We often think of buildings, especially major projects like hospitals, as being created ready to serve their purpose forever. But as futurist Stewart Brand said, “buildings learn over time as they adapt to their real-world uses.” This is by no means a slight directed at builders and architects, but rather an acknowledgement that there is no perfect way to design and construct a building that will remain unchanged for eternity. Even Paris’s timeless Louvre now sports its glass pyramid — not to mention air conditioning and disabled access. But not all of these evolutionary steps are visible to the public, and one of the biggest changes that takes place behind closed doors is the augmentation of ventilation systems, which has become especially important in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Air quality is far more important in healthcare facilities than just about any other kind of building. If an office is a little stuffy, it’s uncomfortable. But significant problems can arise if a medical center doesn’t have proper ventilation. It’s no accident that the earliest tuberculosis hospitals built in the United States (such as in New York City’s East Side and on nearby Roosevelt Island) featured large windows and narrow profiles to maximize airflow. These structures long preceded modern HVAC systems, but the same principle that guided architects in the 18th and 19th centuries remains unchanged: fresh air keeps patients and medical professionals healthy.

Modern ventilation systems do an amazing job of keeping buildings in the proper temperature range, and they include sophisticated filtration systems that keep air clean. Unfortunately, that’s not always good enough – for example, outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease, a particularly virulent pneumonia infection, are often traced to the very systems that were designed to purify the air in large buildings. That’s because cooling towers used in many HVAC systems can actually harbor harmful microbes.

Today we are dealing with a disease that makes these problems with air filtration especially important: COVID-19 can live on tiny particulates in the air for hours. These particulates are too small for a standard HVAC system to filter, and since hospitals are where people with COVID-19 go for treatment, without proper air filtration your standard hospital is filled with coronavirus-laden particles. Previously, well-enforced universal masking mandates made hospitals relatively safe, but the rise of the more infectious Omicron Variant has rendered most masks less effective (if still useful.) And with people refusing necessary procedures for fear of COVID exposure, hospitals must up their game in cleaning harmful particulates from the air.

Standard climate control systems can harbor dangerous microorganisms like COVID-19, but getting rid of heating and air conditioning isn’t really an option. So what is the best way for healthcare facilities to take advantage of their existing ventilation resources while also maximizing safety and comfort? The answer is supplemental air filtration systems that work in conjunction with existing equipment. These specialized purifiers can scour the air in an enclosed space and clean the tiniest particles and particulates of any microbes, making the air inside a facility clean enough for any sort of medical procedure and ensuring the safety of patients and hospital staff alike. When installed correctly, these devices can ensure that any building’s air supply is clear of dangerous microbes, helping people feel safe visiting the hospital, even in times like these.

The trick, of course, is figuring out exactly what each facility needs. In some cases, a very small filtration system is more than adequate to improve air quality. A local dental office doesn’t need to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a massive supplementary air system when a portable system with robust technology can be purchased for a fraction of that cost. On the other hand, a series of tiny air filters scattered throughout a public medical facility isn’t really going to make a difference. Unfortunately, most of us have walked into doctors’ offices to see exactly that approach in play, and while it may make people feel marginally better about the air quality, those devices simply don’t move enough air to be effective. Bigger facilities simply require more robust air filtration.

It’s also important to consider factors like power usage, size, and noise. A lot of supplemental air systems can be incredibly loud, which is fine for places like health clubs and arenas but not ideal for patients receiving care. They can also be bulky, which can create problems in tight spaces such as MRI labs. Savvy operators of healthcare facilities need to weigh the need for clean air against noise and space considerations. Since patient wellness is a premium, hospital directors must instill proper filtration without making a hospital stay more stressful for patients, and may even want to consider retrofitting to incorporate stronger filters into hospital infrastructure.

If this sounds like overkill, consider that just about every other system in a modern hospital or medical office – from entry doors to gurneys – have been modified or improved over time. Again, this is no criticism of the original teams who designed and built our medical centers. It’s simply that over the course of many years or decades, technology improves, needs change, and buildings that are meant to remain in use must adapt these technologies to fill these needs. For example, most older hospitals did not have wheelchair ramps, but the advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) forced medical facilities to modify their existing amenities.

Ventilation is just another upgrade in a never-ending list that grows as technology and challenges evolve, and we cannot plan our buildings for every eventuality. The next generation of hospitals will likely include advanced air-filtration systems, but will still need a round of upgrades for whatever public health, economic, or social changes require after these hospitals are built. By taking swift action and installing high-powered air filtration, hospitals can face down this pandemic-era problem, and be ready for the next challenge the world throws our way.

Marshal Sterio is the CEO of Surgically Clean Air, a Toronto-based manufacturer of portable systems that purify air by supplementing existing HVAC systems. The company’s products are used by thousands of organizations, including Major League Baseball clubs and NBA teams.

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A large medical office building in California presented the director of engineering at a Ruskin representative on the West Coast with an even bigger challenge – one he had never encountered in his almost three decades with the company. In addition to a system that used two large air handlers housed in two separate rooms on the building’s roof, a permanent pipe ran diagonally behind the building louvers in both rooms.

Pipe Presents Challenge

“Our task was to replace the components of the building’s large, built-up air-handling system,” the director of engineering explained. “This included the outside air louvers that cover a large opening in the building’s exterior and bring fresh air into the structure. What made this job somewhat out of the ordinary was the large structural steel pipe that ran behind the opening. The pipe could not be moved because it was part of the system designed to support the building in the event of an earthquake. Unfortunately, the pipe interfered with the installation of actuators on the jackshaft of the damper. Our job was to find a solution that compensated for the sheet metal wall separating the two rooms and provided a work-around for the pipe.”

In addition to replacing louvers and other key components of the air-handling system, operations managers at the medical office building planned to install dampers and air-measuring stations. The goal was to measure and control the amount of air entering the building, thereby meeting new building codes and standards that dictate how much fresh air a building must bring inside. An additional benefit would be an HVAC system with improved energy efficiency.

As he has in the past, the director of engineering turned to Ruskin for help. His company has served as a manufacturer’s representative for Ruskin for approximately 20 years. “During that time, we’ve always appreciated the quality of Ruskin products and the service of its people, who regularly apply their expertise to specific challenges.”

According to Rachel Larimore, sales application engineer at Ruskin, “We were challenged by the pipe and the thin, 18-gauge wall separating the two rooms. The project required a lot of back and forth to work out details, with four to five iterations of drawings to be certain we got everything right.”

Ruskin Provides Space-Saving Solution

For this project, Larimore recommended the Ruskin IAQ350XL. This unique, three-in-one product features a class A wind-driven rain louver, Class 1A-rated low-leakage damper and an integral air-measuring station in a common sleeve that is only 12 inches in the direction of airflow. Specifically designed to save space in tight mechanical rooms and air-handling units, the compact model reduces the space requirement by as much as 93 inches, when compared to typical air-measurement installation requirements, and provides accurate flow measurement to within ±3 percent accuracy.

“The IAQ350XL offers more variety and ways of doing things with air measuring,” added Larimore. “Prior to this project, the building featured plain louvers, with no dampers or air-measuring stations, which meant there was no ability to modulate or control air flow. The louvers just covered a large hole in the exterior of the building, providing protection from rain while letting in a constant flow of air.” If this were a residential property, Under House Ventilation would have been adequate, but this job called for an innovative approach.

Jackshaft Fits Around Pipe

Ruskin provided 14 sections of the IAQ350XL to cover the 336-inch by 118-inch opening. “They were able to fabricate the unit with a jackshaft that fit around the pipe. The units could also be adjusted in the field, which provided the installing contractor the flexibility to adjust as necessary to ensure a good fit. Additionally, those in charge of the building’s HVAC system can monitor all 14 sections and individually control them.”

The 14 IAQ350XLs are located on the roof, approximately 10 stories above the ground.

“The building owner was concerned they would need to rent a crane to get the units on the roof,” said Larimore. “Instead, we were able to fabricate the units in sections small enough to fit on a freight elevator, eliminating the costs associated with renting a crane.”

Today, the units allow the building to meet the standards and codes that dictate fresh air intake, while providing money-saving operating efficiencies.

“This project demonstrates the reasons our company continues to represent Ruskin products,” the director of engineering added. “Ruskin offers a variety of quality products that can be customized to meet the unique challenges we see in the field. In this case, they responded with a product that perfectly addresses space limitations by combining the functionality of three products in one. The result is a system that maintains proper ventilation and meets energy efficiency goals.”

Ruskin is an air control solutions company based out of Grandview.

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Here are seven reasons why an EAM system is critical in any healthcare facility:

Helps in Maintaining Asset Performance and Reliability

Healthcare facilities and equipment must operate at their peak performance to ensure patient comfort and staff readiness. When you have CMMS software in place, you will be able to monitor asset performance, initiate preventive maintenance measures, and collect data on all your assets easily.

Having a flexible, customizable and scalable software increases the reliability and life of numerous assets that include lights, HVAC systems, restrooms, parking lots, elevators, etc., apart from medical equipment, operating theaters, patients rooms and ICUs. Preventive maintenance scheduling keeps MRI, X-ray and other medical machines in optimum condition so they are always available for patient care. To ensure that these types of equipment are update to date and maintenance is maintained, companies might look to an external source of support when it comes to keeping their equipment in good working order. Some maintenance companies might find that using field service management software from somewhere like ServiceMax – https://www.servicemax.com/products/field-service-management – could help to keep them on task when it comes to managing, scheduling and dispatching services.

Provides the Complete Picture

Healthcare facilities must keep an eye on all their equipment. Considering the sheer amount of assets present in the facility, it would make it impossible to achieve this task manually. Implementing CMMS would prove to be beneficial as it captures a wealth of accurate data of all the healthcare facility assets. This data provides a complete picture of equipment performance and cost. By analyzing this data, managers get the ability to make informed decisions that reduce costs pertaining to energy use and machine maintenance.

Asset and Facility Safety

An EAM software is designed to support all the health care functions through real-time insights into assets, inventory and equipment maintenance. It helps in supporting the overall healthcare safety and security through asset tracking and machine maintenance. You can conduct safety checks and monitor various assets such as elevator functionality, plumbing repairs, regulation of HVAC systems, food storage equipment, access for disable people, air quality, and machine performance to name a few. CMMS system ensures that the medical staff can focus their efforts on resolving emergencies and other critical issues instead of worrying about equipment and facilities running smoothly.

Compliance and Auditing

Every healthcare facility must adhere to stringent government regulations. The medical equipment needs to be inspected periodically to make sure that it is working accurately and in a compliant manner. The new equipment added to the hospital inventory must be regularly tracked and you must ensure that maintenance procedures are followed.

It is absolutely imperative that the healthcare facility maintains high standards during performance audits. CMMS helps in collating all the necessary information and generating accurate reports for audits through the year. It also enables you to store the required equipment records and PM schedules safely on an easily assessable centralized location. A CMMS does not guarantee compliance, however, implementing it will make compliance far easier to assess and achieve.

Inventory Management

Undoubtedly, there will be numerous assets within the healthcare facility that you need to keep a track of. You need to know where exactly any asset is located and whether it is available at any point or not. CMMS helps with inventory management by letting you know the availability and location of machine parts and other supplies. You can either scan the barcode or enter the serial number to locate an asset in any location. You may want to look into alternatives if your current inventory management system is not working up to the standards set, for example, Sage 50 inventory management software may be the right track to take to keep stock of everything coming in and out.

Work Order Management

Every healthcare facility consists of hundreds of staff members executing a number of tasks at given point of time. It would create panic and confusion amongst the patients and employees alike if there is no one to perform a critical task when required or when scheduling goes wrong. CMMS helps in avoiding such unwanted scenarios by scheduling, dispatching and tracking the work crews and the assignments they have been allocated. It also helps in eliminating overlapping.

Efficient Labor Management

CMMS systems have labor management options that are quite easy to follow and they help in organizing everything – right from planning, delegation, and execution of work orders, completion of tasks to the scheduling of shifts. You can easily manage your employees using CMMS features that are custom made in order to suit specific needs of the healthcare industry. They also come with ready-to-use templates that enable you to implement preventive maintenance tasks while cutting down both time and effort.

It is true that the healthcare industry provides noble services but that doesn’t change the fact that it needs to make profits as any other industry. You need to work at the maximum efficiency in order to stay compliant and competitive. Investing in CMMS will offer a plethora of benefits – streamlined operations, increased profits, enhanced patient experience, saved time while keeping the legal issues, liabilities, and errors at bay.

Lindsey Walker works for NEXGEN Asset Management as their Marketing Manager. With a B.S in Business Information Management, she excels at business development, project management as well as asset management. When she isn’t working or writing, she loves to work out, do puzzles and listen to instrumental music.

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“During 2000–2014, passive surveillance for legionellosis in the United States demonstrated a 286 percent increase in reported cases per 100,000 population,” stated the CDC website.

The CDC also estimates that about 5,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease are now reported each year in the United States, and keeping Legionella out of water systems in buildings, with cooling towers a noted risk, is critical in preventing infection.

In response, HVAC contractors now are pairing chillers and high-performance plastic cooling towers with new anti-microbial options that significantly reduce the infection risk.

Controlling Pathogen Growth

Throughout the U.S. and most of the world, the mainstay of large cooling systems remains the traditional HVAC combination of chillers, air handlers and cooling towers. Cooling towers have a long history of effective use in expelling heat from the water used in many commercial and industrial applications that involve chillers.

However, it is well established that, under typical operating conditions, cooling towers can propagate Legionella. The design of many cooling towers creates pockets where water may stagnate, a condition that can lead to microorganism development.

This has recently led ANSI/ASHRAE to publish its Standard 188, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems, which documents new risk standards and requirements for the design of new buildings and the renovations to existing structures.

“All facilities with HVAC or process cooling systems need to be aware of Legionnaires’ disease and handle any concerns about it,” said Rick Hill, facilities director at Arkansas Surgical Hospital, a physician-owned hospital specializing in joint and spine surgery in Central Arkansas. “There have to be good procedures in place to prevent or control it.”

When it was time to replace an air-cooled chiller at Arkansas Surgical Hospital, Steve Keen, president of Powers of Arkansas, the HVAC contractor responsible for the hospital project, recommended and installed a water-cooled chiller, paired with an advanced cooling tower with unique anti-microbial properties.

“Legionella is always a concern for HVAC systems using a cooling tower and anywhere you have water exposed to the atmosphere,” said Keen. “The Delta Cooling Towers‘ anti-microbial properties will help prevent that type of growth and exposure to patients and staff.”

Delta Cooling Towers, which pioneered the HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastic cooling tower in the 1970s, recently introduced a line of towers constructed of anti-microbial resin, which is fully compounded into the base cooling tower structural material and casing. The cooling tower fill and drift eliminator are also made from anti-microbial PVC.

“We decided that since we were replacing the air-cooled chiller with a water-cooled chiller, we wanted a cooling tower that aligned with our philosophy of protecting patient safety,” said Hill, who advocated for the anti-microbial technology and found support for it among his hospital’s leadership. “We want to maintain one of the lowest infection rates among hospitals in the country.”

Arkansas Surgical Hospital already boasts a very low infection rate of under 0.3 percent, compared to a national average of 3 percent among U.S. hospitals.

By proactively making the switch to an advanced anti-microbial tower cooler, paired with a very high-efficiency HVAC chiller, the hospital is also significantly reducing energy costs, which was also a prime consideration.

“Our previous air-cooled HVAC system required a lot of electricity,” added Hill. “With the water-based cooling tower and very efficient chiller, however, we expect to save tens of thousands of dollars annually in energy costs.”

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CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – A brand-new medical office building at the Limelight Healthcare Center in Castle Rock will soon offer a state-of-the-art HVAC system to keep future staff and patients comfortable while also providing cost savings. Construction on the new Limelight Healthcare Center medical office building began in January and construction is estimated to conclude this year. The installation of the new HVAC system was completed on May 17, and the system includes several unique features, including a Variable Air Volume (VAV) air-handling unit that allows the system to slow down as less capacity is needed and conserve otherwise wasted energy. Making sure that these are done by an HVAC company is vital to ensure it is done properly. Limelight Healthcare Center have already begun their search to find a local heating repair and maintenance service that can ensure that the new HVAC system is properly maintained with yearly inspections. A service similar to Buric Heating and Air Conditioning will ensure that the HVAC system is in good working order during the summer and winter seasons while providing emergency repair services should the system become faulty.

Exterior construction and the HVAC system are complete, but no interior build-out work has begun. Interior work will start in July or August, according to Patrick Green, engineer and project manager at Denver-based Wiegmann Associates, the HVAC mechanical contractor on the project that installed the highly efficient HVAC system. Those in need of similar systems may want to look towards services from the likes of AirNow Cooling & Heating experts and professionals.

Located directly across from the new Castle Rock Adventist Hospital and Health Campus within the master-planned community called The Meadows, the new building will add essential outpatient services to the rapidly growing area of Castle Rock and the surrounding community.

The $4.7 million, two-story, 21,288-square-foot medical office building will provide prime tenant occupancy within the core and shell of the building, with future planned tenant spaces to include outpatient therapy clinics for neurology and physical therapy. No tenants will occupy the building until the interior build out is complete. Half of the building is currently pre-leased with the other half of future tenants yet to be determined. Denver-based Davis Partnership Architects served as the architect on the project, while Brinkmann Constructors in Aurora, Colo., served as the general contractor.

The VAV system has minimal terminal units for temporary conditions as part of the core and shell package of the building, according to Green. The terminal units will provide minimal space conditioning and be reused in future build outs so that none of the equipment is wasted, according to Green. This will allow the main building’s VAV air-handling unit to run at the minimum possible level to provide temporary conditioning until spaces are built out. “The VAV system offers flexibility in terms of being able to run at low capacity initially, then ‘ramp up’ as future tenants move in,” said Green.

VAV systems offer lower energy consumption and increased temperature control by varying the amount of air supplied to a given area while keeping the air at a constant temperature, whereas constant air volume (CAV) systems supply a constant airflow at a variable temperature, according to Green. Since energy efficiency is a goal with this new HVAC system, the VAV air handling unit successfully meets this goal in allowing the system to slow down as less capacity is needed and reduce otherwise wasted energy, according to Green. If you would like to update your HVAC system to something more energy-efficient, you might want to take a look at the website of Swaim Electric to read about their hvac services asheboro nc. A more energy-efficient system will save you lots of money in the long run.

In addition to the main rooftop HVAC system, Wiegmann’s HVAC installation included 12 terminal units to provide energy-efficient temporary heating and cooling as tenant spaces are built out. The two exhaust systems include one toilet exhaust and one general exhaust system.

“The HVAC system needs to be very flexible,” said Green. “The central VAV air handling unit and medium-pressure supply air loops accomplish this, along with the general exhaust system which future tenants can tie into as needed.”

Economic savings can be gleaned from the HVAC installation as well. Wiegmann value-engineered the HVAC system, which helped bring the shell and core project within budget. “We eliminated expensive features of the central VAV air handling unit which were unnecessary in this application and would have offered no benefit,” said Green.

Additional measures taken by Wiegmann included redesigning the ductwork in order to save on costs.

“Overall, this project was a good success story for a design-assist project,” said Green. “There was good collaboration between the mechanical contractor, general contractor, owner, architect and mechanical engineer of record to bring costs within budget and make the project a success.”

The post Wiegmann Associates Completes HVAC Work on Limelight Healthcare Center appeared first on HCO News.

Wooden floor installations are made possible with its soft-mount suspension system, reducing the need for machine bold-down. With 304-grade stainless steel top, front, and sides, each washer is tough enough to withstand punishing use, yet gentle enough for operating in centuries-old buildings, according to Maytag. Each unit features inverter drive systems that help decrease in wear and tear of washer components, such as the shaft, bearing, seals and belts. Its high-speed extraction of up to 350 G-force cuts drying time and energy usage. Programmable water levels provide flexible cycle options for chemical suppliers.

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The new MOD 78P replaces myriad metal, canvas and vinyl basket trucks with a waterproof, rotationally molded plastic cart that cannot rust or harbor mold or bacteria, according to the company. It also cleans easily in automatic cart washers. The cart is set atop a sturdy, powder coated metal base on industrial-strength, non-marking Colson casters and is available with an optional cover for secure clean linen delivery and optional fork tubes for safe handling. A choice of 16 standard colors plus custom colors and molded-in logos and graphics are also available.

Meese Orbitron Dunne Co.

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JLG Industries Inc.

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Norton Door Controls

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