As part of its ongoing commitment to patient safety, Newton Medical Center (NMC) has partnered with Clorox Healthcare to bring advanced, ultraviolet (UV) light technology to the hospital’s existing patient safety and infection-fighting protocols. Four Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV® Systems now complement NMC’s comprehensive infection control plan, which combines manual surface disinfection with pathogen-killing UV technology.
The disinfecting systems use state-of-the-art ultraviolet (UV-C) light technology to eliminate dangerous pathogens, such as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), which can survive on surfaces in the healthcare environment for extended periods and pose a threat to patients, staff and visitors. Following standard cleaning and disinfecting procedures, the mobile UV-C unit is brought in to provide another layer of protection and ensure that even the hardest-to-reach areas are thoroughly disinfected. The system works by emitting UV-C light, the highest-energy form of ultraviolet light, in a full 360 degree radius, killing microorganisms by inactivating their DNA, which renders them harmless and unable to replicate nor infect.
“Our motto at Newton Medical Center is to protect and defend – this includes patients’ health, safety and happiness,” said John Spielman, environmental services manager at Newton Medical Center. “The addition of the Optimum-UV® devices provides an extra layer of protection against healthcare-associated infections and ensures that we are providing the safest environment possible for our patients.”
After standard manual cleaning and disinfecting procedures, the lightweight device can disinfect areas within an 8-foot radius in just five minutes. NMC uses the UV systems to clean operating rooms, patient and isolation rooms, critical care unit (CCU) rooms and the catheterization laboratory. They even utilize the systems to clean emergency rooms and areas of the imaging department during high-risk periods such as flu season. In a typical patient room, the device is placed on both sides of the patient bed and turned on for five minutes in each position. It’s also placed in the patient bathroom for another five-minute cycle. A similar process is followed for the CCU. The systems also track device usage across rooms and locations throughout the hospital.
“We find the Clorox Healthcare® Optimum-UV® Systems to be an effective and easy-to-use solution,” added Spielman. “We originally implemented two UV systems, but almost immediately, teams throughout the hospital wanted to use them. The demand grew so high that we chose to invest in two more, totaling to four devices.”
