Case Study: Huggins Hospital’s Curtain Cure

A new infection control solution streamlined curtain cleaning processes at a New Hampshire hospital.

When Kurt Roessler stepped into his new role as Director of Environmental Services and Food and Nutrition at Huggins Hospital, he discovered inefficiencies with the curtain change process. The task took 20 minutes to complete and did not include laundering or safe storage. As a result, curtain changeouts were becoming infrequent as frontline teams focused on other cleaning and disinfection tasks.

In healthcare environments, hospital curtains are a high-touch surface where pathogens can survive for extended periods of time. About 59 percent of healthcare professionals shared in a 2024 survey they would be concerned about touching privacy curtains if they were a patient. To ensure that his hospital did not become another negative statistic, Roessler turned to On the Right Track for a solution.

Offering disposable curtains with automated tracking systems, On the Right Track provided Roessler with a new system that enhanced cleaning operations. Now, Huggins Hospital boasts 75 percent faster curtain change outs. When connected to an app, QR codes printed on each curtain panel allow frontline staff to track and replace curtains with ease. Huggins Hospital follows a bi-annual curtain replacement schedule, allowing staff to change curtains and ensure their cleanliness with efficacy.

According to Roessler, the new system is adaptable. When seeking support from the American Environmental Services Association (AHE) and the American Hospital Association, he looked for a flexible solution that aligned with the hospital’s schedule. Now, Roessler is looking to the future—sustainability. In the meantime, he will continue to monitor the new system and its overall impact on infection prevention.

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