Technology is first room disinfection system proven to deactivate COVID-19 virus
As hospitals around the world look for new and innovative ways to battle bacteria and viruses that can cause Healthcare Associated Infections, Camden Clark has again committed to improving patient care and employee safety with the addition of two Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robots. The robots were made possible via generous donations from area businesses and community members, including a substantial gift from Parkersburg, WV-based Tri State Roofing & Sheet Metal Company.
These state-of-the-art UV light machines are the first room disinfection system proven to deactivate the SARS Co-V-2 (COVID-19) virus. The fleet of three Germ-Zapping Robots are part of Camden Clark’s Environmental Services Team and are designed to enhance the facility’s already thorough processes for cleaning rooms and killing germs that cause infections. The portable Xenex system disinfects a typical patient or procedure room in four minute cycles without warm-up or cool-down times and is effective against even the most dangerous pathogens, including Clostridium difficile (C. diff), norovirus, influenza, Ebola and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA.
“We are focused on and committed to patient care and safety, which is why we are proud to acquire additional germ zapping robots and to expand the use of this innovative technology,” said Steve Altmiller, President and CEO of WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. “Because of the generous corporate and community donations and our Camden Clark Foundation, we are able to deploy two new Xenex machines, giving us a total of three, with two additional units on order to help us disinfect and clean our hospital and keep patients and our team members safe.”
Tri State Roofing and Sheet Metal made a $50,000 donation to this effort, which along with Foundation matching funds paid for one machine alone. The hospital also received generous donations from organizations including Parkersburg Cardiology Associates, WesBanco, The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, and many other businesses and community members to support the purchase of a second machine.
The Xenex robot uses intense bursts of germicidal UV light to quickly disinfect rooms without chemical residue or toxic fumes. UV light has been used for disinfection for decades, but here is the difference—LightStrike uses pulsed xenon and not mercury bulbs (mercury is toxic) to create UV light. The germicidal UV light is more intense than sunlight and destroys microorganisms on surfaces without damaging hospital equipment or materials. The robot’s light is so intense that it even works in shadowed areas. It can be used in any department and in any unit within the hospital, including isolation rooms, operating rooms, general patient care rooms, contact precaution areas, emergency rooms, bathrooms and public spaces.
Using the LightStrike robot is quick and easy. First, the room has to be cleaned and all visible dirt/fluids removed, trash emptied, linens removed – a normal cleaning. Then once the room is visually clean, the robot comes in and destroys anything left behind – it deactivates all the deadly pathogens the naked eye cannot see.
Since its commercial launch in June 2010, Xenex robots are now included in the infection prevention strategies at more than 650 hospitals, Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) facilities, long-term acute care facilities, Skilled Nursing Facilities and Ambulatory Surgery Centers in the U.S. and around the world.
About WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center:
Camden Clark Medical Center is a 302 licensed-bed, not-for-profit, acute care facility that serves the mid-Ohio Valley; an 11-county, 250,000 resident region of West Virginia and Southeastern Ohio. CCMC provides a broad range of services, offering the latest in medical technology and a highly trained staff. As the community's hospital for more than a century, CCMC plays a leading role as the region's primary source for advanced healthcare, wellness programs and has earned accreditation from The Joint Commission. For more information, see www.camdenclark.org.