Illinois Department of Public Health-Springfield Turns to Red Bag Solutions' SSM-150 for Infectious Medical Waste Disposal

For Immediate Release
November 25, 2003

Contact: William D. Norton, President and Chief Operating Officer
Red Bag Solutions
3431 Benson Avenue
Suite 100
Baltimore, MD 21227
443-524-4245

Red Bag Solutions announced today that the Illinois Department of Public Health’ has installed an SSM-150 unit to manage and dispose of infectious medical waste at its Springfield location. “We assessed the positive results the SSM technology achieved at our Chicago location during the past two years,” said Bernard (Tom) Johnson, Acting Chief, Division of Laboratories, Illinois Department of Public Health, “and decided the SSM-150 offered us several advantages that other technologies could not match.”

The SSM-150 simultaneously combines steam sterilization with maceration (SSM) to process waste on-site, in a single step. It transforms infectious medical waste, including sharps and sharps containers, into a sterile, non-hazardous, and non-recognizable confetti-like material that can be disposed of as ordinary municipal trash. In addition to its ability to significantly reduce a lab’s expenses associated with waste disposal, this revolutionary, patented technology is also noted for its ease of operation and its compatibility with the environment. “Less handling and transporting of infectious waste is required when using the SSM-150 as opposed to alternative methods. And although it is powerful enough to sterilize up to 200 pounds of waste per hour, just a few hours of training were necessary to train our personnel to become fully knowledgeable on the operational aspects of the equipment,” stated Mr. Johnson. 

“After using the SSM for several weeks, the on-site technology has met our needs for sterilizing and rendering unrecognizable our many types of waste, including used sample submission containers, agar and culture plates, blood tubes, enteric containers, water bottles, etc. It is particularly valuable in sterilizing and destroying both clinical and environmental laboratory samples and materials without producing any odors or harmful emissions ” noted Mr. Johnson.

Unlike any other technology, the SSM provided IDPH a unit with a footprint small enough to fit within its limited available space and quiet enough that it is not disturbing to Lab personnel,” remarked Bill Norton, President of Red Bag Solutions.

“We are extremely pleased to have installed a SSM at another IDPH location for its on-going destruction and disposal of infectious medical waste and HIPAA-related media. Their satisfaction with our cost effective and environmentally safe operation in Chicago is a testament to the approach to service quality,” said Norton.

Red Bag Solutions provides on-site medical waste processing through either a capital purchase or complete turnkey program to hospitals, laboratories, biotech and pharmaceutical companies and clinical labs both in the United States and internationally. The web site is located at www.redbag.com for more information.

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