M Health Fairview debuts new COVID-19 testing booth
M Health Fairview has created a first of its kind booth to help with coronavirus testing and saving frontline health care workers' personal protective equipment (PPE). With PPE in critical demand, the health care provider says that the booth could save hundreds of pieces of equipment per day.
“It’s unreal how much PPE we’re saving,” says Dana Seeker, a Medical Assistant at M Health Fairview Clinic – Bloomington Oxboro. “In the past, if I saw 90 patients in a day, that’d be 90 gowns and 180 gloves.”
M Health says the booth will double their testing capacity at their eight testing locations around the metro area because it will save so much PPE. They pan to rollout 12 booths in their clinics.
The booth, which was created in partnership with the machine shop in the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering, works as a positive-pressure environment that kills outside particulars. Once inside, the health care worker puts their hands in a pair of gloves that will allow the health care provider to operate in close contact with the patient. Because of the environment, the provider doesn't need to wear any PPE during the testing. After the patient exits, that side of the booth is sanitized and then is ready for the next patient.
