TRU-D Blasts Super Germs at Baptist Easley Hospital

The TRU-D Rapid Room Sterilization Unit, resembling Star Wars R2 D2 droid, arrived at Baptist Easley Hospital this week. The TRU-D will be housed in the operating room, performing its disinfecting process through the emission of ultra-violet waves that break up deadly microorganisms. Baptist Easley is the first hospital in the upstate to utilize the super germ-fighter. The Baptist Easley Foundation purchased TRU-D through a donation by Baptist Easley Board of Directors member Tom O’Hanlan with matching funds by Greenville Hospital System.

“The TRU-D will decrease the risk to our patients,” said O’Hanlan. “It will be used on a regular and proactive basis in the surgical suites initially, along with our current chemical disinfectant process. It’s been proven to be 20 times more effective than standard disinfection.”

Hospitals are faced with germs that have become increasingly resistant to antibiotic therapies. Hospital-acquired infections are costly in both dollars and increased length of stay. The TRU-D is a mobile, automated cleaning system using SmartUVCTM to break apart the DNA of bacteria, virus and spores to render them harmless.

“Pathogens like MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C diff), which can survive for days on hospital surfaces if missed by conventional cleaning processes, will be virtually eliminated after TRU-D has been engaged and allowed to cycle through a room,” said Julie Chastain, Manager, Infection Prevention, at Baptist Easley.

“TRU-D will enhance patient safety to a degree that we could have never imagined. With its effectiveness in keeping our environment safe, the TRU-D brings new meaning to ‘caring is our calling,’ ” said Gail VanEtten, Director of Environmental Services.

The closest hospitals to Upstate South Carolina with a TRU-D are Duke University Medical Center (Durham, NC), Wake Medical Center (Raleigh, NC), Medical Center Central Georgia (Macon, GA), and The Regional Medical Center (Orangeburg, SC).