As a federally qualified Health Center, Neighborhood Healthcare in Southern California provides a wide range of medical, dental and behavioral health services for families all over the region. Through its 21 locations, Neighborhood Healthcare provides quality care and essential services to members of the community regardless of their situation or circumstance.

When the pandemic caused by COVID-19 (a serious disease, often fatal, that is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus) made its way to the United States early in 2020, Neighborhood Healthcare, like so many healthcare institutions, was faced with devising a strategy to help keep patients and staff safe as well as maintain continuity of care.

Their strategy began with infection control.

"Being in the community healthcare industry, Neighborhood Healthcare was tracking all forms of prevention for infection control. We knew we had to do something for the safety of our staff, patients or any other occupants of our buildings," said Theodore Hanson, Facilities, Projects and Equipment Supervisor at Neighborhood Healthcare.

Neighborhood Healthcare began instituting rigorous cleaning protocols, but when early information about the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus showed that it was airborne, the team immediately took action and began to research air quality solutions to help mitigate the spread of the virus. That's when Theodore found IQAir.

"Through lots of research and discovering what air purifiers were used for control of the SARS virus in the early 2000s, I found that IQAir continually popped up in online searches and articles. This led to me doing further research on the product line. After comparing numerous devices on the market, the IQAir HealthPro Plus was the device I felt had the best fit for Neighborhood Healthcare,” shared Mr. Hanson.

There were a few factors that influenced Mr. Hanson in making the decision to procure IQAir's HealthPro Plus air purifiers for Neighborhood Healthcare. Those factors included levels of filtration and the cost of replacement filters.

"There were less expensive air purifiers available but none of them had the levels of filtration that I found with the IQAir product. Anything that was less expensive upfront did not have certification of its airflow and the replacement filter cost actually would make the unit more expensive over the span of five years of operation. Given that the warranty on this device is 10 years, we needed to ensure our ongoing cost of operation was fiscally responsible. Finally, the unit not only offered the three major types of filtration I was looking for, but it also offered the coverage of cubic feet that made sense for my application," said Hanson.

Once the purchase was made, Neighborhood Healthcare deployed HealthPro Plus air purifiers in one of its private dental operatories to help create negative pressure in the operatory and reduce the staff exposure to aerosols generated during dental procedures. Securing HealthPro Plus air purifiers allowed the dental departments at Neighborhood Healthcare to return to work sooner and feel more comfortable.

HealthPro Plus air purifiers were also deployed throughout the medical clinics in common areas as well as in almost every office with multiple occupants.

With the addition of HealthPro Plus air purifiers, Neighborhood Healthcare was able to focus on providing the quality healthcare that communities have come to depend on throughout the over 50-year history of this storied organization.

When asked if he had any advice for similar organizations considering air purification systems, Hanson responded, "Do your research and compare the IQAir products to other products on the market, but remember to look at the quality of device itself, the replacement filter costs and the life of the filters. I am confident that if you do that, you will come to the same conclusion that I did. IQAir is truly a great value and in the current environment we are in, this will be an invaluable tool for you in mitigating health concerns from poor air quality."