Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center: Reusable isolation gowns

(Less waste toolkit) Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, located in West Los Angeles, began a reusable isolation gown pilot project in May 2012, starting with a liver transplant unit that was using 1,000 disposable isolation gowns per day. During a collaborative six-month trial period, the reusable isolation gown design was finalized and rolled out. The reusable gowns offer more comfort and better protection than their disposable counterparts, and can be laundered and reused 75-100 times. More than 3.3 million reusable gowns have been used at both hospitals since the implementation, representing a financial savings of over $1.1 million, on purchase alone. Since 2012, a total of 297 tons of waste has been diverted from landfills as a direct result of the reusable gown program.