New beds improve safety at Marshfield hospital

Replacing 90% of the facility's beds costs $4.9 million

By Healthcare Facilities Today


Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield, Wis., recently tackled the job of assembling and replacing 300 beds throughout the facility, according to a Stevens Point Journal article.

About 90 percent of the hospital’s beds, some of which have been in use since the early 1980s, are being replaced. The project cost $4.9 million according to Wayne Pattengill, the hospital's director of environmental and central transport services.

The new beds are equipped with fall prevention mechanisms and alarms, which providers can program based on patient needs. Staff can program beds to sound an alarm if slight movement is detected for high fall-risk patients or program alarms to be less sensitive for low-risk patients. The beds can be programmed to alert staff if railings, bed height or head elevation has been changed, according to the article.

“These beds can go to a lower height, which reduces the risk of falls, and if a patient does fall, reduces the risk of injury,” said Saint Joseph’s Hospital wound care nurse Kathy Knetter, adding that pneumonia and aspiration risk will be reduced because staff can precisely program the angle of the bed.

 

Read the article.

 



September 11, 2013


Topic Area: Safety


Recent Posts

Case Study: How NYU Langone Rebuilt for Resilience After Superstorm Sandy

Although the damage was severe, it provided a valuable opportunity for NYU Langone to assess structural vulnerabilities and increase facility resilience.


Frederick Health Hospital Faces 5 Lawsuits Following Ransomware Attack

The lawsuits accuse FHH of inadequate cybersecurity, poor breach notification and failing to protect patients from identity theft risks.


Arkansas Methodist Medical Center and Baptist Memorial Health Care to Merge

They have signed a non-binding letter of intent to complete a shared mission agreement to merge the two organizations.


Ground Broken on Intermountain Saratoga Springs Multi-Specialty Clinic

The clinic is scheduled to open and start seeing patients in the fall of 2026.


Electrical Fire Tests Resilience of Massachusetts Hospital

Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital used opportunity to renovate key systems and components and expand facility operations.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.