Stephens Co. Hospital to Purchase New Labor and Delivery Beds

Stephens County Hospital will purchase five new beds for its labor and delivery unit.

The Hospital Authority unanimously approved the purchase of the five beds at its monthly meeting on Monday.

According to Stephens County Hospital Administrator Lynne Anderson, the hospital is replacing beds that are at least 15 years old.

Anderson said the hospital needs to replace the older beds that now have numerous issues.

“With the labor and delivery beds, they are mechanically oriented, so that we can raise the beds, lower the beds, raise the head of the bed, raise the foot of the bed, to help the providers when they deliver the baby,” said Anderson. “Some of the beds they had we have had to continuously repair them because the mechanics of them have not been working well and we cannot get parts for them. Once they reach a certain age, we cannot get parts for them.”

Hospital staff members said they have been using two of the new type of bed as a demo recently and really like them.

Anderson said the new beds are set up to not only help the mother in the labor and delivery process, but also hospital staff.

“They are ergonomically designed so when the staff member has to raise or lower the head or the foot of the bed, they can do that very easily just by pulling them and the beds then will go easily in to the position they need,” said Anderson. “It saves on the nurses’ backs. It helps position the patient easier and they are also equipped with batteries so when we unplug the beds and we move the mother to the operating room, if she is going to have to have a C-section, when they get there, they can just push a button and the bed will go to the same height as the operating table.”

Stephens County Hospital is purchasing the five new beds from Hill-Rom at a total cost of about $85,000.