Genesis’s Germ Zapping Robot

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Genesis HealthCare System now even cleaner and safer for patients.

Genesis kicked off International Infection Prevention Week with their new Xenex Full Spectrum Germ-Zapping Robot. The Xenex Robot pulses an Xenex U.V.C. light to damage the walls of the cells so the germs can no longer multiply. Chief Medical Affairs Officer, Doctor Daniel Scheerer, says that the hospital was looking for ways to help prevent infections and keep the patients healthy.

“I think it was actually our environmental services staff actually brought this robot to our attention and once we did the research and contacted the company, started reviewing some of the literature that’s out there,” said Scheerer. “You know we became very excited about the potential.”

According to Dr. Scheerer, the Xenex robot is effective against Clostridium difficile (C. diff.), Norovirus, Influenza, Ebola, and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (M.R.S.A).

“It’s going to take us six to 12 months to see if it’s really made a difference, I’m convinced it will,” said Scheerer. “I mean all the data suggest and the other institutions that started using this disinfection robot, that they have decreased their surgical sight infections, they decreased their C. diff infections, [and] they’ve decreased their hospital-acquired infections.”

The operator will place the Xenex robot in a patient free room start the robot and leave while they finish other work. After the time the operator has set for the cleaning is over the robot will shut off. The robot has caution sign for outside the door and attached to the robot is a heat-motion sensor that will turn the U.V.C. lights off immediately once someone enters the room. The U.V.C. light isn’t harmful to people an immediate shut down is for safety precautions only.