Tufftec® Lockers from Scranton Products Selected by Little Company of Mary Hospital Near Chicago to Create an Uplifting Environment


Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, IL, selected Tufftec Lockers from Scranton Products for its new West Pavilion nurse's lounge to ensure reduced bacteria, easier cleaning and lower noise levels near the maternity ward.



The Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, IL, in southwestern Chicagoland, constructed a new 290,000 square-foot West Pavilion patient tower, which included the selection of 500 Tufftec® Lockers from Scranton Products for the nurse's lounge near the maternity ward. Established in 1930, Little Company of Mary Hospital's $180 million, four-year Campus Transformation project is culminating in late Summer 2014 with the connection of the West Pavilion tower to the North Pavilion, as well as the West Pavilion driveway and east courtyard.



The Tufftec Lockers replaced metal lockers, which were subject to dents, rust and other maintenance problems. The Z-shaped locker design enabled them to be stacked top and bottom, which greatly maximizes space by enabling two lockers to fit into the space of one. The new lockers each have a shelf, hangars, hooks and separate shoe space, which is important to reduce the spreading of bacteria from the bottoms of shoes to clothing.



"The new lockers are much more hygienic than metal because bacteria cannot live on the surface for very long," says Mary Grimm, RN, Nurse Manager for Maternal Child Services. "Whereas crevices and rust on metal can harbor bacteria and viruses, the Tufftec lockers are very easy to clean and wipe down." She also noted they are GREENGUARD Gold Certified to meet the strictest standards for indoor air quality.



Tufftec Lockers are available in eight classic and two speckled colors to complement virtually any style or décor. The lockers were selected in beige color to match the nurse's lounge's neutral colors.



"The first thing we noticed was that the Tufftec lockers were so quiet," explains Grimm. "The banging from the metal lockers could be heard outside of the lounge and into the halls often creating a disruptive environment for mothers and their new arrivals." A recent ASTM test confirms this, showing that metal lockers are 6.4 decibels when closed, which is three times louder than Tufftec Lockers.



Prestige Distribution of Northbrook, IL, acted as distributor and installer of the hospital's new lockers. "Over a two to three week time frame, we installed 256 locker frames on seven floors at the expanded West Pavilion," said David Waxman of Prestige. Waxman and colleague Adi Klinghofer worked with General Contractor Power Construction to install these and additional Tufftec lockers for other renovation phases throughout the hospital. "The lockers were quite easy for our installers to install," said Klinghofer. "We provided a base, slope top, and trim to complete the installation."



"Aesthetically they look like the day they were installed," adds Grimm. "Compared to metal, these lockers maintain safety and security, while reducing surface bacteria. I would highly recommend Tufftec Lockers to any facility going through renovations."



Learn more about Tufftec Lockers at http://www.scrantonproducts.com.



About Scranton Products:

For more than 25 years, Scranton Products' premium brands have led the plastic partitions market setting new benchmarks for the industry in quality and innovation. Our well-known brands, including Hiny Hiders®, Resistall™ Tufftec® and Duralife®, feature the most durable, low maintenance and best looking partitions and locker products in the industry. They won't dent, rust or need painting, and because they have color throughout, delamination is not a factor. For more information, visit http://www.scrantonproducts.com






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