Dignity Health Central Coast Expands Partnership with Applied Silver
Dignity Health and Applied Silver, the maker of SilvaClean, today announced the expansion of a partnership that will see three Central Coast healthcare facilities utilize the proprietary textile protection system to enhance the hospital stay experience.
SilvaClean, an innovation driving a new standard of care for textile cleanliness, is a patented, water-based ionic silver treatment conceived on the Central Coast and developed and commercialized by Applied Silver, Inc. based in Silicon Valley. The technology will provide the highest level of protection to laundered linens for patients and healthcare workers at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, French Hospital Medical Center, and Marian Regional Medical Center with plans to further expand the service to other Dignity facilities.
“This partnership is a testament of Dignity Health Central Coast’s commitment to the highest level of safe, quality health care services that our employees and physicians provide each and every day,” says Charles J. Cova, Senior Vice President of Operations, Dignity Health. “We have made and continue to make a significant commitment to education and training, and we continue to invest in state-of-the-art technologies that enable our staff and physicians to provide the highest quality of care available.”
SilvaClean works on a wide range of fabric items by imparting lasting antimicrobial properties to the items each time they are laundered, protecting them in transport, storage and use from bacteria and fungi. These fabric items include multiple key patient and healthcare worker touch points such as patient bedding, gowns, bath towels, worker scrubs and privacy curtains.
“SilvaClean is a new standard for enhancing environmental cleanliness through textiles. The technology is capable of reducing 99.9 % of odor- and stain-causing bacteria, helping Dignity Health meet ever stricter administrative targets and the quality expectations of the communities they serve,” said Dr. J. Trees Ritter, a Medical Director of the Infection Control Programs for five California Central Coast Hospitals and Chairman of the Clinical Affairs Committee of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Published national research shows that one-third of the textiles in U.S. hospitals studied showed meaningful amounts of the superbug MRSA. Contracting MRSA can increase a patient's chance of acquiring a staph infection within the following 12 months.[1] Treating hospital textiles with silver ions (used in SilvaClean) immediately following the washing process results in a significant decrease in microbial contamination, both before and after patient use.[2]
"No previous textile management solution provides the level of cleanliness that SilvaClean delivers to existing textile inventories," said Sean Morham, CEO of Applied Silver. "We are proud to offer our Central Coast communities this Cal Poly inspired breakthrough technology that is eco-friendly and provides an exceptional bedside experience."
[1] Donskey, C. (2016), May. Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare settings. Joint session at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Conference, Atlanta, GA.
[2] Openshaw, J. J., Morris, W. M., Lowry, G. V., & Nazmi, A. (2016). Reduction in bacterial contamination of hospital textiles by a novel silver-based laundry treatment. American Journal of Infection Control. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.06.021
About Applied Silver, Inc.
Incorporated in 2012, Applied Silver is harnessing the power of silver to develop commercial applications for a cleaner world. Applied Silver pioneered SilvaClean® – an EPA-approved, patented water-based ionic silver treatment that inhibits the growth of odor and stain-causing bacteria on textiles by imparting lasting antimicrobial properties to the items each time they are laundered.
About Dignity Health Central Coast
Dignity Health Central Coast is comprised of five hospitals, all recognized for their quality of care, safety and service, primary care offices, premier ambulatory surgery centers, technologically advanced imaging centers, outpatient services, and comprehensive home health services. Hospitals in the Dignity Health Central Coast region include Arroyo Grande Community Hospital in Arroyo Grande, French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo, and St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. Each hospital is supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to provide additional funding to support new programs and services, as well as to advance the community’s access to health care.
Publish date:
Wednesday, September 07, 2016