. Due to the determination of the AHS’s Management Team, the cooperative laundry reopened its doors in less than 8 months. Pellerin Laundry Machinery Sales Company rebuilt one of the existing Milnor CBW® Systems and re-equipped the laundry with additional Milnor and Chicago equipment.

Four and a half years after the storm, Associated Hospital Services has recently completed another renovation. This renovation which includes a 2nd Milnor CBW System and additional Chicago equipment allows AHS to produce the linen poundage that they were achieving prior to Katrina.

The cooperative laundry is currently producing in excess of 10,000,000 pounds of Healthcare Linen in only 40 hours per week. AHS processes all of this linen with less than 40 production employees. This calculates to a PPOH of approximately 120. The new renovation will allow the laundry to increase their PPOH and become even more efficient. These production achievements begin with AHS’s dedicated employee base. Over 90 % of their current employees worked for AHS prior to Katrina. Associated Hospital’s employees are just as dedicated to AHS’s full recovery as their managers.

The new renovation includes a Milnor 8 Module CBW System with a 50 Bar Press and (4) Milnor 64058 Gas Dryers. The CBW has a new water saving feature called PulseFlow™. PulseFlow allows the 8 module system to process Healthcare linen at approximately a 101 Second transfer rate while using .3- .4 gallons of water per pound. In simplified terms – Milnor still utilizes the superior True Top-Transfer counter-flow design that offers excellent dilution and bath separation. The PulseFlow design pulsates the counter-flow through the wash zones of the CBW allowing chemistry, dilution and mechanical action more process time which increases the throughput capacity
of the CBW; thus an 8 Module Milnor PulseFlow CBW produces more like an 11 Module Milnor traditional continuous counter flow CBW. Because the water is not continuously run through the CBW and is now pumped at a higher rate and pulsated through the CBW, the CBW uses less gallons/lb. to process the linen.

The new renovation also includes the addition of two additional ironer lines. All four of the laundry’s ironer lines include Chicago Edge Feeders, Skyline Folders and a Skyline SP-4 small piece folder. All of the linen processes on these lines are automatically transferred to a central take-away conveyor and carousel. The laundry also has (4) Chicago Air Chicago towel & gown folders, a Chicago Skyline Mini Knitted Fitted Folder and a Chicago Blanket Blaster System. The linen processed through this equipment also automatically transfers to a central take-away conveyor and carousel.

Associated Hospital Services, Inc. Cooperative Laundry began processing Healthcare Linen in 1971, almost 40 years ago. There is no doubt that AHS has risen from the flood waters of Katrina and is here to stay due to their employees’ commitment and management’s determination.