PLEASANTON, Calif., (PRNewswire) – SNAP Solutions Inc. announces an agreement with Gallup-McKinley School District in New Mexico for the installation of thirty-seven UVD Robots® amongst the district’s thirty-four schools and district offices. The robots, originally designed to fight hospital-acquired infections (HAI) in healthcare facilities, kills 99.99% of pathogens in ten minutes without the use of chemicals. The autonomous robots will supplement existing sanitation efforts throughout the district to further protect students and staff from COVID-19 and be prepared for future pandemics.
The UVD (Ultra-Violet Disinfection) Robot is a mobile and fully autonomous system that delivers chemical-free, hospital-grade disinfection for public service areas such as healthcare facilities, offices, hotels, airports, libraries, and schools. The emitted UVC light disinfects both surfaces and the surrounding air against viruses and bacteria, reducing disease transmission and staff exposure and time devoted to cleaning. This directly impacts the ability to eradicate COVID-19 as well as the common cold, flu viruses, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and other common transmissible infections.
Mike Hyatt, Superintendent of Gallup-McKinley, feels it is their duty as a district. “Our priority is to provide a safe and clean environment for our students and staff to return to onsite instruction. Doing this with less chemicals, and with technology that has proven to reduce infections in hospitals, will help against the current pandemic and other common viruses that tend to spread within educational environments. We look forward to working with SNAP Solutions and UVD Robots to create a model for fighting the coronavirus in school districts.” With robots deployed to clean the facilities at each school campus and the district offices, entire buildings will be repeatably and reliably disinfected. Gallup McKinley County School District is geographically the largest school district in New Mexico and includes the Navajo Nation and the Zuni Pueblo.
The need for hospital-grade disinfection for public use areas has increased as repeated waves of the coronavirus continue to impact communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that surface cleaning does not address airborne droplets that are responsible for virus transmission. Additionally, indoor chemical disinfection methods such as fogging and mist systems are not recommended by the CDC because they require the use of harsh chemicals, risking exposure to occupants. UVD Robots, owned by Blue Ocean Robotics, was recently recognized as “Best COVID-19 Response Award” by the Verdict Medical Devices Innovation and Excellence Awards. This award celebrates the greatest achievements and innovations in the medical devices industry.
Several California communities have recently adopted UVC technology to protect their local residents, workers, and visitors. Kevin Miller, founder of SNAP Solutions, states, “Cities such as Pleasanton and Oakland and the Gallup-McKinley school district recognize the seriousness of COVID-19, and other viruses that will inevitably impact us all. Implementing inadequate disinfection solutions to satisfy the aesthetic that they are ‘doing something’ is not enough. Using proven technology that has reduced hospital infections rates for decades in our public areas is the next step to create true public safety.”
UVC technology is increasing in adoption outside the healthcare sector as a result of COVID-19 and is now projected to reach $2.3 billion by 2025 compared to $341 million in 2019. SNAP Solutions is the exclusive healthcare distributor of UVD Robots in the western United States.
