York General to use Ultraviolet light robot to sanitize N95 masks during COVID 19 pandemic

April 6th, 2020 | Amanda Mendoza

One of the best ways to protect a healthcare worker from COVID 19 is to ensure they have personal protective equipment (PPE) available to them. With the recent COVID 19 Pandemic, many healthcare facilities are facing shortages of PPE.  One of the PPE necessities is the use of an N95 mask when a healthcare worker is caring for a patient or resident with COVID 19.  York General has taken appropriate steps to equip their staff and medical staff with N-95’s, but due to the demand, it is necessary for York General to maximize technology to help conserve and stretch the supply of their N95 face masks.

Recently Nebraska Medicine (Omaha) developed a safe and effective method to disinfect the N-95 masks so that the mask can be worn additional times beyond normal usage.  The procedure involves using an ultraviolet light “robot” to disinfect the N95 masks.  The strategy allows the opportunity to greatly extend the supply during the coronavirus pandemic.

“York General has taken several steps to prepare to care for our community and region during this pandemic, one very important step is to keep our healthcare workers safe and healthy during this time,” stated Jenny Obermier (COO/CNO). “N-95 masks are worn by staff as a layer of protection against viruses, such as COVID 19.  In a ‘normal’ time, we would not wear the masks more than for one patient or resident encounter. With the purchase of the UV light, we can use the light to kill pathogens, and re-use each N-95 mask up to 5 times.  York General has been evaluating the purchase of the UV light disinfector for the past several years, and we feel now is the time to purchase the technology to help us. We want an approved method to extend the use of the N95 masks that are in short supply across the world, so we can protect our staff, patients/residents, York and surrounding communities. York General is adopting the Nebraska Medicine protocol as a safe way for us to extend the useful life of each mask. We will be putting this protocol in place by early next week.”

Jim Ulrich, York General CEO, added, “The shortage of PPE is a nationwide issue – each and every one of these masks are increasingly important. We do not know exactly how much PPE will be required once the pandemic hits Nebraska full force.  We wanted to find a way to keep our health care workers and our patients and residents safe, and this robot will help us achieve the goal of providing safe gear for our front-line workers.”

Photo Courtesy York General Hospital- Ultraviolet light robot used to sanitize N95 Masks

How does the decontamination process work?  According to Tamara Wiens, RN/Infection Control Director at York General, “The masks are safely bagged and transported to a specifically prepared room in the hospital.  The bags are hung on wires that stretch the length of the room.  They are decontaminated for a specific amount of time when the ultraviolet lights are powered on.  The bags containing the masks are then removed and returned to the original owners for reuse.”

Wiens continued, “When the supply of N95s is restored across our country and we no longer need to disinfect masks, this robot will be repurposed to kill germs in patient rooms, surgery rooms, and specific departments.  Germs can sometimes survive the manual cleaning process . . . this robot is something that we can add to our deep cleaning routine that can make an extra difference on infection rates.”

Chuck Harris, Board President, stated, “This robot will cost approximately $71,000.  It is an unbudgeted expense — however the York General Board feels this is something we need to immediately address.  We ask for your help. We ask you as our community partner or as a concerned member of the public to consider donating to the York General Foundation, and designate your contribution toward the purchase of this potentially life-saving robot.  Your charitable support is critical at this time.”

Ulrich concluded, “We are serious about providing the best patient care possible during this uncertain time, and this robot and the fact that it can disinfect PPE serves as added protection for our team members.   We need healthcare workers to take care of our community, and the communities in our region.  The idea of protecting neighbors and friends is important . . . the news from the coasts regarding this pandemic is really disturbing; anything that we can add to our defenses to protect and save lives on a local level is critical.”

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