Scrub Amnesty Week: Together, Our Little Actions Can Make a Big Difference

Are you a scrub “hoarder,” keeping extra pairs for yourself for fear they’ll run out?

Have you misplaced a pen, only later realizing you left it in scrubs you returned?

Scrubs are among the many costs Methodist Health System has. And for a health system our size, purchasing, cleaning and recirculating scrubs is a major expense.

Methodist is holding Scrub Amnesty Week for the next week to educate employees and encourage them to return their scrubs – no questions asked.

Did You Know?

• It costs about $10 to replace 1 pound of scrubs. Not too bad ... until you realize that we use more than 1,000 pounds of scrubs on an average day.
• Our goal is to meet the industry standard of getting 75 uses out of a set of scrubs, but we're averaging only 42 uses. Why so low? In many cases, scrubs never get returned, or they get ruined.
• Markers, pens and lip balm left in scrub pockets are the most common culprits in shortening the life of scrubs.
• One misplaced pen can easily damage 10-15 pounds of scrubs, resulting in $100-$150 in replacement costs. Emptying your pockets every time saves us money!

How Can You Help?

• Hospital-provided scrubs shouldn’t leave the building. Don't wear them home. Use them and discard them in laundry bins so they can get back into circulation and avoid unnecessary wear and tear. By turning them in, you're helping us to better manage our supply, and you reduce instances of scrubs lost at home. 
• Turn in your scrubs daily. Methodist has an ample supply of scrubs, but having them accounted for helps us with distribution and purchasing. This way, you have the right sizes when you need them.
• Review usage guidelines in your department to ensure that unnecessary staff members aren't wearing scrubs.
• Empty your pockets. You’ll keep your favorite belongings and extend the lives of our scrubs.
• Consider that the current market is full of back orders and delays, so we can't guarantee that we fulfill amounts and sizes if we don't get scrubs back into circulation daily.

So, do your part to help us reduce costs associated with cleaning and replacing scrubs. Together, we can make a difference!

To download a flyer about Scrub Amnesty Week, click here.