DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new device using advanced UVC light technology that eliminates pathogens from the soles of shoes now greets people as they enter and exit Ronald McDonald House (RMH) of Durham. The HealthySole PLUS unit, donated by Collier’s Medical Equipment and HealthySole, is the newest addition to a comprehensive infection prevention program at RMH to ensure patient and family health and safety.
When standing on the device, the soles of visitors’ shoes are scanned with ozone-free UVC light clinically proven to kill up to 99.99 percent of pathogens in just eight seconds. Health facilities nationwide are adopting the units as part of comprehensive overhauls in infection control programs based on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a meaningful gift for the guest families whose primary concern is their children’s health,” said Oie Osterkamp, Ronald McDonald House executive director. “With medical partners that provide bone-marrow transplants and other major treatments, we serve many children with compromised immune systems. It just makes so much sense for us.”
Culture of Health and Safety
While the pandemic currently limits visitors at Ronald McDonald House, the effort to ensure guest families and staff minimize any chance of infection transmission is ongoing.
“The device fits perfectly with the culture of the House,” said Katie Lowek, RMH director of operations. “Our kids were trendsetters, wearing masks long before the pandemic, and our families are hyper-vigilant. This fits exactly with our mission of keeping kids safe and healthy. Our families expect it.”
It was this mission that encouraged Carolinas-based Collier’s to donate the HealthySole unit. Collier President Brian Krass’s own daughter was a Ronald McDonald House volunteer.
“When we think about everything the families are going through, providing this extra level of protection means so much to them,” Krass said. “People intuitively understand their shoes aren’t clean, and this tool provides a solution. The opportunity to help families and staff as they come and go from the sanctuary of the Ronald McDonald House is deeply personal and important.”
Growing Understanding of Prevention
Studies have identified foot traffic as a way pathogens spread in healthcare and other facilities1, as well as homes. However, rapid decontamination of the shoe sole has been shown to decrease pathogens and may help minimize transmission of infectious disease.2
“Helping provide safer environments for staff and the families they serve is core to what we do,” said Nelson Patterson, CEO, HealthySole. “We are honored to support Ronald McDonald House in their dedicated work to keep kids healthy.”
About Ronald McDonald House of Durham & Wake
Built with love, the Ronald McDonald House of Durham & Wake (RMH) offers a comforting home away from home and a community of support for families with injured or seriously ill children who are receiving medical treatment in the Triangle. Ronald McDonald House programs in Durham and Raleigh provide families with the comforts of home, including private bedrooms, inviting community spaces, home-cooked meals and a stocked kitchen, a playroom, computer room and laundry facilities, as well as a network of support through interactions with other families, staff and volunteers. Hospital-based Ronald McDonald Families Rooms located inside of Duke and WakeMed Children’s Hospitals provide support for caregivers that is just steps from a child’s hospital bed. For more information, visit www.RMHDurhamWake.org, follow us @RMHDurhamWake on Twitter, or like us on Facebook.com/rmhdurhamwake. #keepingfamiliesclose
About Collier’s Medical Equipment
Collier’s is one of the Carolinas’ leading turnkey providers of high quality, technologically advanced medical equipment, training, and technical support to the acute healthcare and life sciences industries. It serves clients ranging from start-ups to nearly every major healthcare system in North and South Carolina. Learn more at colliersmedical.com.
About HealthySole
HealthySole provides the first published, third party clinically tested method of using UVC light to decontaminate shoes, a potent vector of germ transmission, including COVID-19, in health facilities and other commercial settings, as well as homes. Learn more at healthysole.com.
- Roberts, K., Smith, C.F., Snelling, A.M. et al. Aerial Dissemination of Clostridium difficilespores. BMC Infect Dis 8, 7 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-8-7
- Rashid T, et al., Evaluation of a shoe sole UVC device to reduce pathogen colonization on floors, surfaces and patients, Journal of Hospital Infection (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2017.10.011
