Researchers recently have discovered that copper alloys destroy MRSA, norovirus and other pathogens, according to an article on the Modern Healthcare website.
The alloys damage bacterial DNA and respiration, leading to cell breakdown, and inactivate certain viruses, often within hours, the article said.
Grinnell (Iowa) Regional Medical Center recently outfitted six of the 13 single rooms and three of the five double rooms in its medical-surgical suite with bed rails, toilet flush levers, grab bars, soap dispenser push plates, light switches, IV poles and other high touch surfaces made of copper alloy.
After terminal cleaning, 88 percent of the bacterial samples from rooms outfitted with copper fell below recommended concentration levels.
Grounding Healthcare Spaces in Hospitality Principles
UC Davis Health Selects Rudolph and Sletten for Central Utility Plant Expansion
Cape Cod Healthcare Opens Upper 2 Floors of Edwin Barbey Patient Care Pavilion
Building Sustainable Healthcare for an Aging Population
Froedtert ThedaCare Announces Opening of ThedaCare Medical Center-Oshkosh