Water Management Plans For Hospitals

Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are one of the nation’s most important public health challenges. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.7 million patients contract HAIs every year, and nearly 99,000 of them die. The annual direct medical costs of HAIs to U.S. Hospitals are about $40 Billion. Faulty water systems often are direct contributors to this tragic situation. This means having a strong water management plan for hospitals is crucial, especially during a pandemic when hospitals are at or approaching capacity.

Addressing Hospital Acquired Infections

Evidence of the significant problem of HAIs, in terms of both lives and healthcare costs, continues to grow. Many hospital administrators believe they cannot afford to take the necessary steps to install a preventative system. The truth is, they can’t afford not to. HAIs dramatically erode hospital profits each year. Strategies and technologies for preventing healthcare-associated infections are saving hospitals millions of dollars and, more importantly, countless lives.

Understanding the Risk

Hospital water systems are often an overlooked source of HAIs. Waterborne pathogens such as Legionella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and other deadly bacteria infiltrate hospitals’ plumbing and act as unsuspected delivery systems. The bacteria can enter, take root, and flourish quickly at any time without notice, until patients and/or employees start getting sick. This is just one of the many reasons why LiquiTech healthcare water purification systems are a key component in the prevention of hospital-acquired infection.

Public water systems traveling into large facilities are living biological ecosystems that harbor and distribute potentially harmful, naturally occurring bacteria. This means Legionella control in healthcare facilities must be a high priority.

Nationally, our drinking water infrastructure is in need of a $1 trillion overhaul, a daunting problem that lacks the will to address it. Because of this, there is a large and underappreciated need for decentralized hospital water treatment. A recent study from Tufts University estimated that several classes of preventable waterborne pathogens contribute to $2 billion in Medicare payments and over 80,000 infection cases per year. As awareness of legionella control in hospitals and similar disease prevention strategies continues to grow, so do regulatory mandates intended to keep people safe.

“What drew me to the LiquiTech products was the fact that it attacked the Legionella while it was in the biofilm. We tested positive for legionella and at that point what are your options? We didn’t want to shut the hospital down due to using chemicals.”