Transforming Rural Health Care: Real-Time Medical-Grade Fluid Recycling System to Support Rural Vermont Hospitals

Healthcare systems, particularly rural and disaster-prone regions, face critical vulnerabilities in maintaining reliable supplies of medical-grade fluids such as sterile saline and purified water. In many rural hospitals, including those in Vermont’s geographically isolated and mountainous regions, dependence on distant distributors creates persistent supply chain fragility. During the 2023 floods rural hospitals had to pause planned procedures due to these limitations.

Rural healthcare providers can experience shortages of essential sterile fluids needed for routine care, surgical procedures, wound irrigation, IV hydration, and emergency treatment. These gaps directly impact patient safety, clinical outcomes, and operational stability, while also increasing inequities between rural and urban healthcare systems.

This project proposes the development and deployment of a decentralized, real-time Medical-Grade Fluid Recycling System (RECLAIM) that enables on-site production of sterile saline and purified water for rural healthcare settings.

RECLAIM is a portable, modular system designed for hospitals, mobile clinics, and disaster response environments. It integrates multi-stage treatment processes including pretreatment, ultrafiltration with electrochemical cleaning, electrochemical oxidation, activated carbon filtration, forward/reverse osmosis, and UV-C disinfection. The system is designed for continuous, on-demand production of medical-grade fluids that meet clinical standards, while maintaining a low energy footprint and real-time monitoring for safety and reliability.

The project has two core goals: prototype development and pilot deployment with Porter Medical Center, and the development of a regulatory and commercialization pathway for this novel technology.

The project also includes a strong educational and workforce development component, engaging UVM students across engineering, medicine, and business, while leveraging institutional resources such as the Center for Biomedical Innovation (CBI) and the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center.

This initiative is a multidisciplinary collaboration anchored at the University of Vermont and extended through healthcare, manufacturing, and innovation partners across the state. Faculty from the College of Engineering, Larner College of Medicine, and CBI, which will lead system design, clinical integration, and prototyping. Student interns from the Department of Engineering and the Grossman School of Business will provide commercialization support for the novel RECLAIM technology. Porter Medical Center and other rural Vermont healthcare providers will provide clinical validation, pilot deployment sites, and give real-world feedback.