Hospital Surge Capacity Readiness: Keeping Patients Safe with Containment Solutions (ICRA 2.0)

Respiratory illnesses are on the rise across North America. A surge of COVID-19 cases combined with viral strains of the flu and RSV has made it a particularly fierce season for all kinds of respiratory infections. Healthcare facilities are seeing an increased need for critical services and supplies and are quickly running out of space, while the number of patients with respiratory infections is only expected to grow.

Infection control risk assessment (ICRA) requirements call for six feet of spatial separation between infected sources and susceptible hosts, so building cubicles and barriers may be necessary in waiting rooms, triage areas, and treatment spaces. In addition, it's best practice to use single-bed room accommodations for patients whenever possible. If single rooms aren’t available due to capacity constraints, it's important to ensure the same ICRA spatial separation recommendations are met. 

Containment Products

Modular temporary containment barriers like our Shield Wall™ system are gaining traction in the healthcare construction industry due to their adaptability. The system can be configured to create anterooms or standalone patient areas. Temporary containment solutions are easy to set up and an excellent option for quickly creating emergency quarantine areas and patient intake spaces, especially when combined with a HEPA air filtration device. Modular containment systems like Shield Wall™ are durable with fully wipeable interior and exterior surfaces, making them easy to sanitize and an ideal solution for critical care environments.

HEPA Air Filtration Systems 

Containment barriers are effective for enclosing a space but can’t eliminate what’s already in the air.  Portable air filtration units can be added for infection control and to reduce healthcare associated infections (HAIs).  They contain HEPA filters tested and certified to provide 99.97% or higher efficiency overall against 0.3-micron particles. Using temporary containment walls combined with a HEPA air filtration system like our HEPA-CARE® portable models, healthcare facilities can quickly convert almost any room into a CDC-compliant patient isolation room. Our available ceiling-mounted models place the filtration system completely out of the way of patients and staff, while portable air scrubbers (PAS) like our PRED750 are lightweight filtration options that can be brought into small spaces with minimal disruption.

Assessing Your Current Response Plan 

Preparation is essential for maintaining healthcare facility operations and delivering quality patient care amid any crisis. Periodically reassessing preparedness levels can help healthcare facilities identify gaps and prioritize future purchasing requirements. 

Abatement Technologies offers a complete range of products designed to help adapt existing healthcare spaces and combat surge capacity restraints. Our fully-trained Aire Guardians are ready to help recommend an affordable preparedness package to cover the needs of your facility in supporting both your staff and your patients.

Contact us today to learn more about how our solutions are essential in managing surge capacity. 

7 Ways to Use SHIELD WALL™ for Temporary Containment

Temporary modular walls have grown in popularity in recent years as a reliable alternative to traditional solutions, like drywall and poly sheeting. Due to their reusability, flexibility, and cost savings, temporary wall systems are a great solution for a variety of projects. 

At Abatement Technologies, our SHIELD WALL™ containment solution has been successful in a wide range of commercial construction projects–both inside and outside of healthcare. Here’s a quick look at some examples of how industry experts are leveraging  SHIELD WALL™ temporary walls to protect people from airborne contaminants during construction in occupied settings. 

Hospitals and Long-term Care Facilities

Infection control and reducing healthcare associated infections (HAI’s) has become a central concern in healthcare construction. In the US and Canada, code compliance is required in all healthcare facilities. Many regulations and standards require containment barriers, like our SHIELD WALL™ solution, to prevent pathogens from entering patient care areas. For a complete solution, SHIELD WALL™ is used in conjunction with our high-efficiency, HEPA-filtered portable air scrubbers, and monitoring equipment to effectively isolate, capture, and control airborne dust particles and pathogens. Additionally, SHIELD WALL™can be easily configurable to create anterooms and patient isolation rooms.

Schools

Schools and college/university campuses environments support a range of interests and activities for a large and diverse population. When construction or renovation needs arise, they often can’t be put off until a break or summer recess, requiring construction to occur in occupied spaces. During these projects, it’s important to minimize the disruption of construction noise and prioritize safety for all. Our SHIELD WALL™ temporary containment solution not only blends in with its surroundings, its superior sound attenuation significantly reduces noise to allow projects to move forward without disruptions. 

Data Centers

Data centers are not only massive investments, they’re integral to the operations of many organizations. With various pieces of sensitive equipment and hardware, even the tiniest particle of dust can cause serious damage, risking the integrity of stored data. Because of this, it's important that a modular containment solution, like SHIELD WALL™, is used to prevent any damage to the equipment. And to further protect equipment, SHIELD WALL™ is used in conjunction with air filtration devices to keep the area pressurized and monitored, ensuring electronics are dust free for optimal performance. 

Airports

Airports today have become more than just a center of transportation—they’ve become a hub of commerce and development. In fact, according to the FAA's Air Traffic Organization (ATO), approximately 2,900,000 passengers fly in and out of U.S. airports on any given day. And, to keep up with the traffic, airports are constantly undergoing renovation and construction. However, while construction is underway, navigating flight checkpoints and finding the right terminal can be challenging for even the most seasoned traveler, especially those unfamiliar with the terminal’s design. Simple signage and barriers can be confusing, and don’t always discourage people from entering.

 With a containment solution, like SHIELD WALL™, airports can effectively conceal construction areas to appear as if it’s a regular wall within the airport. This eliminates potential confusion and helps travelers safely navigate around the construction site. 

Malls

Modular wall systems in retail and mall construction is a practical way to keep the stores not involved in the project open to the public, without sacrificing the aesthetic of the store fronts. Instead of the traditional drywall with branded logos, temporary containment walls offer retailers a reusable option that doesn’t sacrifice the safety of shoppers. If branding the area under construction is required then custom graphics can be easily applied to the temporary walls letting shoppers know what’s “coming soon”.

Residential Buildings 

When renovations are required in residential buildings, like apartment complexes and other multifamily housing, concealing the construction area is essential in protecting the safety of tenants. And, minimizing noise and disruptions is a valuable bonus. Our SHIELD WALL™ temporary containment solution not only effectively protects tenants from breathing in any potential harmful pathogens, its superior sound attenuation protects tenants from noise disruptions.

Office Spaces 

Think outside of the box, or in this case, outside of the cubicle! During construction and renovations, it’s important to find a balance between getting the work done in an efficient manner without disrupting office production. As the central location for many companies, a productive work environment leads to successful operations. Because of this, it's crucial to maintain a quiet workplace throughout the duration of the project. 

Additionally, SHIELD WALL™ is so flexible that it’s not just used for construction purposes. Many facilities have used the modular system to easily construct temporary cubicles for additional overflow work space.

A versatile solution for any industry 

From malls to healthcare to multifamily housing, schools and office buildings, and even data centers, temporary containment wall systems are designed to protect. Our SHIELD WALL™ containment system is trusted by leading contractors across North America to protect people in occupied spaces from potential infections and disruptions of renovation. 

Ready to learn more about how SHIELD WALL™ can help you get the job done? Contact us today! 

Renting Smart with Abatement Technologies

Contractors looking to build their equipment inventory inevitably end up asking themselves – do I rent or buy this piece of equipment? Concerns like budget and storage constraints can make buying new equipment a burden. And, for the contractors who rarely use certain pieces of equipment, renting can be the most cost effective option. 

But because of the nature of construction, it’s important that contractors have access to the equipment they need, when they need it. And because construction projects can be unpredictable, rental companies need to have a full inventory that is ready to ship out at a moment's notice. 

Abatement Technologies: A One-Stop-Shop 

For companies like Century Building Materials, having an equipment provider that operates with the same sense of urgency is a must. And, leveraging Abatement Technologies as a one-stop-shop for their rental equipment needs, Century Building Materials is able to single-source a wide range of equipment, cutting down on the time and effort needed when working with multiple vendors. 

Abatement Technologies helps supply rental companies with equipment like:

  • Negative air machines  
  • Portable air scrubbers
  • Monitoring equipment
  • Containment barriers
  • And more!

Meeting Renter Needs

By helping rental companies offer innovative products to renters, Abatement Technologies helps ensure renters are meeting industry standards and requirements. Specifically, in healthcare, it’s essential that contractors take the proper measures to protect patients. For some, this can mean updating practices and equipment. 

For many years the materials needed to contain construction areas were disposable materials, like drywall and lumber. However, by renting a modular containment wall system, like SHIELD WALL™, the wall can be returned at the end of the project and rented repeatedly.  

Around the Clock Customer Service

Abatement Technologies offers rental companies the support needed to provide high quality equipment to customers, at any time. And, with Abatement’s rapid order fulfillment capabilities, rental companies can ensure products are readily available for customers whenever and wherever they need them. With a knowledgeable staff on hand, Abatement Technologies offers a consultative approach to its customer service to find the right solution for each need.  

Century Building Materials and Abatement Technologies - A Case Study

Want to learn more about how Abatement Technologies supports an equipment rental company? Click here to read about Century Building Materials’ partnership with Abatement Technologies to readily provide rental equipment to its customers.