Meritech to Host "Become a Handwashing Superhero" Webinar for Early Childhood & K-12 Educators

DENVER, Sep. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To protect the health and safety of teachers, staff, students, and families as schools reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic, Meritech today announced it will host "Become a Handwashing Superhero" a free, live, half-hour webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 10 a.m. MST.

While the COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness of the importance of hand hygiene among the general public, schools and childcare centers have long been adversely affected by illness. Every year the flu epidemic and other acute respiratory illnesses (ARI's) cause students and teachers to miss class and require parents to stay home from work. Effective handwashing is the best defense against the spread of disease, including COVID-19 and other ARI's. As experts on hand hygiene, Meritech will be hosting a webinar to provide educators with the knowledge and tools necessary to make handwashing fun, easy, and effective, both in their classroom and beyond.

"So while [handwashing has] always been important, without it being a focus we've seen things like the flu epidemic and other health threats wreak havoc on our K-12 institutions every year," said Robert Kania on a recent episode of The Wash Podcast. The impact of cold and flu season on students and teachers is no small challenge. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, school children have at least 6 to 8 colds a year, and children who attend daycare will have more.

Armed with the resources and guidance from this webinar, educators can become a hygiene superhero within their community. But what exactly is a hygiene superhero? Meritech defines this as someone who is knowledgeable on all things hand hygiene, leads by example, encourages those around them to practice effective hygiene, and educates their students and peers on proper handwashing practices.

The webinar will be presented by Meritech's education hygiene expert, Patrick Burke. Burke is a father of two young children and is incredibly passionate about helping schools and early childhood education centers demonstrate their commitment to safety and create a healthier and safer space for children to learn and grow. Prior to joining Meritech, he owned and managed MBS CrossFit, one of the most successful and well-known CrossFit gyms in Denver, Colorado for over a decade. He is familiar with the challenges business owners and managers face when balancing the goals of the organization, the needs of clients and staff, and external environmental factors.

"Working with educators, I have found that time, energy, and resources tend to be the biggest determinants in underutilizing handwashing as a defense against spreading illness. I am excited to bridge that gap with this webinar," said Patrick Burke.

To register for the "Become a Handashing Superhero" webinar, visit www.meritech.com/webinars . This webinar comes in addition to a library of educational resources Meritech has already provided to serve educators, including informational articles, podcasts, hand hygiene guides, posters, videos, and more. Interested parties may visit www.meritech.com/education to learn more.

About Meritech

As the leader in automated hygiene technology, Meritech's mission is to create a healthier and safer world by redefining human hygiene. Meritech's innovative automated hygiene technology and solutions have been developed and refined over decades by an experienced team of sanitation, food safety, and healthcare experts. Meritech's proprietary line of CleanTech® Automated Handwashing Stations that are clinically proven to remove more than 99.9% of harmful pathogens, increase handwashing frequency, integrate seamlessly into facilities, exceed regulatory food safety and sanitation requirements, and make hand hygiene fun and easy while remaining more effective than a manual hand wash.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Taylor
Director of Marketing & Design
Meritech
303.790.4670 X113
[email protected]

SOURCE Meritech