San Antonio, TX -- (SBWire) -- 01/26/2016 --Cubicle curtains are one of the vehicles for pathogens in a medical facility—often harboring potentially deadly pathogens like MRSA or VRE—and infection preventionists sometimes struggle to adequately address properly cleaning and handling them. The struggle is due to both the lack of resources to manage the curtains and the rate of contamination: In one CDC study, 92% of cubicle curtains were infected one week after being hung.

According to an Infection Control Today survey, 55% of hospital leaders and infection preventionists (IPs) believe that their healthcare system's environmental services department is inadequately resourced, leaving patients and staff at the risk for infection. IPs can only do so much, since they also depend on their healthcare system's environmental services department to make sure that supplies, equipment and surfaces are properly cleaned, disposed of and replaced so that bacteria and viruses aren't given the opportunity to spread.

Because of this perceived lack of resources, medical facility managers and staff tasked with infection prevention may feel frustrated by what seems like a limited scope of power over pathogens, not to mention the risk of staff and patients falling ill.

ImageFIRST San Antonio, a medical linen and laundry provider that deals exclusively in healthcare-focused processes, services and products like scrubs and uniforms in San Marcos, TX, has a solution to help. Their Cubicle Curtain Program is a cost-effective service that reduces the risk of pathogen transmission by regularly replacing and cleaning curtains with a powerful sanitization process.

ImageFIRST's Cubicle Curtain Program is completely unique, from ImageFIRST's signature commitment to product safety and quality to a rental model unprecedented in its convenience. First, customers select their preferred fabric and size, so that their patients are greeted with a pleasing, uniform curtain appearance. There are no up-front costs for starting the program, and the curtains are rented, not purchased, so that customers never have to deal with a capital expenditure budget.

Once the curtains are selected, ImageFIRST staff installs them. From there on out, ImageFIRST's friendly, professional associates handle removing and replacing cubicle curtains, leaving facility staff free to do what they do best: take care of patients and deliver the excellent care they are passionate about.

When curtains are removed for cleaning, ImageFIRST takes careful steps to ensure that its products are sanitized. Their Triple BioShield Protection process is an infection protection system that kills up to 99.999% of common pathogens thanks to an advanced wash process and softener, which creates a bacteria-inhibiting zone on curtains even while they are in use. Curtains are also scanned by UHF RFID for tracking and infection prevention.

Healthcare acquired infections are projected to cost the healthcare industry $45 billion this year, and one in twenty patients who stay in a hospital are predicted to acquire an infection as a result. With ImageFIRST San Antonio's Cubicle Curtains Program, plus sanitized products like nurses' uniforms in Marcos, TX, healthcare facility managers can reduce costs and infection risk.

About ImageFIRST
Founded in 1967, ImageFIRST is the largest and fastest growing national linen rental and laundry service specializing in the outpatient medical market. ImageFIRST's 36 locations nationwide serve over 5,500 medical offices every week, providing linen, patient gowns, scrubs and much more while partnering with facilities to better manage linen inventory. With a customer retention rate of over 95%, ImageFIRST is dedicated to improving patient satisfaction through quality linens and remarkable service: their Comfort Care gowns product line increases patients' favorable perception of a facility by more than 50%.

For more information about ImageFIRST San Antonio, the cost-effective solution for greater patient satisfaction, please visit http://san-antonio.imagefirst.com/.