Glo Germ: Handwashing, aseptic & isolation techniques, infection control

Glo Germ success with health care workers in Cameroon

Joe,

About a year ago my parents came to visit me in my village in Cameroon where I work in Public Health as a Peace Corps Volunteer. They brought me some GloGerm products that you had graciously donated. I am back in the US on vacation and have access to great internet and wanted to thank you again. I used the GloGerm products with health care workers from my rural health district in the mountains of western Cameroon. After working with them on these hygiene concepts and using your
products, hand washing compliance has increased. As part of a cholera prevention campaign during a cholera outbreak, I also worked with over 1000 school aged children on these hand washing concepts. Thank you so much for your donation! Attached is a picture of me and the health care workers at one of the rural hospitals.

Sincerely,
Kimberly Peven, RN
MPH Candidate
International Health & Development
Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine

Glo Germ featured in Educational Dealer Magazine

Click links to see these pages:
http://editiondigital.net/publication/?i=71469&p=29
http://editiondigital.net/publication/?i=71469&p=48

Glo-Germ’s Impact at Dr. Oz’s HealthCorps Health Fair at Thomas McKean High School

On Monday 22 November 2010, Thomas McKean High School hosted the first annual Highlander Health Fair presented by Molly Alawode, the HealthCorps coordinator, and the school’s Wellness Council. HealthCorps, a proactive health movement founded by heart surgeon and Emmy Award-winning talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz, is fighting the obesity and mental resilience crises by empowering American students and their families to become health agents of change for their communities. A 501(C)3, HealthCorps is helping the country reach the tipping point towards wellness now and for the future of our children.

The health fair, themed “Make Good Health Your State of Mind”, encouraged students to make smart decisions about their health. Walking through the fair felt like a road trip, as each booth highlighted a different state of health. Students received a stamp in their "passports" for each booth they visited. Students who obtained more than five stamps earned a prize. Each station was managed by a teacher in the Wellness Council or community volunteer and one student. The booths included:

- A Glo-Germ hygiene station to emphasize the importance of hand washing
- A competitive (healthy) eating competition to challenge students to eat more fruits and vegetables
- A booth modeled after Eat This, Not That to encourage healthy snacking
- A vegetarian Thanksgiving tasting to show students that there are tasty meat alternatives
- A high-energy obstacle course... because it's fun!
- A Hoopnotica station to challenge students to try this unique workout style
- A positivitree to publicly display students' self-affirmations
- A chiropractor/masseuse to illustrate the importance of spinal alignment
- Meditation to calm and center students
- Stress ball construction to demonstrate how easy they are to make
- Blood pressure testing to inform students of their health status
- A lung and tar exhibition by the American Lung Association to visually depict the dangers of smoking

The students loved the Glo-Germ booth! This station was run by the school nurse and a group of student volunteers. They spread the Glo-Germ powder on the table. Then they told booth visitors to pretend that the table was their 8th period desk. The booth visitors touched the desk as if they were in class and got the powder all over their hands. Then the booth attendants shined the black light on everyone’s hands and they were shocked at what they saw: germs in every crevice of their hands and fingernails! They were also amazed by how many germs are on items found in schools, like desks, doorknobs, chairs, etc. The attached photos better illustrate their astonishment.

Rutgers University Chapter of UNICEF trains children in handwashing at orphanage in La Colorado, Honduras

Dear Mr. Kingsley,

19 members and I from the Rutgers University Chapter of Unicef lived at an orphanage in La Colorado, Honduras for two weeks. For the first week, we helped the children and the people running the orphanage. As for the second week, we ran a one -week camp, covering certain topics to teach the children English. Some of these topics were greetings, numbers, the alphabet, seasons, and the parts of the body. We also discussed specific public health topics with the children, such as hand washing, nutrition and health, dental hygiene, and abuse and violence.

On January 10, 2011, the members from the Rutgers University chapter of Unicef began their one-week camp for the children of a town in Honduras. The hand-washing lesson was the first public health topic discussed with the children.

For the hand-washing lesson, we had three stations set up because many children had arrived for the camp. One station had a power point and a video dealing with how,when, and why the children should wash their hands. The next station was a short skit done by the college students in Spanish on the germs that may affect the children if they didn’t wash their hands. And finally our last station was about the “Glow Germ kit” that made the “germs” visible to everyone.

The children all sat in a circle and started to rub their hands as we put powder in them one by one. As the UV flashlight’s light reached their hands, the children’s expressions conveyed it all. Their eyes grew large in surprise and shock. Some children couldn’t believe how many “germs” they contained on their hands. One child said, “put it on my feet too!” You could just see and hear their excitement as some yelped- while the little ones put their hands over their mouth because they were taken aback.

After using the flashlight, we told them to wash their hands thoroughly and asked them to look at their hands to see if any germs were still there. After washing their hands though, many still had some ‘germs’ on their hands and if any of the college students said, “Oh, Oh, not good,” the children quickly ran back to a faucet nearby, to wash their hands yet again. They came running back and wanted to see if the “glowing germs” had disappeared-, which they had! And finally, only then would a smile and a sigh of relief come on their faces because the germs had disappeared.

By observing their reactions, I realized the children had a better understanding of the importance of washing their hands and were going to incorporate it more in their lives. It made everybody, from the ages of three to fourteen - even the caretakers of the orphanage, realize how important hand washing really was.

On behalf of the Honduras travel team, we are very grateful to the Glo Germ Company for your donation and want to thank you for giving the children a chance to experience this great opportunity to learn in an educational, yet, fun and captivating way that they will remember.

Sincerely,
Priya Parikh and the RU UNICEF Honduras Team

Glo Germ handwashing demonstration at
Pinellas Central 3rd-grade class

Dear Mr. Kingsley,

Thank you again for your generous donation of the GloGerm mini kit. On Novemeber 17, 2010 two fellow students and I went to Pinellas Central Elementary School in Pinellas Park, Fl. We presented a hand washing demonstartion to Mrs. Beckenstein's 3rd grade class.

The experience was amazing. The kids were energetic and so ready to learn with the handouts that were provided in your kit. They were competitive to see who got to wash their hands first, who finished the crosswords and handouts first. We have been focusing on child care throughout the semester and child abuse in psych, so actually working with the children and seeing them so happy to learn, and the way they were interested in our presentation, was a first hand teaching opportunity tool that just would not have been the same without your GloGerm kit.

As you can see from the smiling faces in the pictures the kids had a great time and learned alot too. They could not believe how many areas they missed when they washed their hands. I particularly like the picture of the students hand where it shows the spots he missed under the black light. It turned out great, didn't it? Your product is an awesome teaching tool.

Thanks again!
Jessica Monroe and Spohat Tep

Glo Germ and Sore No More donate materials for Carol Miles mission to train nurses, staff, and children in Vietnam

Carol L. Miles RN, BSN
Vital Links for Humanity, Inc.
PO Box 1496/ 2783 Feiner Lane
Eagle River, WI 54521-1496

Kids have fun and learn about handwashing at Concord Christian Academy

Dear Joe and Misha,

The children at Concord Christian Academy have clean hands AND a pure heart. That's right, on Thursday, January 21, 2010 grades pre-k through 6th grade were given an in-service with demonstrations on hand-washing. Supplies were donated by Glo Germ Company. The children all learned that germs and bacteria can not be seen by the human eye. A demonstration using a spray water bottle showed how germs and bacteria can travel from one student to another very easily. Water was sprayed on one students hand then they would touch the desk, then another student would touch the same spot on the desk and showed the class that their hand too was then wet. Their hands never even touched. Germs and bacteria travel in much the same way. The childrens voices were elevated as they saw their hands under the ultra-violet light with the "glowing germs" from the lotion given by the Glo Germ Company.

The kids then washed their hands and repeated the process to see if they had washed their hands thouroughly. They learned that there are places they should not forget when hand washing, especially around the fingernails and rings. The younger children did not always remember to wash the backs of their hands. Several children realized that cuts and scraps need a bit more soap and water for cleaning. After the fun was had the children completed their game or coloring sheet on hand-washing while Tom and Sue Calkins gave instructions on exactly how to wash hands thouroughly to keep all the children happy and healthy at Concord Christian Academy. Lastly, the children signed their name at the bottom of their instruction sheet to pledge to wash their hands and all agreed to support and encourage one another in doing so. Fun was had by all. The whisper of clean hands continued even into the proceeding days at school.

Thank you to the Glo Germ Company for providing the supplies for this possibly life saving in-service to our school. The pictures show all the fun. The last 3 pictures are of the second grade class. The first two are of them thanking the Glo Germ Company and the last one is of them acting like the germs are all over their bodies.

Thanks again and God Bless,

Tom and Sue Calkins

Elementary Education Project

Kara Streit is an Elementary Education student at Ball State University. She recently had to complete a project for a health science fair for third grade students. Kara was able to incorporate Glo Germ into her project and the following text and pictures are the result. Thank you Kara for sharing your work with us.

Throughout the day of the health fair we had approximately 200 students attend our booth. We discussed with the students what a germ is, how germs are spread, and how to stop germs from spreading. Our main focus however was to center on how to stop germs from spreading. This brought in the Glo Germ activity for the students to participate, which they really enjoyed. We had the students rub the Glo Germ lotion on their hands and view them under the black light. A majority of the students were shocked at the way their hands looked under the ultra-violet light. Throughout the experiments, students kept saying that they were going to start washing their hands better.

My group and I really enjoyed this activity and presentation for the students. We were excited to present it to them and work with them on how to help prevent the spread of germs. We just want to thank you again for your generosity for the donation that we received from the Glo Germ Company. It greatly helped the students and even us as a group become more aware about germs and how important it is to wash your hands very well on a regular basis.

—Karen Streit

Glo Germ used in Mexico

We've used GloGerm in our educational activities.
The response from the course's participants was great!

—Dr. Enrique Acosta
Use of Glo Germ in Mexico

4-H Club Project

Christopher Fales of Victoria, TX, recently used the Glo Germ product to teach his 4-H group about germs. "Everyone really liked seeing how easy germs are spread," said Christopher. "And everyone had a great time while learning."

Congratulations Christopher on a great job teaching others about germs.

Girl Scout Troop learns benefits of handwashing

Dear Mr. Kingsley,

Thank you very much for the opportunity to show my sixth grade girl scout troop the benefits of thorough hand-washing. I purchased one of your kits last month and our troop used it during a progressive sleepover dinner. During the evening, the girls completed activities to earn a junior badge called “Let’s Get Cooking”. One of the activities was called “Keeping It Clean” and suggested using apples, jars and clean hands and dirty hands. The activity was to take two apple pieces, wash one apple piece and then wipe it with dirty hands and place it in a sealed jar labeling it “dirty hands”. Then after washing hands, you are to take the second apple piece and wash it, then wipe it with clean hands and place it in a second sealed jar labeling this jar “squeaky-clean”. After one week, the girls are to observe both apple pieces and answer questions such as: Are there any differences? And how does this experiment demonstrate the importance of washing your hands?

I learned of your product through a friend a few months ago and when I read the above activity from our girl scout badgebook, I immediately thought of glo-germ. I thought that it would be really great if the girls could earn the cooking badge in one evening and not have to wait a week. Also, after spending some time at your web-site, I was convinced that your product would show the girls not just how important it is to wash their hands, but to really wash them thoroughly and to think about how easily and quickly our hands can pick up germs from anything and everything.

Thank you again for such a great, fun and educational experience. And thank you for allowing a discount on your kit provided our girls wrote down their observations and reactions. Attached are their comments. I’m giving this kit to our service unit leader so that other troops in our service unit can reap the same benefits we did.

Sincerely,
Maria Betten
Leader of G.S. Troop 544 of Allen, TX
(A troop from Service Unit 108)

Glo-germ observations and reactions from Girl Scout Troop 544 from Allen, TX. (sixth grade girls)

“I thought the germ thing was great! I learned a lot about washing hands.”

“I was grossed out! I freaked! It was awesome!”

“The germ thing was awesome!” I never knew there could be so many germs in one place!!!”

“That was cool but gross. After seeing my hands, I’m going to carry purell in my purse and use it every time I touch something. Thanks for the cool experience.”

“I thought it was very interesting to see how many germs really are on my hands.”

“The germs were very big! I loved it!”

“It was really cool but it itched. I loved it, but it was so gross!”

“I thought the germ thing was pretty cool, but it was disgusting.”

“I thought it was cool and disgusting to see all the germs.”

Preventing Dry Skin

Below is an inservice I put together on dry skin for a handwashing push during Infection Control Week. I've always loved the Glo Germ products for teaching handwashing. My favorite place to teach is school - the kids get such a kick out of their glowing hands! I would like to submit this to your on-line newsletter or letters to the editor in your catalogue.

Objective: The employee will be able to state three measures to help prevent dry skin.

Your skin protects you from exposure to harmful irritants and potentially pathogenic organisms (also called germs). Damage to the skin (ex: dry skin, chafed, cracking, etc.) negates this barrier function. This may allow disease causing germs to "get under your skin!" Non-intact skin increases your risk of acquiring a bloodborne disease if your bare skin is exposed to blood or body fluids or acquiring a skin infection if exposed to bacteria.

Cold weather, low humidity, age, dietary deficiencies, some medications, some medical conditions, frequent handwashing, and exposure to harsh products and chemicals contribute to dry skin.

Ways to help prevent the development of dry skin include:
Wear gloves and warm clothing when it is cold.
Wash with warm, not hot, water. Hot water opens your pores and allows natural oils to escape.
Pat your skin dry rather than rubbing roughly with paper towels (saves your outer layer of skin!)
Wear protective gloves when cleaning or handling chemicals (at home and at work). Nitrile gloves are generally the most chemically resistant.
Use skin care products that are mild, pH balanced, and dermatologist tested.
Apply appropriate moisturizers often, preferably when the skin is damp. This is best at night when you can put on cotton gloves to retain the moisture. Paraffin hand baths can also help to replace moisture to dry skin.
Seek guidance from a dermatologist for severe cracking, chapping or breakdown.

Healthcare workers who have direct patient care should not work with open, abraded or cracked skin. It is the workers responsibility to report this condition to his/her immediate supervisor for adjustment in job duties or appropriate referrals.

Take care of your skin at home too. A "recipe" for healthy skin: Always wear a sunscreen with and SPF of at least 15, look for one with UVA and UVB protection. Avoid the sun in the middle of the day. Cloudy weather doesn't protect you from the sun's damaging rays, so wear sun block then too. Avoid tanning booths, they are as damaging to the skin as the sun's rays. Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables containing antioxidants needed for healthy skin. Don't smoke and avoid second hand smoke.

Resource: APIC Guideline for Handwashing and Hand Antisepsis in Health Care Settings

PREVENTING DRY SKIN ANSWER SHEET

Name:__________________________ Unit___________ Date:______

1. Name three measures that can be taken to prevent dry skin.
a.
b.
c.
submitted by: BugGal1989@aol.com

1. Hand shake.

I sprinkle a small amount of Glo Germ powder (like pepper on a salad) on my hand which I use to 'shake hands' with. Then, just shake the open hand out over the floor to get the excess to drop off. (This has the best effect when done without the students seeing you put the powder on your hands. When I have not choice, but put the powder on in front off my 'victims'; I always say to their face: YOU DID NOT SEE ME DO THIS, OKAY??...and they almost always say,Okay!). Shake hands with the first student and then the best demo is to have that student shake hands with a second and so on....the Glo Germ trace will usually go to 5 to 6 students...if you can see the Glo Germ under the UV light...you will have caught the flu or whatever you name the "bug". A variant of the above is when the 'victims' do not know of the Glo Germ's presence and you let 15 to 20 min go by to let the natural contacts continue. This is even more striking!

2. Dry aerosol.

This can be done by two 'powder puffs' and a fan; making sure the powder is blowing in an area or direction in which people are NOT in the air flow. The powder is a lung irritant when air borne, but not toxic...

3. Wet aerosol.

ie a sneeze....Take two heaping tablespoons of Glo Germ powder and mix thoroughly with two cups of olive oil (or similar type of light oil). Let settle over night and then decanter as much of the oil out as possible. Get the remaining oil out by putting the mixture into cloth and wring out any additional oil. Mix the oil coated powder into a pint of water. Shake well. This solution can then be put into a spray bottle for the simulation of a sneeze or wet bio security attack. Please note if the solution spoils any clothing, it can be washed in warm water and Tide liquid. Do not wash clothing with Glo Germ contamination in Hot water. The Glo Germ particles have a very low thermal mass and will 'melt' into the cloth permanently.

Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands song

Produced by Stamford, CT Public Schools- Springdale Elementary School – 10/01/08
(Sing to Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Wash, Wash, Wash your hands
Several times a day
Soap and water always work
To Send the germs away

Dry, Dry, Dry your hands
Every time you wash
If you dry them every time
The germs you're sure to squash

Brush, Brush, Brush your teeth
Every day and night
Brush, rinse, and spit……
Your smile will be bright

Wear, Wear, Wear warm clothes
Zip you jacket closed
Then you will not catch a cold
And have to blow your nose

Blow, Blow, Blow your nose
Then go wash your hands
Boogers running down your face
Really isn't grand

Cover, Cover, Cover your cough
Please use your arm
Keep the germs away from friends
So they can do no harm

Eat, Eat, Eat each day
Breakfast is the rule
Then you will be smart and strong
And never will miss school

Water and Health for Deou

Deou is a poor and isolated region in Burkina Faso, one of the world's poorest countries. The area suffers a severe water shortage in the dry season as wells dry up, cattle and crops die and women and children travel long distancesfor enough water to survive. Health is threatened by lack of clean water and improper sanitation and hygiene practices, and diarrhoeal disease is rampant.

The Tucson-based non-profit, the Watershed Management Group (WMG), worked with Deou and a local partner NGO to teach farmers how to capture rainwater and recharge their aquifer to provide water during the dry season. WMG also put on a sanitation and hygiene campagin with special emphasis on children. The overall goal of the project was to increase water availabilty and to reduce health issues related to water-borne diseases and improper sanitation practices, with special emphasis on increasing hand washing with soap. This report summarizes the sanitation campaign...

Read whole article (PDF)

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