Covenant Health Deploys Powerful Superbug-Slaying Robot for Room Disinfection

LUBBOCK, Texas, Oct. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Covenant Health has added TRU-D SmartUVC(TM), a 5-foot-5 germ-killing UV disinfection robot made by Lumalier, to its arsenal of preventive practices aimed at protecting patients from serious health care-associated infections. 

According to a recent study by JAMA Internal Medicine, infections acquired during the course of medical treatment cost $9.8 billion annually, and individual cases of surgical site infections added an average of $20,785 to a patient's medical bills. Covenant Health is adding extra steps to keep its patients safe by utilizing TRU-D's powerful germ-killing UV light in patient room disinfection routines.

TRU-D works by generating UV germicidal light energy that modifies the DNA structure of an infectious cell.  It is the only portable UV disinfection system with Sensor360^™ technology, which automatically calculates the time needed to react to room variables – such as size, geometry, surface reflectivity and the amount and location of equipment in the room – and effectively delivers a lethal dose from a single, central location in the room.

"Covenant Health deployed TRU-D last month and it has already been used more than 100 times," said Brian Harnish, environmental services director for ARAMARK Healthcare. "Patients can rest assured that they're being treated in a clean, superbug-free room." 

TRU-D allows hospitals to confidently clean and disinfect their patient environments, killing pathogens such as Clostridium difficile (C. diff.), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Studies have shown that traditional disinfection methods are only 50 percent effective, leaving pathogens behind to lurk. TRU-D eliminates the possibility of human error and makes the hospital safer for patients and employees.

"With rising issues around health care-associated infections, hospitals that provide an extra level of care for patients by disinfecting rooms with TRU-D are not only protecting patients' well-being, but are also ensuring that patients aren't being held financially responsible for things like preventable HAIs," said Chuck Dunn, president of TRU-D LLC. "TRU-D can achieve 99.99 percent disinfection of all viruses and bacteria. It takes the guesswork out of previous protocols and ensures confidence in clinicians and patients alike."

After a hospital staff member cleans the room using traditional methods, TRU-D is rolled into the room to "finish the job." TRU-D set-up is quick and easy and does not require input of room measurements or covering of windows and vents. The system can disinfect an entire room – including shadowed spaces – from one location, eliminating the need to move it to multiple places in the room. Its patented Sensor360 technology analyzes the unique variables of the room and floods the space (both line-of-site and shadowed spaces) with the proper dose of UV light energy. TRU-D spends whatever time is necessary to confidently eliminate infectious germs from contaminated surfaces before shutting down and audibly notifying the operator that disinfection is complete.

TRU-D SmartUVC is the device of choice for nearly all existing independent research on UV disinfection technology, including an ongoing $2 million study funded by the Centers for Disease Control's Epicenter Program study at Duke University and the University of North Carolina. More than 100 TRU-Ds have been deployed to disinfect hospitals across the U.S., Canada and Europe, including the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas.

For information and links to independent studies on TRU-D, visit www.TRU-D.com.

About Covenant Health 
Covenant Health is the largest health care institution in the region with 1,077 licensed beds, more than 5,000 employees and a medical staff of more than 600 physicians at its cornerstone facilities. Covenant is a member of St. Joseph Health System in Orange County and serves a 62-county area spanning West Texas and eastern New Mexico, with a population in excess of 1.2 million. Learn more about Covenant Health at www.covenanthealth.org.

For more information, contact: 
Lauren Hannaford 
Obsidian Public Relations 
Phone: 901- 572-1042 
Email 

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