A reusable gowns program at Island Health is helping protect staff and patients while supporting sustainable, cost-effective practices.
The program, which launched at some South Island-located care sites in February, is a collaboration between Victoria Regional Laundry (VRL) and Island Health’s Environmental Sustainability and Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) teams, with contributions from other departments and clinical teams.
Michael Morrison, executive director of General Support Services at Island Health, is proud of the program’s commitment to safety, environmental responsibility and value. “Working with their colleagues across Island Health, the laundry team has adopted best-in-class technologies to minimize the environmental impacts,” he said. “These efforts have resulted in an innovative, cost-effective program that supports our patients and staff.”
The reusable gowns are equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, which allows VRL to track wash counts and remove gowns from circulation when they reach the end of their lifecycle. It’s estimated the gowns can be washed and reused up to 100 times before they are recycled. Gowns are also visually inspected after each wash and those that are damaged beyond repair are removed.
The gowns, known as reusable isolation gowns, are worn by physicians and staff (including support staff) when there are risks of infection transmission – for example, when patients are on precautions or if there are risks of contamination to staff clothing. 
Left to right: Meaghan Delaney, Speech Therapist; Sara Baynes, RN; Marie Shuman, Speech Therapist wearing reusable isolation gowns.
Lisa Young, IPAC director, said the program underlines Island Health’s commitment to safety, environmental sustainability and resource stewardship. “These reusable gowns not only exceed industry standards due to the amazing way the laundry processes them, but they also give our teams the confidence to focus on what matters most – delivering exceptional care,” she said.
Chris Walker, VRL general manager, estimates about 850,000 disposable gowns are currently used annually in the VRL region (which services Island Health sites south of Nanaimo). While it’s early days, he is optimistic that at least 75 per cent of those will convert into reusable gowns in about a year.
Should all those disposable gowns eventually be replaced with reusable alternatives, the program will save Island Health an estimated $2 million in the VRL region and eliminate 77,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The program also helps support Island Health’s target to divert 70 per cent of its waste from landfills by 2030.
“The collaboration between IPAC, Sustainability and the Laundry has been outstanding,” said Walker. “We worked together to develop an amazing program that we can be proud of and have confidence in.”
Marie Shuman, a speech language pathologist who wears the reusable gowns, highlighted the program’s benefits. “I’m grateful that Island Health is taking steps to address the environmental impact of health care, and happy to be a small part of it.”
Currently 15 units at Royal Jubilee Hospital, seven units at Victoria General Hospital and three units at Saanich Peninsula Hospital are participating in the program, along with one unit at The Summit long-term care home. Additional units are in the process of coming on board, and Island Health anticipates the reusable gown program will expand to other sites in the future.
Watch this video to learn more about the process: Reusable Level 2 Isolation Gowns Program