Jackson Hospital | Partners | Summer 2020

Clearing the air Infection control at Jackson Hospital COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT What do HEPA air machines do? These machines, also known as air scrubbers, are used to clean the air and create positive or negative air pressure in medical facilities, factories, commercial buildings, job sites, confined spaces with mold, asbestos or lead, and many other places. The HEPA air machines at Jackson Hospital convert regular patient rooms into negative pressure rooms and increase air purification for staff working in compromised areas. They use negative pressure to control the air leaving an isolated patient room and filter clean air back into the hospital. This air filtration system is one of the many infection control techniques used throughout Jackson Hospital. What makes HEPA filters so effective? HEPA stands for “high efficiency particulate air” or “high efficiency particulate arrestance.” This acronym refers to a filter that is manufactured, tested, certified and labeled in accordance with current HEPA filter standards. There are several subclasses within the HEPA classification. The ultrafine, glass-fiber medium captures microscopic particles that can easily pass through other filters by a combination of diffusion, interception and inertial impaction. To meet the minimum requirements of a HEPA filter, the filter must be tested and certified to prove that it will remove at least 99.97% (9,997 out of 10,000) particles 0.3 microns in diameter from the air passing through the filter. Particles that size are about 300 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, which means the par- ticles are 25 to 50 times smaller than any we can see. To a HEPA filter, catching a one-micron particle is the equivalent of stopping a cotton ball with a door screen. Ashley Goff, a nurse in the intensive care unit, has played an important role in the fight against COVID-19 at Jackson Hospital. Goff began noticing the increase in COVID-19 patients in the state of Alabama and recognized the need for ad- ditional air purification options at the hospital. She discussed air quality options with her father, Mike Goff, who works for a local construction company, The Clement Group, LLC. With the help of her father and his boss, Mr. Craig Clement, The Clement Group was able to provide 21 nega- tive pressure air machines, each with a HEPA filter, to Jackson Hospital. Goff and her father personally sanitized all machines and got them ready for transport. Her forethought and clinical knowl- edge helped us quickly and efficiently adapt our hospital for infectious patients, while ensuring the safety and health of other patients and staff alike. How do HEPA air machines help protect staff and patients from viruses such as COVID-19? COVID-19 spreads through droplets in the air. By trapping particles in the filter and releasing clean air, HEPA filters protect staff and patients from infection. Mike and Ashley Goff 10 Jackson Hospital