Dunedin, FL — SecureAire Technologies launched Nov. 9 the AireWellness program to certify buildings that meet the highest standards for indoor air quality (IAQ). The first recipient of the AireWellness certification is St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Queens, NY, which reduced hospital acquired infections by 45% following the installation of advanced air purification technology.
The launch of the AireWellness program comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a renewed national focus on airborne disease transmission and IAQ. Americans, on average, spend approximately 90% of their time indoors where viruses and bacteria spread more easily, and some pollutants are two to five times more concentrated than outdoors. Last month, Amazon Chief Medical Officer Dr. Vin Gupta called air quality the biggest workplace health challenge of the 21st century.
The program will award certification to any hospital, school, gym, health club, restaurant, commercial office building or other facility that has installed SecureAire advanced air purification technology and documented a significant reduction in ultrafine particulate matter and a significant reduction in fine particulate matter within a ventilated space. These particles are the most dangerous to human health and include viruses, bacteria, fungi, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Buildings that meet or exceed these standards will be awarded a certificate and window decal to display for employees, customers, patients, students and visitors, providing a visual indication that a building has advanced and proven technology working behind the scenes to combat invisible airborne pathogens. In doing so, the program aims to arm individuals with the information they need to make informed decisions about where they live, work and play.
“As we continue to fight the spread of COVID-19, and we approach flu season, it is more important than ever that staff, customers, students, and patients know that the air they are breathing indoors is safe from harmful particles,” said Frank Stamatatos, president of SecureAire Technologies. “For the first time, we’re bringing visibility to an invisible problem — air quality is something we can’t see, but which has a critical impact on our health. The AireWellness program will finally give individuals the information they need to make smart decisions about where they spend time indoors.”
The certification of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Queens, NY was the result of a three-year study published last month in The Journal of Hospital Infection. The study was conducted over 30 months with over 100,000 patient-days. Following the implementation of SecureAire advanced air purification technology, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) at St. Mary’s went from an average of 11.9/1,000 patient-days to an average of 6.6/1,000 patient-days — a 45% reduction. Wound infections were found to fall by 63% and tracheal infections by 89%.
Facilities can apply for AireWellness Certification on SecureAire’s website. Once AireWellness certification is granted, the facility will receive a letter, certificate, and window decal.
