A story from Long Island’s Newsday discusses how towns there are looking into purchasing automatic stretchers to help alleviate hospital workers who are at risk of injury from moving and lifting patients.

The Fire Department in the Village of Nissequogue is buying one such powered stretcher, and a system that will load it into an ambulance, for $47,000. Chief Russell von Frank says part of the reason behind the purchase is that patients are getting heavier and it is getting unsafe for emergency personnel to lift them. This system can hold 700 pounds. According to the New York State Department of Health, 56 to 65 percent of adults on Long Island were overweight or obese in 2015. Another reason the department made the purchase is because most of their calls involve ambulances and medical assistance, not firefighting.

Overexertion during lifting can cause sprains and strains for medical workers. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control reported that injuries from lifting or other patient interactions caused about 3,000 emergency room visits for emergency medical workers. Maybe some towns are realizing the benefits of purchasing safety equipment up front, rather than paying for workers’ compensation injuries later.

Desmond Murphy, a colleague of von Frank, said at a town meeting “If my back was out, $50,000 is looking mighty cheap.”

The purchase was approved by trustees the night of that meeting.

Stony Brook University Hospital, Northwell Health and volunteer organizations like the Bay Shore-Brightwaters Rescue Ambulance and Huntington have switched to automated stretchers for their ambulances. All six of Huntington’s ambulances have them, the organization answers 6,000 calls a year.

Associate director of operations for emergency services and internal medicine at Stony Brook, Eric Niegelberg, said that it is common to encounter patients who weigh 350 to 300 pounds and the average weight of a stretcher is 80 pounds. Crews lifting that much weight may get hurt.

Alan Schwalberg, vice president of Northwell Health’s Center for Emergency Medical Services, said that his organization saw a significant reduction in lost time days since they began using automatic stretchers. “The industry is moving that way,” he said.

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