Eaton Helps Protect Those Who 'Touch' Patient Lives
As a symbol of their appreciation and to further promote the safety of UH caregivers during the ongoing pandemic, locally-headquartered Eaton Corporation is gifting every employee a touchless door opener device. Resembling a plastic wrench, the 4” tools were mailed to each UH caregiver this week.
“We are so thankful for Eaton’s ongoing commitment to support caregivers in the fight against COVID-19,” said David Sylvan, President, UH Ventures. “To ensure maximum efficacy in the clinical setting, UH and Eaton collaborated on the tool’s design and development. Eaton then generously covered all the production costs in order to get them into the hands of our caregivers. We believe this innovative product will protect our caregivers and help slow the spread of the virus.”
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the virus that causes COVID-19 can live in the air and on surfaces between several hours and several days. Providing a barrier to high-touch surfaces, Eaton’s new tool offers a no-contact solution for grabbing door handles, pushing buttons and twisting faucets.
“We know that in health care, there are many surfaces and frontline workers have a high risk of exposure,” said Srinivas Garimella, global head of Eaton’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence. “Our new tool provides a touchless experience with most surfaces, limiting contact with potentially contaminated surfaces and helping to reduce the use of gloves and other personal protective equipment. Additive manufacturing was instrumental in rapidly bringing this innovation to life."
Eaton is best known for massive-size manufacturing products such as electrical transformers and hydraulic power units, but the company’s recent innovation was developed for individual use in response to the global COVID-19 health crisis. Created with 3D printing capabilities, the lightweight tool can be easily carried on a lanyard or belt.
"The entire community is indebted to innovative organizations like Eaton, who are flexing their technological muscles and making a difference in these challenging times," said Brian Rothstein, MD, UH pediatric neurosurgeon.
Eaton plans to manufacture the tools on a larger scale, making them commercially available in coming months.
University Hospitals is grateful to all individuals and organizations willing to help our caregivers, patients and community during the COVID-19 crisis. Community response and caregiver support funds have been established to support the extensive patient care, medical supplies, research and education needs.