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Contact: Lee Turpen
812.421.6500
lee_turpen@amr-ems.com
NEW AMBULANCE WILL TRANSPORT 1,600 LB. PATIENTS
Evansville, IN, June 6,
2004 – In an effort to further improve service for the Evansville-metro area and its citizens, American Medical Response (AMR) has developed a new Specialty Transport Unit designed to better meet the transportation needs of patients weighing up to 1,600 lbs. Deaconess Hospital provided financial assistance to equip this specially designed unit for the transportation of the extremely heavy, or bariatric, patients.
The Community Advanced Life Support Consortium has been looking at the increasing volume of transports of very large patients reported by AMR for the past year. "This is a substantial financial commitment for us, not only to develop but also to operate," said Jerry Key, General Manager of AMR. " Deaconess Hospital offered to assist us financially to acquire the special equipment to outfit this unit, as they understood what a barrier this was for these patients and for the medical transport providers."
The standard equipment in the ambulance industry is pressed to accommodate these larger and heavier patients. This has been a potential safety hazard for patients and the crews who transport them. AMR developed this new system to significantly decrease the risk, and increase the comfort and dignity of bariatric patients.
The new Specialty Transport Unit incorporates a larger type-3 ambulance which has a box-type patient compartment with a van cab and chassis. This unit will provide the necessary room for the patient and crew in the back of the unit. The unit will carry a new style cot that is wider than a standard ambulance gurney and can hold up to 1,600 lbs. This cot will provide greater comfort and safety for the patient and safer lifting for the crew.
AMR has designed new ramps to use when loading or unloading the patient. These ramps will allow for a smoother and more comfortable lift for the patient. The ramps will also prevent the crews from needing to manually lift the patient, which could potentially risk unnecessary injuries. Also on the unit is a specially designed winch system to help the crews load and unload the patient. This will reduce the strain on the crews and act as a safety to prevent the gurney from getting out of control.
American Medical Response, Inc. (www.amr.net), the nation's largest provider of medical transportation, is locally operated in 32 states. More than 18,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs and other professionals transport over four million patients nationwide each year in emergency, critical and non-emergency situations. AMR, a wholly owned subsidiary of Laidlaw International, Inc. (NYSE:LI), is headquartered in Greenwood Village , CO .
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