The Medical Center introduces a tool that uses UV-C light to clean

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. – Med Center Health is introducing Diversey’s MoonBeam3 short-wave ultraviolet light disinfection device in its rural hospitals.

Hospitals have been a place many people have avoided since the beginning of the pandemic.

But with many different and extensive cleaning protocols, people are feeling safer utilizing services of local health centers.

The Medical Center at Scottsville, Franklin, Caverna and Albany are now using UV-C lights to clean patient rooms, operating rooms, waiting rooms and restrooms in addition to normal cleaning protocols, according to the vice president of the Medical Center’s rural hospitals, Eric Hagan.

“They may be asymptomatic. They may not even know they came in contact with it. They may come to work, touch doorknobs, keypads, other things people may have come in contact with,” Hagan said.

This device will clean right behind people to make sure others don’t get the virus.

The device uses short-wavelength ultraviolet light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform cellular functions.

The light is effective for things like the flu, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and COVID-19, according to Greg Manley, the manager of facility operations at the Medical Center at Scottsville.

“We have been running about a 95% average on our cleaning of everything being cleaned properly. Now that we have been using this, we are at a 98%,” said Manley.

Because over-exposure to UV-C can be harmful to humans, no one is allowed in the room during disinfection and the device has a motion-sensor shutoff.

“It has an auto shut off. It has motion sensors so that if somebody were to walk into the room it would shut off. We obviously don’t use it in spaces where we have patients or visitors,” said Hagan.

The Medical Center at Bowling Green has used other similar robots that utilize UV-C to complement the cleaning of patient areas since 2018.