MENTOR, OH – Today, the Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, and the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Eric Hargan, joined Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) in visiting STERIS. Alocal medical equipment company headquartered in Mentor, STERIS has utilized its decontamination technologiesto ensure critical PPE can be reused by healthcare providers in Northeast Ohio and across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was honored to show two of our nation’s top health officials some of the innovative solutions our local healthcare companies are producing to help us overcome the COVID-19 crisis,” said Joyce. “Combatting this virus has been a herculean task for our medical professionals, but STERIS has helped ensure our doctors and nurses have the protection they need on the frontlines of this pandemic. Their work has proven just how important public-private partnerships are to our fight against COVID-19. With the government working hand in hand with health care innovators like STERIS, I know that we will bring this pandemic to an end and restore the health and safety of the American people.”

“We appreciated the opportunity to discuss STERIS with Deputy Secretary Hargan, Surgeon General Adams and Congressman Joyce. True to our mission to help our customers create a healthier and safer world, STERIS is working to do its part to offer solutions for healthcare providers on the front lines of this pandemic. An example is through our two Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs). While new, single-use masks are best, our healthcare providers need options in case we have another shortage of this crucial PPE item. We are one of many companies in the fight against COVID-19 and hope that our solutions provide some relief to those who need it most. For more information, visit steris.com/covid-19.”

Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted STERIS two Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs). The EUA process allows increased availability of medicines and health-related devices during public health emergencies. STERIS received these EUAs, the first on April 10th, 2020 and the second on May 21st, 2020, for its decontamination technologies which enable healthcare providers to decontaminate N95 Respirators on-site by utilizing certain AMSCO Steam Sterilizers and Non-Lumen Cycle of the V-PRO® Low Temperature Sterilization Systems. These technologies can provide up to 10 decontaminations per mask. STERIS estimates that these EUAs have allowed for the re-use of about 30 million masks per day.

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