PORT JEFFERSON, NY ― Mather Hospital became the latest Northwell Health facility to deploy PurpleSun ultraviolet-light technology to destroy harmful pathogens and reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections. The state-of-the-art PurpleSun devices, which traditionally had been more often used in operating rooms, will add an additional layer of safety to the hospital’s disinfection efforts during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Ultraviolet light technology will not replace manual cleaning and disinfection with chemicals, but it has a place in healthcare settings. This technology can optimize environmental cleanliness, resulting in decreased pathogens that could potentially cause infection,” said Donna Armellino, RN, DNP, vice president of infection prevention at Northwell Health. Armellino also noted that the PurpleSun technology provides enhanced disinfection of surfaces and equipment in the hospital and “has increased our confidence that the environment will not contribute to the development of an infection in patients, visitors, and healthcare workers.”
A study published in 2018 in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) showed that PurpleSun’s patented, wavelength delivery system eliminated up to 97.7 percent of pathogens in a live OR setting.
“Mather Hospital’s Environmental Services team deploys this technology as part of its overall COVID-19 and hospital-acquired infection disinfectant protocol. It is utilized daily and will continue to be used post COVID-19 for other organisms and spores,” said Frank Christiano, Mather’s Director of Environmental Services.
Mather has been using another UV light disinfection system since November 2018 known as Tru-D to destroy spores, bacteria and fungus and to help fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Tru-D can disinfect an entire room up to 15 feet by 20 feet, including a bathroom within a patient room, from one position. The hospital has two Tru-D units.
Northwell Health’s for-profit subsidiary, Northwell Holdings and Ventures, invested in PurpleSun to continue to advance the technology and expand the application to other patient care areas.
The system’s focused multi-vector ultraviolet technology surrounds equipment on all sides and disinfects in 90-second exposure intervals as one of several methods to make advancements in combatting hospital acquired infections.
“Originally, Northwell Ventures invested in PurpleSun as one of several methods to make advancements in combatting hospital-acquired infections,” explained Eric Feinstein, associate vice president of Northwell Ventures. “Now more than ever in the current COVID-19 environment, we are seeing additional stresses placed on our clinical and environmental service staff and Northwell is finding creative and progressive ways with our existing technologies, providing reassurance for patients that the care environment is continuously being disinfected with cutting-edge technology, as well as protecting the people providing that patient care.”
Northwell facilities at Staten Island University Hospital, Northern Westchester Hospital and Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens are also using PurpleSun to help disinfect the medical floors that were dedicated to treating coronavirus patients.
Northwell treated more COVID-19 patients than any other health system in the nation between March and June, including about 17,000 hospitalized patients Accounting for those seen in the health system’s emergency departments, urgent care centers, physician practices and virtually, Northwell provided care to more than 55,000 COVID-19 patients overall. The health system currently has about 100 hospitalized patients.
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About Mather Hospital
Mather Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high-quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion and respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather has received 15 “A” ratings for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group. No other hospital in New York State has received more top ratings. For further information about Mather Hospital, visit www.matherhospital.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/matherhospital.
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, nearly 800 outpatient facilities and more than 14,200 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 72,000 employees – 17,000-plus nurses and 4,500 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.