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St. Boniface Hospital’s new Emergency Department will be welcoming and more accessible for all.
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St. Boniface Hospital’s new Emergency Department will be welcoming and more accessible for all.
The major redevelopment and expansion project underway at the Hospital will include at least three new bariatric exam rooms designed to accommodate the needs of plus-size patients.
Patients of more than 350 pounds require a bariatric hospital bed and other items. Such specialized items are already in use at the Hospital thanks to a private donation that helped purchase a suite of bariatric equipment last fall. Foundation donors Len and Ruth Carol Podheiser, of Winnipeg, stepped forward in 2021 and agreed to help pay for the equipment.Female doctor checking her patient suspected to be Covid positive. Sick woman have breathing issues and uses nebulizer. Coronavirus or Covid-19 home vaccination, prevention and pandemic protection concept.
The new items delivered to the Hospital in October included a bariatric wheelchair, a bariatric bed with mattress, a fully adjustable and motorized therapeutic chair, and a pair of padded harnesses for lifts used to move and reposition patients. The equipment can accommodate up to 650 or 1,000 pounds in some cases.
The additional width and weight capacity of the bariatric bed adds to a patient’s comfort. It reduces injury and supports productive recovery, said Rhonda Cairns, former Executive Director, Health Services & Chief Nursing Officer, St. Boniface Hospital.
“Rather than having a plus-size patient suffer the indignity of not fully fitting on a standard-sized hospital bed, placing the patient in a bariatric bed allows the patient to shift their position and ensure their own comfort while resting, as well as alleviates the fear of the bed tipping or breaking,” she said.
Let’s build the Emergency Department our community deserves. Donate today. stbhf.ca
This article is produced by the Advertising Department of the Winnipeg Free Press, in collaboration with St. Boniface Hospital Foundation