COVID-19 Response: Portable Healthcare Lighting

Acuity Brands saw and met a major need for improved healthcare lighting in mobile hospitals treating Covid-19… all in less than two weeks!

Today marks the beginning of a new Expert Series on IndustrialSage– Bright Ideas by Acuity Brands®, hosted by Catherine Bruce. Today’s guest is Director of Product Development Kurt Vogel.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses had to shut down. However, Acuity Brands’ U.S. operations were considered to be an “Essential Business” and have remained open during the current pandemic. As the state of the nation shifted, their team spotted a need in the country’s medical response to the virus, and they met it– in just two short weeks, no less.

QUALITY LIGHTING IS VITAL FOR MOBILE HOSPITALS.

When stories reached Acuity’s ears of New York City’s filling hospitals and their emergency construction of temporary facilities, the Acuity Brands team immediately knew one thing for certain: the majority of mobile hospitals – whether they be tents in Central Park or converted convention centers elsewhere – cannot and should not get stuck with poor lighting arrangements.

Light poses a very key factor in the examination of patients. In fact, the Department of Defense (DoD), has even laid out very clear requirements of the treatment that every patient must receive at a mobile hospital. Not only must a light be generally bright for consistent diagnoses, but the color and consistency of a light is equally important. Those factors play directly into a medical professional’s ability to assess a patient’s coloration, flushing, and general condition.

Either these mobile hospitals would find themselves having to settle for mediocre or even poor illumination… or else they would recognize their need and there would be a swift demand for quality lighting in their temporary facilities.

ACUITY BRANDS DESIGNED A NEW FIXTURE FOR MOBILE FACILITIES TREATING PATIENTS.

A single phone call swiftly evolved into more as Acuity Brands assembled a team to brainstorm a solution that would hopefully not just meet, but exceed DoD standards for mobile hospitals. Over the course of the weekend, their team gathered more members from all sorts of company R&D divisions. Mechanics, electricians, lighting specialists, controllers, and manufacturing logistics staff collaborated until they had designed a brand new light fixture specifically for mobile healthcare units.

Acuity Brands reached out and collaborated with officials in New York to learn what the mobile hospitals most needed. Members of the Department of Defense contributed helpful guidance on logistics and packaging, to make sure that the new solution could be delivered and implemented swiftly.

Within just two weeks of the very first phone call when the idea was first proposed, the first shipment of the Portable Healthcare Light Stand (or PHLS) from Healthcare Lighting®, a brand of Acuity Brands, Inc., was rolling out of their facility and on its way to be installed.

THE NEW FIXTURE IS EASY FOR BOTH PATIENT TREATMENT AND RECOVERY.

The new Portable Healthcare Lighting Stand can be rapidly shipped and assembled or disassembled as needed. A single person can easily transport the wheeled module to its designated location and set it up in just a few minutes.

But the PHLS does more than just easily plug into standard power outlets and keep the main examination light a proper distance from the bed. Thanks to much of their feedback from officials on the front lines of this healthcare battle, Acuity Brands learned that most patients remain in these hospitals on an average of 10-14 days. During that time, constant bright light can affect their rest – just as much as poor illumination can hamper their medical treatment.

As a result, Acuity Brands also attached a smaller reading light to the stand. Patients can now control the light in their own personal space to read or stay awake, then turn it off when they’re ready to sleep. This arrangement provides a level of flexibility that mobile hospitals haven’t been able to possess before.

To learn more about the Portable Healthcare Lighting Stand, visit acuitybrands.com/resources/alternate-care-sites. And stick around for new installments of Bright Ideas by Acuity Brands every Wednesday!

 

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