COVID-19 continues to present new challenges to hospitals and other healthcare institutions. When it comes to maintaining and sustaining a safe, healthy, and clean facility, many feel like they're struggling to keep up at best or falling behind at worst.

Siemens remains committed to helping hospitals succeed. We're working to evaluate and plan for facilities that reduce the spread of infection, reduce operating costs, and instill confidence. And, we're working with our technology partners to advance and deploy innovations designed specifically to help healthcare institutions in these challenging times.

So, how can healthcare facilities rebound and continue with confidence? Siemens has identified seven areas where technology can help hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, and other medical buildings rise to the occasion in the coming months and years.

1. Reducing the spread of airborne and surface contaminants
Specific technologies are being deployed that can help facilities use UV light to decontaminate personal protective and other mobile equipment, leverage HVAC systems to render airborne contaminants harmless, and more precisely control pressurization to strategically reduce the spread of pathogens.

2. Improving indoor air quality
The Siemens Air IQ program provides institutions a detailed assessment of their indoor environment, helps them implement needed solutions, and supports them with ongoing service, including advanced filtration strategies.

3. Managing energy performance and power reliability
New HVAC strategies that promote a healthy environment can also push up energy consumption. Leveraging smarter use of outdoor air, improving visibility through energy dashboards, and ensuring performance through digital services, like remote monitoring, can keep energy usage in check.

4. Enabling social distancing
The latest technologies are creating a smarter way to work. We're implementing skin temperature screening and using video surveillance to manage building occupancy. Our Enlighted IoT solutions use sensor technology to support contact tracing, intelligent sanitization, and social distancing.

5. Providing real-time updates
Trust and transparency are more important than ever. Hospitals can keep employees informed on conditions and risks through an enterprise unified communication system such as Desigo Mass Notification, or a building-specific smartphone app enabled by our Enlighted IoT solution.

6. Sustain healthy and safe environments
A lot of institutions are trying to do more with a reduced in-house staff. We're helping facility teams enhance their capabilities through a combination of digital services to include remote monitoring and building system performance management, advanced analytics, and local onsite service that can help maintain and sustain a healthy environment.

7. Defer capital budgets
Responding to the challenges of COVID-19 has put unprecedented financial pressure on hospitals and healthcare institutions. Siemens has a long history of providing financing options that stretch capital budgets further and continue to do so in these challenging times.

To learn more about innovations for hospitals and all types of healthcare facilities, visit us online at usa.siemens.com/buildinghealthcare or click the Learn More button below.