Pecos County Memorial Hospital (PCMH) is looking at improving the air quality inside of its facilities.
On average, we spend between 80% to 95% of our lives breathing in more than 2,000 gallons of indoor air every day, according to WellAir. Indoor air is up to five times more polluted than outside air because it can be packed with viruses, bacteria and allergens.
The hospital is considering implementing Infection Control/Clean Air Technology through WellAir/Novaerus in three priority areas: the Walk-In Clinic, the Emergency Room (ER) and the Main Entrance.
The anticipated cost for these devices is $124,322, according to PCMH CEO Betsy Briscoe, but the hospital is going to apply for a grant that could cover at least a portion of that amount.
What’s in the air?
Hospitals are a unique yet welcoming environment for the spread of infectious diseases. WellAir states that each year in the U.S., healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), excluding COVID-19, kill over 100,000 people annually.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO):
• Hundreds of millions of patients are affected by HAIs annually worldwide. One-third of operated patients in developing countries acquire a surgical site infection and 30% of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients in high-income countries will acquire at least one HAI.
• There are 20 times higher HAI rates for newborns in developing countries.
The science behind it
The WellAir Portable Recirculating Air Cleaning devices were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2021.
“It inactivates viruses and virus organisms,” said David Hampton, representative of WellAir. “As an example, Measles, Tuberculosis [and] SARS-CoV-2, the parent of COVID-19. … It doesn’t necessarily capture the particles and microorganisms; it actually inactivates it at the DNA level.”
Hampton added that a hospital could have one of the devices running in a closed room, with nobody in it, and it would completely reduce the contaminants in the air. However, if somebody enters the room, there would be a spike because the person is introducing contaminants in the room.
“The important thing to remember is when you want to leave this on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, those contaminants are either going to be higher or lower, depending upon the number of people that are introduced in a room or a certain area,” Hampton explained.
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Originally Appeared Here