Innovation in Action: Automated Scrub Distribution at Yale New Haven Hospital
The Challenge
Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) serves thousands of patients each day with a dedicated team of nurses, attendants, and staff. Reliable access to professional scrubs is critical for maintaining a safe, hygienic environment and for supporting staff efficiency and morale. Traditional uniform distribution methods, such as central stockrooms, are time-consuming, prone to shortages, and regularly disrupt operational flow.
The First Innovation: Automated Lockers
Locker pickup (and ordering) makes uniform access fast, secure, and convenient for hospital staff.
Working with Feury Image Group, YNHH introduced automated lockers—a secure, tech-enabled solution that gave staff easy access to the workwear orders 24/7.
Staff place online orders at the lockers or online through a web portal provided via Work Hard Dress Right (a Feury Image Group company). They then pick up their apparel directly from the lockers, at any hour of the day or night. By blending online convenience with onsite efficiency, this reduced the administrative burden, ensuring uniforms were easy to order and retrieve, no matter which shift they worked.
Expanding Access: Vending Machines for Scrubs
Building on that success, Feury Image Group added a fully automated vending machine to support the managed uniform program with additional scrub distribution capability. Stocked with Barco scrubs in sizes Small to 2XL, the machine ensures the medical professionals get what they need instantly—without the delay of ordering or delivery. This innovation delivered three key advantages:
- Immediate Access: Staff simply select and purchase, receiving scrubs on the spot.
- Always Stocked: An integrated dashboard alerts our administrators when supplies run low, ensuring inventory is replenished before shortages occur.
- Scalable Design: The vending model is now being evaluated for additional installation sites across the hospital system, which would expand convenience for staff at more locations.
A complete uniform solution: vending for scrubs, lockers for ordered apparel, and convenience for every shift.
Benefits for Healthcare Workers
- Hybrid Convenience: Online orders are ready for pickup in lockers, while vending machines provide instant access when needed.
- Efficiency: Reduces time lost going back and forth to a hospital stockroom with limited hours.
- Reliability: Ensures consistent availability of clean scrubs in multiple convenient locations.
- Accountability: Tracks usage, reducing waste and unnecessary replacement costs.
- Staff Satisfaction: Gives healthcare workers peace of mind knowing their workwear is always easily accessible.
The Bigger Picture: Technology + Workwear Solutions
Feury Image Group continues to demonstrate how innovation, technology, and practical problem-solving create better workwear solutions. By automating uniform access, the hospital supports its frontline professionals, enhances patient confidence, and ensures that staff are equipped to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional care.
Let’s Talk About Your Workwear Situation
Feury Image Group specializes in delivering customized, tech-enabled solutions to organizations across various industries, including healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and beyond. Whether it’s automated lockers, vending machines, or managed uniform programs, the goal is to make workwear distribution smarter, simpler, and more cost-effective.