In December 2017, the FDA issued a final rule in regards to triclosan and 23 other active ingredients in healthcare antiseptic products. They have given companies a year to remove antiseptics containing triclosan from their facilities.

Triclosan was originally added to products like healthcare antiseptics to reduce bacterial contamination. Currently, the FDA has no evidence that products containing triclosan are any more effective than products without it. Because of this, triclosan adds more risk than benefit to consumers.

Though studies are ongoing, some research has shown that triclosan has been associated with health risks and may contribute to antibiotic resistance. According to the FDA, companies have not been able to provide sufficient data regarding the safety and effectiveness of triclosan.

For healthcare facilities, this means taking a second look at your hand hygiene program and products. The Symmetry® Hand Hygiene Program is an FDA-compliant hand hygiene program. Symmetry hand washes and sanitizers are effective and triclosan-free. They are also gentle on the hands of healthcare workers who sanitize multiple times a day. Symmetry provides a variety of product options, including Green Seal™ certified products and fragrance-free products. The complete Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program can be customized to fit the needs of your facility.

For more information on how to improve your hand hygiene program or about the FDA’s triclosan ban, contact your local Buckeye representative.

The 2017-2018 flu season has been one of the worst in recent history and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu activity continues to rise. Influenza-like illness (ILI) activity has reached 7.7%, the highest level of ILI since the “swine flu” pandemic of 2009. Hospitalization rates are also the highest they’ve been since the CDC began tracking them.

The CDC recommends vaccination as the first line of defense against the flu and as the flu continues to spread across the U.S., it’s important to remember that it is often spread from person to person by coughing, sneezing, or touching.

According to the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO), hand hygiene is one of the most important steps in reducing the spread of germs.

Germs can live on your hands for up to three hours. In schools and healthcare facilities where illnesses like the flu can spread quickly without attention to proper hand hygiene practices, implementing the right hand hygiene program can have a huge impact on the spread of germs.

The Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program provides free hand hygiene program analysis to help you gain a better understanding of the issues affecting the well-being of employees, patients, or students in your facility. Symmetry considers products and tools alongside your facility’s specific hand hygiene needs to create a completely customized program.

Contact your local Buckeye representative to learn more about how your facility can tackle the flu and other hand hygiene issues with Symmetry.

 

For schools and government entities, the legal procurement process for vendor contracts can be difficult and time consuming. Choice Partners understands the challenges surrounding the legal procurement needs and government purchasing requirements. They offer procurement and contract solutions to meet strict government purchasing requirements. Choice Partners’ staff complete the procurement process to make contracts readily available to schools and other government entities. This saves the purchaser from drafting, publishing, reviewing, and awarding their own bid.

Through a competitive, legal evaluation process, Choice Partners has awarded Buckeye International a contract for custodial and janitorial equipment supplies. This contract covers all Buckeye programs and products, and means that Buckeye products are legally approved and offered at the best value. Purchasers have immediate access to the exact items tested and approved in their school district or government facility as well as a trained, local distributor to support their staff.

Buckeye’s maintenance programs include the Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program, Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program, Reflections^® Wood Floor Program, and Eco^® Proportioning Program. Because Buckeye products and programs are approved by Choice Partners, you can be sure you are purchasing safer products that make a positive impact on teachers, students, and the environment. Buckeye also has several Green Seal^™ certified products to further your facility’s green initiatives. Whatever your maintenance requirements, Buckeye offers a full line of maintenance products and supporting staff to address your needs and concerns.

Contact your local Buckeye representative to learn more about specific Buckeye programs and products.

Symmetry^® Hair, Hand and Body Foaming Wash is a product designed for general use, keeping your skin soft and smooth. It can also be used to wash hair without damaging it. It is dye-free with a fruity, floral fragrance and is available as both a gel and foaming product.

Symmetry Hair, Hand and Body Wash is biodegradable and Green Seal™ certified, meeting Green Seal Standard GS-41A based on effective performance and protective limits on VOCs and human & environmental toxicity. Like all Symmetry products, Hair, Hand and Body Foaming Wash comes in hermetically sealed, BPA-free packaging, ensuring all product is contaminate-free. Size options include 1250 ml and 2000 ml packaging. This packaging also evacuates 99% of the product, helping to eliminate product and budget waste.

Symmetry dispensers are “no-drip”, keeping counters and floors clean after every push. They are ADA compliant, come in multiple colors, and have large sight windows to check product levels.

The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program offers a complete line of hand hygiene products, including both hand washes and hand sanitizers. Symmetry also provides education and awareness tools, behavior modification tools, and training to increase hand hygiene awareness in your facility.

Contact your local Buckeye representative today to learn more about the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program in your facility.

This week (Oct 15-21) is International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). Each year, in the third week of October, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) hosts IIPW to educate both professionals and consumers on the role of infection prevention in patient safety. This year’s theme is Antibiotic Resistance. APIC has a complete toolkit available to help raise awareness about antibiotic resistance and other issues related to infection prevention.

Infection prevention has many facets. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), hand hygiene is one of the most important steps in reducing the spread of germs.

Buckeye developed the Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program to speak to the importance of hand hygiene in every facility. This complete program provides hand sanitizers and hand washes that reduce common disease-causing bacteria. For healthcare facilities, convenient point of care tools are available before, during, and after patient contact to improve the health and safety of patients and healthcare workers. Symmetry also comes with customizable awareness and education materials to help you maximize hand hygiene practices in your facility.

APIC also has a number of tools and resources to help spread awareness about infection prevention. These tools are accessible throughout Infection Prevention Week and beyond. For more information on Buckeye’s Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program, contact your local Buckeye representative.

 

Join us in celebrating International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW), October 15-21. The goal of International Infection Prevention Week is to raise awareness of the role of infection prevention in improving patient safety.

The theme of 2017 IIPW is Antibiotic Resistance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States, 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics each year. Of those 2 million, 23,000 people die as a result of the infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared antibiotic resistance one of the biggest global health threats facing the world today. Patients and families can help prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance by knowing when antibiotics work and when they don’t. Antibiotics work on bacterial infections but do not cure viral infections.

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is committed to preventing infections and provides resources for those who wish to participate in IIPW. These resources include social media memes, games and activities, polls and quizzes, e-cards, podcasts and videos, and more. On October 17 at 2 p.m. ET, APIC will also host a Twitter chat using #IIPWChat to discuss how healthcare providers, patients, and families can break the chain of infection in hospitals and other healthcare settings. Follow APIC on Twitter here.

According to the CDC and WHO, hand hygiene is one of the most important steps in reducing the spread of germs. Buckeye offers the Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program in support of infection prevention.

Contact your local Buckeye representative to find out more about the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program.

 

Symmetry® Moisturizing Hand Lotion gently moisturizes and conditions to alleviate dry hands. It has been tested by dermatologists and is compatible with latex, vinyl, nitrile, and CHG. It is fragrance-free, dye-free, and contains Aloe and vitamin E.

Like all Symmetry products, Symmetry Moisturizing Hand Lotion is dispensed from a no-drip system. Its packaging is hermetically sealed and contaminate free, guaranteeing 99% product evacuation. This means money won’t be wasted on product left in discarded containers.

The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program includes a complete line of hand hygiene products including lotions, hand sanitizers, and hand washes. Symmetry products reduce the spread of germs and their packaging is BPA (bisphenol A) free.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) state that hand hygiene is one of the most important steps in reducing the spread of germs. Symmetry manufactures products that people want to use to encourage hand hygiene acceptance in your facility. The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program comes complete with the Symmetry Behavior Modification System, a system that uses unique placards and signs with messages to inspire and maximize hand hygiene practices. Symmetry’s placards, signs, and dispensers can be customized with your color, logo, and message.

Contact your local Buckeye representative to test and evaluate Symmetry products in your facility.

On September 11-14, 2017 Buckeye will join the entire cleaning industry at ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America Trade Show and ISSA Convention, the largest industry trade show of the year, in Las Vegas, NV. ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America is where new strategies, insights, and products are on display. While there, discover opportunities to achieve greater profits and improved efficiency for your company.

Buckeye will be at ISSA to discuss the advantages of programs like our Eco^® Proportioning Program, Reflections^® Wood Floor Program, Hard Floor Care Program, and Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program. Learn about these programs and new products from Buckeye at booth #3943.

Join us and 16,000+ professionals in the cleaning industry including distributors, building service contractors, facility decision makers, and residential cleaning companies. Exhibitors from over 25 countries will be participating to showcase the latest products and services. ISSA/INTERCLEAN will have 60+ education seminars and training workshops as well as over 700 suppliers and equipment manufacturers.

Visit us in Las Vegas to share market insights and discover the value of Buckeye programs and products.

APIC, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the largest infection prevention conference in the world, is next week! From June 14th-16th in Portland, Oregon, healthcare professionals will come together to learn about advances in infection prevention.

This is the 44th Annual Conference. It will feature over 90 educational sessions and workshops, and over 270 exhibits. Thousands of healthcare professionals come to learn from infection prevention experts and experience the latest technology through hands-on demonstrations.

Visit the Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program booth #909. Clean hands are the first and simplest step to reducing the spread of germs. Learn how to increase hand hygiene compliance rates in your healthcare facility with the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program by visiting us at APIC.

To learn more about APIC, visit their website.

 

Hand hygiene noncompliance is a major contributor to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program accounts for the importance of hand hygiene acceptance and provides products that healthcare workers want to use.

One common hand hygiene problem encountered in healthcare facilities is complaints of hand dryness, itchiness, or redness after continued use of hand sanitizer. When these complaints arise, employees, patients and visitors are less likely to practice proper hand hygiene.

Facilities that test Symmetry products overwhelmingly choose Symmetry over other hand hygiene products in quality, fragrance, drying time, feel, and comfort.

Symmetry matches the quality of its products with its customizable options. Symmetry dispensers are ADA compliant and can be customized with colors, logos, and behavior modification placards to inspire hand hygiene. Customizable education and awareness tools such as signs, posters, and wall charts are also available to assist in creating a culture of hand hygiene.

Symmetry also offers various point-of-care items such as brackets, lanyards, and suction cups for healthcare workers, patients, and visitors needing quick access to hand sanitizer.

Above all, the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program recognizes that in order to achieve hand hygiene compliance in healthcare facilities, healthcare staff must like the product. If healthcare workers like the hand hygiene products, they will use those products and, as a result, help prevent HAIs.

Contact your Symmetry representative to schedule a Symmetry Challenge and evaluate the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program against other hand hygiene products.