Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in West Michigan is the first health care center to purchase two Xenex UV light disinfection systems which have been clinically proven to fight some of the most lethal pathogens, such as influenza, Clostridium difficile (C. diff), notorious, and staph bacteria like MRSA.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 75,000 hospital patients with health care-associated infections (HAIs) died during their hospital stay in 2011.

Certain pathogens, like C. diff, can survive up to five months on hard surfaces.

The ultraviolet light (UV-C) used on the xenon machines is 25,000 times more powerful than sunlight, which effectively destroys dangerous bacteria, viruses and fungi. The UV-C light works by breaking up the DNA of such pathogens, causing them to explode and disintegrate.

Kent Miller, Director of Environmental Services, is encouraged by Mercy Health Saint Mary’s commitment to eliminating HAIs with the use of Xenex robots, giving them the ability to disinfect surfaces that wasn’t previously possible.

“The automated Xenex room disinfection system has been credited for helping other health care facilities in the U.S. decrease their MRSA and C. diff infection rates by more than 50 percent, according to studies. The investment in these robots is another step Mercy Health is taking to reduce the number of serious and even life-threatening infections,” said Miller in a statement.

Hospital rooms are disinfected after a standard discharge by wheeling a Xenex robot into the room, positioning it beside the bed, going through an automated sequence, then exiting the room.