Rapid Innovation During a Time of Crisis
In the epicenters of the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals are seeing a rapid influx of patients and are being forced to create care environments in facilities that were not originally built to treat illness. Stadiums are being converted to field hospitals, parking garages are being lined with patient recliners, and pop-up care centers are being built anywhere possible. Healthcare professionals working in these environments are the true heroes during this time of crisis, risking their own well-being to care for others and operating with a shortage of equipment. Seeing this, our team at Kimball Health was compelled to take action to help.
Innovation is sometimes born during challenging times, and we are humbled that our team members at Kimball are proving this to be true, rapidly responding to the critical need for equipment in healthcare environments. Right away, our team worked to create a Quickship for Crisis program to provide a quick turn-around of acute care and flexible triage products that care teams urgently need.
Within this past week, our engineering, manufacturing and design teams came together again and created two new solutions through rapid prototyping and testing to help support Quick Triage Care in healthcare environments being set up at a moment’s notice.
Privacy Screen: Division of space is a necessity in temporary care environments. For the safety and privacy of patients, it is critical to be able to create rooms in places where they didn’t exist before. To meet this need, our product team quickly developed a privacy screen out of components we had on hand, and worked with our expert upholstery team to develop privacy screen covers from bleach-cleanable material that meet the criteria for infection prevention. This lightweight screen also has casters on one end so it can easily be moved to reconfigure a space as needs change. The two-sided design allows for screen material to be detached and replaced if needed, provides stability, and allows the feet to stay within the profile of the screen to ensure care team professionals can move quickly around them when needed.
Supply Cart: Pop-up healthcare environments require mobility. Caregivers are working long days with multiple patients. This mobile supply cart was developed by modifying one of our standard lateral files, giving users access to the tools they need to provide care. The height of the cart supports standing work, with a plinth base that acts as a footrest. Durable casters and side-pull additions to this quick-clean bedside table create a dual-purpose piece with mobile supply cart capabilities.
We have worked rapidly to move these products into production and added to the Quickship for Crisis program.
During this time of crisis, we are honored to play a part in helping the many medical professionals facing the front lines of patient illness. We are also proud to work with the collaborative innovators at Kimball Health who are committed to supporting caregivers and serving the healthcare industry.
Get the latest updates on our Quickship for Crisis program and these new innovations here: https://www.kimball.com/quickship-for-crisis/