Germ fighting towers help keep patients safe

Mon General Hospital has added a new weapon to its germ fighting arsenal – the Surfacide Helios Ultraviolet Light Disinfection System.

The Surfacide Helios consists of three light towers that work in unison, using ultraviolet energy (UV-C) to kill germs. The towers are being used in isolation rooms after a patient has been discharged and during the cleaning of operating rooms.

“This is a second line of defense,” said Jesse Broadwater, Mon General Hospital Director of Environmental Services. “It doesn’t take the place of physical cleaning. We still do our normal cleaning, using bleach from top to bottom."

After a room has been manually cleaned, the Surfacide Helios UV-C disinfection system is strategically positioned in the room. In less than 30 minutes, the three towers can destroy infection-causing organisms, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), C-diff (Clostridium difficile), bacteria, viruses and spores.

No one can be in the room while the system is working. The system generates an intense bright light. Warning signs are placed outside the door of a room being cleaned and sensors will shut off the towers if someone inadvertently enters the room.

The system is controlled by a tablet computer. Once activated, the towers map the room with a laser and calculate disinfection time. Once disinfection is complete, patients can be immediately admitted to the room.

“Mon General has one of the lowest infection rates in West Virginia and in the nation,” Broadwater said. “With the Surfacide Helios Ultraviolet Light Disinfection System, we want to stay on top of that and improve if we can.”

Mon General has two sets of three Surfacide light towers.