Recent Trial of Self-Cleaning Mats Showed Significant Reduction in Surface Contamination at VA Pittsburgh Community Living Center

SAVANNAH, Ga., March 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AIONX, Red One Medical, and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Innovation Ecosystem (IE) collaborated to introduce AIONX's cleanSURFACES® self-cleaning mats to VA Pittsburgh's Community Living Center (CLC) in O'Hara Township for trial use in 2021. The innovative mats were developed in partnership with the Department of Defense using CARES Act funds for emergency response to the COVID pandemic. At the end of a 30-day trial, samples showed that all but one of the most common pathogens that cause infections in healthcare environments were gone.

AIONX's cleanSURFACES® keep high-touch surfaces continuously clean—even between standard cleanings. Contaminated healthcare settings are a major contributor to healthcare associated infections (HAIs). Current cleaning protocols are mainly episodic and prone to human error. Surfaces quickly re-contaminate. The mats use low level electricity to ionize embedded silver and copper to quickly and continually destroy bacteria, fungi and viruses.

As part of the trial at the H. John Heinz III VA Medical Center, users tested 32 mats on high-touch surfaces in a long-term care unit for over 30 days. Initial samples of surfaces (e.g., desks, keyboards, mobile workstations, supply carts) were taken a few hours after standard disinfecting protocols and before the mats were introduced. Pre-intervention samples found 18 different pathogens that cause the most HAIs. After 30 days of using the mats, 17 out of 18 pathogen types were no longer detected.

Furthermore, sampling revealed a "snowball effect" – not only were the mats cleaner, but other high touch surfaces not covered by the mats (e.g., keyboards, phones, ID badges) were no longer cross-contaminated and indicated a similar reduction in germs. Based on the success of this pilot, VHA IE is now working with VA Pittsburgh to further disseminate and scale this type of technology across VHA, America's largest integrated health care system, serving 9 million veterans each year.

The mats also serve another purpose. They may help improve workplace morale and safety for employees. Like many organizations in the COVID era, the Department of Veterans Affairs faces staffing challenges and a high employee turnover rate.

"It instills confidence that the agency is looking out for the employee when we can create an environment that shows the efficacy of the products we're trying to bring in, not just for the patients, but also for our employees," said Jamie Vaughn, associate chief nurse at VA Pittsburgh's CLC, in a recent VA blog post.

"We are proud of the trial's outcome and what it demonstrates about our products," said Gary J. Shope, CEO of AIONX. "We are equally proud to provide the leadership at VA Pittsburgh with an ongoing tool to show its commitment to both patients and employees, particularly during these challenging times."

"As part of our mission to bring innovative and meaningful products to the VA, we're pleased to offer this self-cleaning technology, which provides a high level of broad spectrum protection for veterans and VA staff," said Red One Medical's CEO and Founder Charles Pollak.

About Red One Medical
Red One Medical identifies and delivers advanced medical and pharmaceutical technologies that transform care for America's veterans and military service members. Located in Savannah, GA, Red One Medical is a CVE-certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). It donates a portion of profits to charities that support veterans, military families and their communities.

About AIONX
AIONX Antimicrobial Technologies is a biotechnology company that has developed a best-in-class continuous cleaning technology primarily for use in healthcare facilities. Based in Hershey, PA, the company is focused on using its technology to help address patient and staff concerns arising from the current pandemic.

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SOURCE Red One Medical