Hopkins Becomes First "Latex-Safe" Hospital

"Latex hospital gloves were invented here, so it's only fitting that Johns Hopkins takes the initiative to promoting alternatives," anesthesiologist Robert H. Brown recently told the JHU Gazette. As the chair of the John Hopkins Hospital Latex Task Force, Dr. Brown has helped Hopkins become the first major hospital to become "latex safe" by ending the use of natural rubber latex gloves. Many patients are allergic to latex, and many hospital employees develop latex allergies because of their frequent use. Synthetic gloves provide a safer alternative, and in switching to their use, Johns Hopkins joins with other hospitals who have changed practice to make their patients and staff safer.