USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH) held a fun (and educational) event for National Patient Safety Week. On March 13, hospital personnel took the Xenex robot, its germ-zapping robot, to three local schools, including Rosemont Middle School, to teach biology students about the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and what hospitals nationwide are doing to stop them. The lesson provided information like the structure of germs; how the germ membrane is broken by hand washing, antibacterial gel, and UV radiation; and why superbugs are a growing problem.

The Xenex robot is a no-touch disinfection device that uses UV radiation to zap superbugs after a patient room has already been cleaned. This added layer of protection lowers the risk of potential for infection by more than 50%.

USC-VHH is the first hospital in the Glendale area to use the Xenex robot.

Mary Virgalito, RN, director of Patient Safety at USC-VHH, taught the class. Virgalito is also the acting president of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control’s Greater Los Angeles chapter.

In addition, students are able to enter a contest through March 31 to name the robot. The winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card. Students of all ages can send an email to contest@vhh.usc.edu with the suggested robot name (please steer clear of copyrighted names), student’s first name and last initial, age and school they attend. The winning name will be selected by the environmental services staff and the winner will receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Xenex.