Health First Behind-the-Scene Teams Protect Front-Line Workers With ‘Negative Pressure Rooms’

Negative pressure rooms in hospitals isolate patients with infections conditions

Facilities Crews Reconfigure Hospital Rooms into ‘Negative Pressure’ Ones, Which Keeps Care Teams, Public from Potentially Infectious Diseases

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – During the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, we as a society are rightfully quick to support and celebrate our frontline healthcare workers – the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and those who interact with patients day in and day out.

But in order for those frontline caregivers to do their critical work, a team behind them has been hard at work preparing and planning for an event such as this – before the virus even landed on our American shores.

One of the most important needs for a hospital in a pandemic situation such as this includes proactively reconfiguring hospital rooms into something called “negative pressure rooms.”

At the very heart of its definition, a negative pressure room exists and is designed to fully protect patients and the general public from the spread of infectious diseases.

According to Tom Davis, System Vice President for Facilities, Construction & Real Estate, a negative pressure room uses lower air pressure to allow outside air into the segregated environment.

“This traps and keeps potentially harmful particles within the negative pressure room by preventing internal air from leaving the space.

Negative pressure rooms in hospitals isolate patients with infections conditions…and protects everyone else from potential exposure.

“A great deal of planning and construction work needs to go into ensuring these hospital rooms are adequately prepped to deal with the kind of pandemic we are now faced with,” Davis continues.

“We’ve worked hard and fast to change the environment of numerous rooms and floors throughout all four of our hospitals, adding high-tech ‘air-scrubbers,’ ventilation equipment on the roof. This is all to ensure that the care environment is as healthy and safe for our patients … and caregivers. It’s an important way to protect our protectors.”

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