With a 20-year background in architectural specialties and textiles, Karen Goelst became passionate about solving the issues surrounding privacy curtains following her 15-year-old son’s hospital stay with MRSA. Staying at his bedside she noticed everybody touched the fabric privacy curtain, but the label showed that it hadn’t been exchanged for 14 months. Thankfully her son recovered, but this realization started her journey in trying to understand why curtains weren’t getting exchanged, when other touchpoints in the room were thoroughly disinfected. Karen founded KleenEdge to ensure this infection risk did not impact other families.
Launched in 2018, the company received early accolades for its innovative Protocol Compliance Software, receiving AHE’s Product Innovation Award, as well as getting patents for the QuickLoad and TeleTrack “no ladder” curtain exchange cubicle track solutions. KleenEdge’s solutions have helped many healthcare facilities dramatically reduce operational costs, while having peace of mind knowing that their curtain exchanges are compliant and deliver the highest standard of care for their patient’s safety.