In Colorado, our senior population has felt the majority of the pandemic’s severity – with 23,978 total cases, more than 2,500 deaths, and an estimated 730 facilities impacted as a result of COVID-19 (reported by The COVID Tracking Project, March 2021).
To fight against the airborne transmission of illnesses, such as COVID-19 and the flu, Continuum Health Management has announced the installation of a Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NPBI) air purification system at multiple Colorado-based senior care communities, including Sharmar Village Senior Care Community in Pueblo, Grace Pointe Senior Care Community in Greeley, and Vista Mesa Assisted Living Residence in Cortez.
“Having been raised in a Colorado community and knowing the residents and families at the highest risk, we take our responsibility to maintain the best environment possible for our residents very seriously,” said Erik Briscoe, director of business development at Continuum Health Management. “While we have implemented the highest level of sanitization and social distancing practices across our care campuses, studies show that shared air (HVAC) systems make it possible to spread illnesses. Every apartment and resident room is equipped with individual HVAC units, which helps to provide very high-level air quality for each resident. Additionally, by installing this cutting-edge whole-building air scrubbing system, we are investing in better air quality for every member of our care communities.”
NPBI technology works to clean the air inside buildings through an electronic charge to create a plasma field with a high concentration of ions. Those ions travel through the air and attach to particles to deactivate the virus. It also eliminates odors, pathogens, mold, allergens, and smoke.
“We specifically chose NPBI as a solution to our shared air concerns because it has been independently tested and proven to destroy COVID-19,” said Briscoe. In an independent study backed by a specialty HVAC company, Tayra, needlepoint bi-polar ionizers were placed inside of a room where coronavirus patients had been housed. Within 10 minutes, the ionizers destroyed 99.4 percent of the coronavirus particles in the air and 80 percent of surface-living particles.
“The State of Colorado’s mandated shutdowns and isolation requirements for senior care facilities have been very difficult for both our residents and their families,” said Briscoe. “We have observed all required mandates, which do not permit visitors, admission tours, outside events, or non-essential outside contractors. By investing in this state-of-the-art virus-killing air purification system and our continued screening vigilance, the care teams can look forward to returning to a more normal life for our residents, their families, and the caregivers themselves.”
Bipolar ionization is experiencing a surge in popularity as the coronavirus pandemic increases concern about air quality, specifically shared air. This technology first arrived in the United States in the 1970s to control pathogens in food manufacturing and was also used to combat the SARS outbreak of 2004, as well as to fight MERS and norovirus pathogens. In recent years, bipolar ionization is utilized in sterile room environments like hospitals, chemotherapy centers, pharmaceutical environments, food manufacturing plants, airports, and other large commercial sites.
“Outside of the current overwhelmingly urgent need, this system will benefit the wellbeing of our residents and staff by better addressing air quality for years to come,” said Briscoe. “Our family and company continually seek to deliver the highest quality in every aspect of the care we deliver to our residents, including the research and adoption of industry-leading technologies, long after the threat of COVID-19 subsides.”
For more information on Continuum Health Management or to schedule a consultation, visit www.continuumhealth.com.
