In an ongoing effort to improve patient safety, MountainView Hospital
today announced it is the first hospital in Nevada to use Xenex
Healthcare Services' innovative germ-zapping
room disinfection technology to keep patients even safer from infections.
"We're dedicated to a culture of safety for our patients," said Will
Wagnon, Chief Executive Officer at MountainView Hospital. "We are
continuously striving to eliminate the transmission of infections by
adhering to best practices, increasing surveillance - and now by using
the advanced technology of UV room disinfection."
Xenex's portable room
disinfection device pulses blue ultraviolet light throughout
MountainView's isolation rooms, Intensive Care Units (ICUs), and
Emergency Department (ED) to quickly destroy viruses, bacteria and
bacterial spores - typically in about 5-10 minutes per room. Uniquely
designed for ease of use and portability, MountainView is using the
Xenex device in rooms after they have been thoroughly cleaned by
housekeeping staff.
"We're always looking for innovative ways to provide even better, safer
care for our community," remarked Jan Olivas, Patient Safety Officer at
MountainView Hospital. "We are committed to providing the best possible
care for every patient — and that means making sure they don't acquire
an infection while in the hospital."
MountainView Hospital is a customer of Sodexo
Inc., a world leader in healthcare environmental services management
which delivers infection control best practices to patients. Sodexo
selected Xenex as its preferred partner for disinfection of Sodexo
client facilities in 2011.
"Our housekeepers currently follow Center for Disease Control and state
DOH protocol when cleaning patient rooms and they do a good job," said
Eileen Kennedy, Sodexo Director of Environmental Services at
MountainView Hospital. "Xenex will support those efforts by providing
our patients with an extra measure of disinfection," she added.
Xenex systems are currently in use by hospitals throughout the U.S. and
have proven to be effective against a variety
of the most dangerous superbugs, including Clostridium difficile
endospores (C. diff), MRSA, VRE and Acinetobacter. Studies
show the Xenex room disinfection system is consistently 20 times more
effective than standard chemical cleaning practices.