New Binder Lift Purchased for VMH Ambulance Thanks to Local Memorial Donation

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service was recently able to purchase a Binder Lift thanks to the funds that had been collected through memorial donations to the hospital’s Foundation.  This Binder Lift will greatly assist the emergency medical team with lifting patients off the ground.  It has over 24 different handles to grab to help responders lift patients out of restricted, crammed areas, such as around the toilet, and can be used on patients weighing from 80 to 800 pounds. 

                The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation often receives donations in memory of a loved one when they pass.  Many donors do choose to apply their donation to a certain department within the hospital that most touched their lives.  Those gifts are placed in a restricted fund for that department to use when they have a need.  In this case, the VMH Ambulance Service agreed their pool of funds at this time would best be used for this new Binder Lift. 

                 “One in every two EMS providers will sustain an on-the-job back injury.  This lift will help us prevent those injuries whenever we need to lift patients from smaller, confined spaces,” explains McLain Swauger, EMS Supervisor.  “This equipment not only protects our  providers, but our patients as well.  With this lift, we will not have to pull on their arms, and gives them more of a cushion and more lifting points.  It will be very helpful especially when we have a limited staff.”

               This purchase is another example of how memorial gifts continue to make a lasting impact on patient care and the safety of Veterans Memorial Hospital staff and patients.  For information about donating to the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation, please contact Beth Shafer, Growth and Development Coordinator, at 563-568-3411.