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Health First is moving to standardize scrub colors for certain clinical roles, a change the Brevard County health system says is meant to help patients identify their caregivers, even as a public petition opposing the shift has gathered more than 1,300 signatures.

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In a statement to The Space Coast Rocket, Kerri McMullen, Health First’s lead public relations partner for media and public relations, confirmed the policy and described it as routine. “Health First is adopting standardized scrub colors for certain clinical roles so patients and families can more easily identify who is caring for them. This is a common approach across health systems,” she said.

McMullen said the rollout is not immediate. “No immediate changes are required. Affected clinical associates are helping choose the colors for their roles now, and the transition is targeted for January 2027,” she said. Assigning scrub colors by role is a widely used practice at hospitals nationally, where it is intended to help patients and staff quickly tell who fills which role.

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What the system did not say is who will pay for the new uniforms. Asked whether Health First would provide the scrubs or reimburse associates, McMullen said only that the system is “listening to our associates’ feedback as we work through the details, including what support may be available during the transition.” Health First did not commit to covering the cost.

That unanswered question sits at the center of the pushback. A petition on Change.org titled “Continue allowing staff at Health First to wear personal colorful scrubs” had drawn 1,366 verified signatures as of this week. Its organizers argue that colorful scrubs improve the patient experience, lift employee morale, and make care feel less clinical, particularly for children and seriously ill patients. Supporters also point to the expense of replacing scrub sets that staff purchased on their own.

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