Overlook Medical Center’s commitment to patient safety and innovation extends to every facet of care, and that includes infection prevention. “The No. 1 goal in our department is to protect everyone – patients, visitors and staff,” says Gerry Durney, director of operations for Overlook Medical Center and Atlantic Health System. “Our patients are here to heal. We take that seriously.”
Every effort is made to clean and disinfect in a manner that is thorough, safe and, whenever possible, environmentally friendly. One example of this is the hospital’s use of ec-H2O. With ec- H2O, ordinary water is converted electrically into a cleaning solution that cleans effectively, saves money, improves safety and reduces environmental impact, compared to standard floor chemicals and methods.
“There is a difference between disinfecting and cleaning,” Durney explains. “Cleaning removes soil, and ec-H2O does this. Disinfecting removes germs, but we have to clean before we can disinfect. If you don’t remove soil, you can’t remove germs and bacteria.”
Scrubbing with ec-H2O effectively removes soil, and leaves no chemical residue. Additionally, ec-H2O has been shown to significantly improve floor traction, which can reduce slip-and-fall accidents. Moreover, scrubbers equipped with ec-H2O technology can scrub up to three times longer with a single tank of water and use up to 70 percent less water than conventional floor scrubbing methods.
“There is science behind ec-H2O,” says Durney. “We are always looking for new technologies to make the environment safer for our patients.”