Sodexo and Global Technology Partner SureWash Join Forces to Combat Health Care Acquired Infections

GAITHERSBURG, Md., October 29, 2015 /3BL Media/ - Sodexo, a leading provider of integrated facilities management and food service operations, announced a partnership today with SureWash, maker of a mobile, automated, interactive hand hygiene training and assessment system. Designed to assist hospitals and other health care facilities in implementing the World Health Organization’s hand hygiene improvement strategy, the system will be offered at not only health care accounts, but to all of the more than 9,000 clients sites where Sodexo operates in North America.

Improper hand hygiene is considered a major barrier to the prevention of healthcare associated infections and emerging pathogens. In recent years, the healthcare industry has seen the reemergence of mumps, measles and tuberculosis, in addition to the effects of norovirus and new pathogens such as Ebola. Healthcare practitioners are also faced with multi-drug resistant organisms such as MRSA, C. diff and CRE which result in the death of 75,000 U.S. hospital patients per year, 755,000 infections and up to $45 billion in costs.

“With 1 in every 25 patients acquiring life-threatening infections in a health care setting, the statistics are alarming but manageable. Our strategy is to partner globally with companies that provide best-in-class, innovative technologies, people and process improvement to dramatically reduce infections,” said Michael Norris, CEO Hospitals, Sodexo. “Ensuring that a systematic approach to hand hygiene training, evaluation and feedback are accessible to staff 24-7 is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of infections.”

SureWash’s technology is a cutting-edge solution for hand hygiene education and training. It uses gesture recognition technology to teach the technique of hand hygiene and measures competency through both written and a performance validation process. The SureWash system trains and evaluates hand hygiene effectiveness in the hospital setting for healthcare workers, support staff, patients and visitors, and can also be a useful tool to educate school children, college students and the general public.

SureWash technology is being used in Europe and is now expanding into the United States and Canada as part of Sodexo’s focus on infection prevention and the goal of improving performance in operations and quality of life for those it serves.

“The team at SureWash is excited to partner with Sodexo in their mission to reduce infections within the healthcare community and among the general public. Sodexo’s commitment to use technological innovation to forward their progress in infection prevention is aligned with our cutting edge solutions to increase hand hygiene education and training through the SureWash technology,” said Mary Leane, CEO of SureWash.

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Sodexo in North America

Sodexo, Inc., leading Quality of Life services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On-site Services in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation, an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $25 million in grants to end childhood hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at SodexoInsights.com. Visit Sodexo on Facebook and follow on Twitter @SodexoUSA.