At UTMB employee safety and wellness is a high priority.  To reduce employee injury UTMB has ordered patient lifts and contracted world leading safety experts, Arjo Huntleigh, to provide job safety analysis. 

Often patient care technicians and nurses have to move immobile patients. If it’s not executed properly an injury can occur. UTMB wants to eliminate that risk. 

“My goal is to make UTMB the safest place to work in the region,” said Kathleen O’Neill, director of Employee Health and Wellness. “Everyone should go home the same way they came (without injury),” she said.    

The lifts are a multi-functional system designed to hold up to 500 pounds.  With the lift, patients can be moved from the floor, bed, chair or wheelchair with ease.  It consists of a full body sling and fully-adjustable metal bars for mobility. 

Instead of using six nurses to move a 200 pound patient, only one or two nurses will be needed to with the new lifts.  This allows nurses to spend more time on patient care. 

Three lifts designed for moving patients from vehicles, have also been ordered. 

The lifts will be installed in John Sealy Hospital, TDCJ Hospital, Victory Lakes and the Primary Care Pavilion, by the end of summer.