Chris Hermann, a Georgia Tech graduate with a doctorate in Bioengineering, is founder and chief executive of Clean Hands – Safe Hands.
Clean Hands – Safe Hands, a developer of comprehensive hand hygiene solutions to improve patient care and save lives, formed a strategic relationship with Georgia-Pacific’s GP PRO unit, a leading provider of hygienic dispensing systems for healthcare and other industries. The two companies will collaborate on initiatives to help reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs). Recently, the two companies joined forces in the implementation of a hand hygiene solution for a 600-bed teaching hospital in Georgia.
Clean Hands – Safe Hands is an Atlanta health care technology startup company in the Advanced Technology Development Center’s ATDC Signature portfolio. Before joining ATDC, the company developed and formed as a startup in VentureLab, a Tech incubator that helps Institute faculty, researchers, staff, and students commercialize their research ideas into viable enterprises.
“We are delighted to add Georgia-Pacific to our partners,” said Chris Hermann, Clean Hands – Safe Hands’ CEO. “GP PRO is known for its dispensing technology, which anchors our hand hygiene performance system for hospital clinicians. We look forward to a productive partnership as we explore new ways our products can complement each other and bring added value to hospitals in their quest to reduce health care associated infections (HAIs).”
Clean Hands – Safe Hands takes a personal-best approach to hand hygiene in hospitals. The company grew out of a multi-institution research consortium. The technology was developed for clinicians – by clinicians to meet their real world needs around hand hygiene. A badge reel worn by doctors, nurses and other staff communicates via Bluetooth connection with a device attached to alcohol and soap dispensers. If anyone forgets to wash their hands when entering a patient room, a gentle, non-disruptive voice reminder prompts them to do so. Sensors on the dispensers gather data to encourage ongoing improvement for clinical healthcare individuals and teams.
“After an extensive search, we chose to partner with Clean Hands – Safe Hands. The company offers unique advantages around hygiene solutions,” said Bill Tracey, vice president and general manager of skin care, GP PRO. “The technology complements the current GP PRO portfolio of hand hygiene products for the healthcare environment.”
Clean Hands – Safe Hands case studies show a 300 percent improvement following voice reminder implementation, a 75 percent reduction in HAIs in ICUs, and an 80 percent reduction in clostridium difficile — a bacteria infection — across two facilities, with net savings greater than $1 million per facility.
