NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Diabetes Association and the Father’s Day Council of New Orleans recently honored Joseph Authement, senior vice president of global sales at Xenex Disinfection Services, for his commitment to help stop diabetes.
Authement’s dedication to improving healthcare is deeply personal. His father, Rickey Authement, contracted a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection during a hospital stay and has struggled with the side effects of his ongoing battle with MRSA for nearly a decade. Joseph’s father suffers daily and must walk with a cane. He was recently hospitalized to treat complications resulting from his diabetes, and Joseph arranged for a Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot™ to disinfect his father’s room at the skilled nursing facility in New Orleans where Rickey received rehabilitation treatment.
“Xenex’s mission is to stop the pain, suffering and deaths caused by hospital acquired infections by destroying the pathogens that cause them. Every day I’m reminded of our mission when I watch my father continue to suffer from the MRSA infection he contracted in a New Orleans hospital years ago,” said Joseph Authement. “People who suffer from diabetes are more likely to contract a healthcare associated infection (HAI). I’m honored to be recognized by the American Diabetes Association and I look forward to a day when no one has to suffer from an infection they pick up during their hospital stay or the complications of diabetes.”
Xenex LightStrike™ Germ-Zapping Robots are the only portable, broad spectrum ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system that quickly destroys antibiotic-resistant bacteria in healthcare facilities. More than 350 hospitals, long-term acute care, outpatient surgery and skilled nursing facilities use Xenex’s pulsed xenon UV room disinfection technology to destroy deadly superbugs before they harm patients and hospital employees. Xenex Germ-Zapping Robots have been credited for helping healthcare facilities in the U.S. decrease their MRSA (by 50%), Clostridium difficile (C.diff) (by 70%) and Surgical Site (by 100%) infection rates according to studies published in peer-reviewed journals. Xenex robots use pulsed xenon to create highly intense light covering the entire germicidal spectrum and are the only UV disinfection technology shown, in multiple peer-reviewed published studies, to help hospitals reduce infection rates.
A graduate of Jesuit High School of New Orleans, Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans (MBA degree), Authement spent much of his career at Medtronic and then at Intuitive Surgical, Inc., where he was one of Intuitive’s leading sales executives before taking on the sales leadership position at Xenex. He is a member of the board of trustees for the National WWII Museum and Volunteers of America (New Orleans chapter). Authement donated a Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot to his alma mater, Jesuit High School, in 2015.
“Jesuit taught me about being a man for others and serving my community. At Xenex, we want to eradicate the pathogens that cause infections and pose a threat to patients and hospital workers. Germs and bacteria can also cause outbreaks in schools and locker rooms among students, athletes, and sometimes entire teams. Whether it’s preventing my father from contracting another HAI, or preventing student athletes from contracting a MRSA infection, I’m honored to be able to serve my community by destroying the pathogens that cause infections,” said Authement.
According to the American Diabetes Association, Authement was one of four fathers selected Father of the Year based on their ability to balance their personal and professional lives, and serve as a role model for their children, while making a positive difference in their communities. The New Orleans Father’s Day Council is made up of professionals throughout the New Orleans area and select the fathers from nominations the council receives.
For more information on the Father of the Year Awards, visit www.diabetes.org/foty.
About Xenex Disinfection Services
Xenex’s patented pulsed xenon UV room disinfection system is used for the advanced disinfection of healthcare facilities. Due to its speed and ease of use, the Xenex system has proven to integrate smoothly into hospital cleaning operations. The Xenex mission is to save lives and reduce suffering by eliminating the deadly microorganisms that cause hospital acquired infections. The company is based in San Antonio and backed by well-known investors that include Malin Corporation, Battery Ventures, Targeted Technology Fund II, and RK Ventures. For more information, visit www.xenex.com.
