Allergy Technologies’ ATAHC program reports first-year results

IMAGE: ALLERGY TECHNOLOGIES

As Pest Management Professional (PMP) reported in February 2020, Ambler, Pa.-based Allergy Technologies developed and implemented the Allergy Technologies Affordable Housing Control (ATAHC) and Prevention Program against bed bugs in a 470-unit affordable housing facility in Philadelphia, Pa. The two-year ATAHC program, pronounced “attack,” is now reporting its first-year results. Per a news release from Allergy Technologies, makers of ActiveGuard mattress liners, highlights include:

• More than 97 percent of the facility’s residential units had no bed bug reintroductions. Compare this to more than 80 bed bug incidents being reported annually before the program’s implementation.
• Facility managers realized a bed bug-related expense reduction of more than 35 percent in Year One, with greater savings expected in Year Two.
• Facility residents and staff experienced a 40 percent reduction in contact time with pest management professionals.
• Residents reported satisfaction in that they no longer have to take time off from work to wait for appointments, nor spend money on self-treating with DIY methods.
• The building manage reported “significant improvement” in operating efficiencies, driven by the reduction in day-to-day disruption from tenant complaints and frequent service technician visits.

ATAHC incorporates an initial facility-wide screening and subsequent treatment of infested residential units, immediately lowering the bed bug population. The installation of long-acting preventive measures property-wide ensures that the bed bug population stays under control.

“Early detection and intervention are core tenets of the ATAHC program,” Allergy Technologies President Joseph Latino said in the news release. “But a key component of the program’s success comes from having our ATAHC team work collaboratively with residents, property management and professional pest control providers.”

Allergy Technologies has long championed fighting bed bugs Philadelphia. In addition to ATAHC, Gus Carey, founder and managing director of Allergy Technologies, donated $100,000 worth of ActiveGuard mattress liners to the Philadelphia Housing Authority building complex. He is pleased with the results of the ATAHC program thus far.

“The residents of affordable housing are now primed to have their lives changed due to our groundbreaking ATAHC program,” he said in the news release. “We are touched by the positive responses from residents and staff at the Philadelphia facility, and so appreciate the support and encouragement of Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark Squilla and the assistance of entomologist Dr. Jim Ballard. Together, we have been able to provide a solution to a huge unmet need in an environment that desperately needs effective bed bug prevention. Our expectation is this novel strategic program, which has saved money while significantly improving quality of life for the residents and staff, will be replicated in affordable housing communities and other multi-occupant dwelling environs throughout the U.S.”

In the news release, Latino thanked Corbett Exterminating, which helped implement the ATAHC program. Other companies that “made significant product donations and lent their professional time” to support the effort include Key K9, Rockwell Labs, Bayer Environmental Science, Target Specialty Products and MGK.