About Us
Our Story
Over the last decade, Drs. Deal and Jones have been discussing the need for decontaminating the air in shared spaces, especially in the hospital setting, to reduce the spread of nosocomial, airborne infections. The doctors were distressed by the thought of vulnerable individuals breathing contaminated, shared air in the emergency department or radiology suite. In early 2020 when the SARS co-V – 2 coronavirus pandemic began, they knew they had to intervene. Taking opportunity to act on the previous decade of thoughts and plans, the Optuvus RM 23 air decontamination unit was born. Multiple variations of this technology have been adapted to create rapid and efficient decontamination of shared air. The ability to quickly make negative pressure isolation rooms with continuous air cleaning using germicidal ultraviolet light, cold plasma, HEPA filtration and organic monoterpene phenols has given hospitals a new tool to take care of surges of contagious illnesses. These technologies have been employed to protect staff and patients in places like the COVID infusion center, conference rooms, doctor’s offices, and the homes of immunocompromised patients going through chemotherapy.
Experienced Leadership
Jeffery Deal, M.D.
Dr. Deal is an inventor with a passion for helping others near or far. With over 17 patents he has led the way in innovation using germicidal ultraviolet light to reduce contagions in hospital operating rooms and other spaces. In 2020 he joined Dr. Jones to continue the fight against contagions.
Tim Jones, M.D.
Dr. Jones is passionate about preventive health and wellness and is determined to make the world a healthier place to be. After years of discussions and planning, he combined his experience and passion with Dr. Deal to do just that; to make the world a safer place to breathe.
Ed Manley has over forty years of experience in marketing and sales in the healthcare industry including thirty years in pharmaceutical sales and thirteen years in sales of healthcare disinfection equipment. He was an officer in the Army National Guard and served for twenty-one years. His military background contributes to his leadership skills and his understanding of the government marketplace and logistics. He is responsible for marketing and sales of the Optuvus.
Why OPTUVUS?
My Personal Passion
I have spent the last twelve years planning and learning how to make the world a safer place to breathe. When the COVID 19 pandemic came in 2022 I realized it was time for action. During 18months of working with Dr. Deal and CLEAN 254 (a thinktank made up of a multispecialty group of doctors, infection control specialists, a microbiologist, physicist, architect, and an engineer), we became experts on aqueous ozone, germicidal ultraviolet light in 180nm to 400nm frequencies, air flow and human behavior.
In 2023 Dr. Deal and I developed the first iteration of Optuvus, a tall sentinel that stood guard over the Roper COVID Infusion Center on the 5th floor of the hospital breathing out clean air after taking in air teaming with the dreaded virus. I expect this simple measure added a level of protection to the dedicated staff and certainly aided in preventing the spread of the virus throughout the hospital. This device was patented and is in the final stages of development along with other new innovations to help make the world a safer place to breathe.
Admitting I have a passion for health and having sworn an oath to do no harm, I take patient care seriously. My experience on the RSFH Quality and Safety Committee and St. Francis Hospital Board has brought the obvious needs we have in healthcare close to my heart.
Having learned many lessons about caring for patients (who are our friends, and neighbors and family), about the importance of understanding the role of airborne pathogens, fomites and droplet nuclei and the necessity to provide healthcare without contributing harm, antibiotic resistance, nosocomial infections or misinformation, I want to share first with you what I have learned.
It wasn’t until 2023 that the WHO admitted COVID was an airborne disease despite generous exclamations from world scientists demonstrating it was. Previously tuberculosis and measles were the only agreed upon airborne diseases. It has become obvious to many of us the nosocomial transmission of infectious diseases goes beyond the surface. Studies show MRSA is detected on the clothes of nurses entering isolation rooms despite appropriate donning of masks, gloves and gowns. Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) can be extracted from the air in patient care areas after non-infected patients who received antibiotics leave the ward. We know this increases the risk of the next hospitalized patient contracting the condition despite proper surface disinfection by EVS members. As we near 2030 we have a unique opportunity where we care for those in need while doing a better job of preventing harm by simply deploying well tested, safe and effective germicidal ultraviolet light in patient care areas. Handwashing, surface disinfection and proper isolation will always be important but decontaminating the air where pathogens are suspended and riding on the currents is simple, surprisingly cost effective and effective beyond expectation. Since we know these things and since we have the capacity to understand the Hippocratic Oath and while we are being responsible with the lives entrusted to us, we surely must do the right things and now is the time to embrace the Oath. Our goal: cleaning shared air in indoor spaces preventing the spread of airborne contagions making the world a safer, cleaner place to breathe. Our recommendations: 1. Prevent microbial resistance patterns 2. Deploy germicidal ultraviolet lights in patient care areas. 3. Deploy atmospheric cold plasma in patient care areas. 4. Improve ventilation through energy conserving modalities of air decontamination. In other words enhanced air cleaning and Optuvus deployment. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), particularly those spread via airborne transmission, remain a persistent threat to patient safety. While hand hygiene and surface disinfection have long been prioritized, we must now elevate air disinfection as an essential component of infection control. Obviously, respiratory pathogens are transmitted through the air either by droplet nuclei or through aerosolized particles. Airborne transmission has been studied in diseases like measles, tuberculosis, influenza, and COVID. In addition, we have come to learn that many diseases like methicillin staph aureus (MRSA), vancomycin resistant enterococcus (VRE), and C. Diff are aerosolized and can remain airborne for long periods of time, in fact most infectious diseases are at some point airborne. It is believed this airborne phase contributes to nosocomial infections. Cleaning surfaces is partly effective, but these suspended contagions eventually settle on surfaces where contact or ingestion can lead to infections. Germicidal Ultraviolet (GUV) systems, especially upper-room and whole-room UV-C applications proven effective and endorsed by the CDC and ASHRAE, have demonstrated efficacy in reducing airborne pathogens, including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and tuberculosis. Given the rise in antimicrobial resistance and the lingering risk of airborne diseases, we urge healthcare institutions to invest in GUV as a core strategy to protect both patients and staff. It’s time we bring clean air to the forefront of hospital safety. Optuvus works in four ways: HEPA filtration removes particles as small as 0. 3µm. GUV high dose destroys microbes with no human exposure. CAP Cold atmospheric plasma destroys and precipitates microbes and particulates from the air. Clean air output dilutes contagion concentrations. Changing the standards of positive pressure or negative pressure rooms preserving conditioned air reduces the expense while improving containment of organisms reducing the spread throughout workspaces.
