Collingwood General and Marine Hospital may be small, but the people who work at the facility haven't let that stop them from tackling a problem of global proportions – preventing hospital-acquired infections.
"A good example would be C-Difficile, Clostridium Difficile infection, which is an infection that lives particularly in the elderly. Those whose immune systems are compromised, it can really do a lot of damage in many people," said Dr. Michael Lisi.
Stopping the spread of dangerous bacteria and viruses is vital, so the hospital is incorporating state of the art technology to help sanitize patient rooms.
Handrails, door handles, and even walls have had special antimicrobial coatings while an automated UVC lighting system kills germs from above. Even the washrooms have sterilization systems.
"Ozonated hand wash sinks, and UV lights in the bathroom with the copper-infused toilet seats that protects the patient and kills bacteria in the bathroom," explained John Widdis, Plant Operations and Maintenance.
With financial support from the community, the hospital is equipping five patient rooms with the new equipment. Data will be collected to show its effectiveness.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing the data from implementing these additional measures," Dr. Lisi said.
The plan is to collect enough data to prove the effectiveness of the combination of technologies scientifically.
Officials hope the Collingwood hospital can be an example for others trying to control the spread of dangerous infections.
