NSMC News Releases

North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) is rolling out a new environmentally friendly linen policy, similar to the “green” linen policy many hotels offer. This policy is part of a Partners-wide initiative to manage healthcare costs for everyone, as well as to conserve natural resources. NSMC patients will have the option to reuse their clean bed linens and towels if they are staying more than one night.

Under this new policy, NSMC staff will check regularly to make sure that each patient’s bed linen is clean, dry and straightened. Linens will be changed as needed or if the patient or family makes a request. All towels and washcloths will also continue to be changed on a daily basis throughout all inpatient units.

NSMC currently orders more than 72,000 pounds of clean linen every week from an outside vendor. Using less water, detergent and energy is the right thing to do for the environment and another way to keep patient care affordable. This initiative is expected to save 525,000 gallons of water (that’s almost an Olympic-sized pool) and more than 80,000 annually without changing the quality of the patient experience.

A Patient Affordability Linen Utilization Committee, comprised of representatives from each hospital in the system, created this new policy. Brigham and Women’s Hospital went live with the policy earlier this year, and NSMC will begin sharing this option with patients this month.

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NSMC (North Shore Medical Center) is a multi-site health system headquartered in Salem, Mass., which includes NSMC Salem Hospital, NSMC Union Hospital in Lynn, MassGeneral for Children at North Shore Medical Center, NSMC Heart Center, NSMC Women’s Center and the physician network known as North Shore Physicians Group. NSMC and Massachusetts General Hospital together provide care at the Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care and the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center in Danvers. NSMC is a member of Partners HealthCare, which was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  #northshoremed