Cintas and Ochsner: Leading the Trend in Healthcare
March 26 2007 - 9:32AM
PR Newswire (US)
CINCINNATI, March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- There is a growing trend in
the healthcare industry, hospitals are looking to improve the
quality of patient experiences to make them feel as though they are
a guest at a hotel instead of a patient at a hospital. Ochsner
Health Systems recognized this, and in April 2006, unveiled a new
brand identity plan to establish a more emotional connection with
patients. This plan included revamping their current uniform
program into one that made employees more recognizable as part of
the Ochsner team. To capture this vision, Ochsner enlisted the
design expertise of Cintas, a leader in designing corporate
identity uniforms. Ochsner hospitals approached Cintas to design
and provide apparel to all of their 7,000 employees. The leading
healthcare facility wanted to do away with labeling uniforms by
chains of command. The idea was a change from "me" to "we": All one
team, all available to help. "We feel that each of our 7,000
employees represent our brand identity - personal connection and
unique care - so we wanted a uniform design that would signify
that," said Karen Caraway, Vice President of Marketing for Ochsner
Health System. Cintas assigned one of its award-winning designers
to Ochsner to develop concepts that matched garments and colors in
attractive pairings. The engaging new apparel program stressed
differentiation among job functions while still creating a unified
image across all hospital employees. Cintas also coordinated a live
fashion show at an Ochsner manager and director meeting to build
excitement about potential uniform options. "We approached the
Ochsner opportunity from a unique angle," said Cintas Director of
Marketing Ahmed Said. "We tried to make the Ochsner image more
inviting by infusing a bit of fashion and fun into their program,
while maintaining the comfort and practicality required by some of
the demanding job functions in this industry." The uniform program
was lauded as success by both Ochsner and its patients. To
celebrate this partnership, Cintas has nominated the Ochsner
program for the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and
Distributors (NAUMD) Image of the Year Award. The NAUMD Image of
the Year competition recognizes outstanding design in the field of
corporate uniforms and image apparel for those uniform programs
worn within the United States. Ochsner will represent their
healthcare work, joining 11 other nominees from Cintas' various
hotel, casino, transportation, cruise line and restaurant clients.
About Cintas Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation
provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types
throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and
implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides
entrance mats, restroom supplies, promotional products, first aid
and safety products, fire protection services and document
management services for approximately 700,000 businesses. Cintas is
a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market
under the symbol CTAS, and is a Nasdaq-100 company and component of
the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. The Company has achieved 37
consecutive years of growth in sales and earnings, to date.
DATASOURCE: Cintas Corporation CONTACT: Tori Rappold,
+1-212-614-4201, , or Amanda Ashe, +1-212-614-5257, , both for
Cintas Corporation
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