Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust Donates Patient Lifts

The Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust has given Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital $100,000 to fund power lifts to ensure safer lifting of patients as they transfer in and out of bed.

Nursing is one of the most dangerous jobs in America, and injuries due to lifting patients is one of the top threats to their safety. As a matter of fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics cites that lifting patients is the source of 45.6% of all reported injuries or illness by nurses. Overhead lifts reduce that risk dramatically.

“We began building an addition to our hospital specifically for adolescent children, and some of our nurses approached me about adding these overhead lifts,” says Nick Holekamp, MD, chief medical officer at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital. “We didn’t account for the lifts in the budget, but we knew this was important to our care team and essential for the safety of our staff and children. We had to install them now and hope for funding later.”

Fortunately, Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust responded to a grant request to fund the power lifts.

“The medical staff at Ranken Jordan provide children amazing care and always look for innovative ways to help them heal,” says Sarah Kramer, director of corporate contributions and community initiatives at Ameren Corporation. “These electric lifts allow kids to play, learn and explore – away from their hospital bed – which hopefully speeds-up their transitions back home. The lifts are a win for everyone.”

The lifts are used daily because the children at Ranken Jordan spend more than 70% of their waking hours outside of their bed. The hospital provides “Care Beyond the Bedside,” where kids heal through their natural instinct to play. Therapy may be provided or complimented by music, art, horticulture, cooking, and more. Inside the hospital there is a playground, a stage for performances (by and for the kids), a kitchen reserved for children’s therapy, and even a rock-climbing wall.

“Some hospitals don’t require the child the leave the bed or rooms often, so the risk of injury is low,” says Dr. Holekamp. “When you’re helping kids in and out of bed all day, every day, we had to reduce the risk to take care of our staff and kids. For us to continue our mission of Care Beyond the Bedside, we knew we had to make the lifts happen.”

Dr. Holekamp and his colleagues explored companies who could create and install the lifts, and they discovered the best company for the job was their neighbor, a company called Handicare located in Maryland Heights, just about a mile away.

“I was shocked and so pleased to find out such a reputable option was just down the road,” says Dr. Holekamp.

Safety is a top priority for both Ranken Jordan and Ameren.  This generous donation from the Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust clearly solidifies their emphasis on safety and the ability to execute safe patient handling techniques.