Hospital In-plant in Overdrive to Meet Signage Needs

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to shut down whole cities and states, restricting people to their homes, in-plants’ fates rely on whether or not they are deemed essential or unessential. In the latter case, they are being told to stay home, with managers getting called in on an as-needed basis to print essential signage or other materials. Mail is often considered more essential than print, so many in-plants that oversee mail are staying open.

As you might expect, hospital in-plants have a whole lot of work to do these days. One of the busiest is Monument Health, in Rapid City, S.D., where Larry Mills, manager of Printing Services, has been scrambling to keep up.

Outdoor banners and signs produced last week by Monument Health Printing Services. Manager Larry Mills expects to print many more in the weeks ahead.

Outdoor banners and signs produced last week by Monument Health Printing Services. Manager Larry Mills expects to print many more in the weeks ahead.

Outdoor banners and signs produced last week by Monument Health Printing Services. Manager Larry Mills expects to print many more in the weeks ahead.

“Being a healthcare in-plant that prints signage on both digital presses and wide-format, my volume has flown out of control,” Mills emailed IPI. “This past week I have had deadlines almost every hour for some sort of public posting, items to support the frontline caregivers, and outdoor signage. I do not see it changing for a while for me.

He and his team worked more than 60 hours each last week.

“We only took Sunday off,” he says.

Mills added his concern for his in-plant peers:

“My heart is heavy for the many fellow in-plants that are struggling now,” he says.