Alyse Lundbom, CNA and unit secretary (left), and registered nurse Jodi Ritter of Blue Mountain Hospital are looking forward to new, updated replacement beds for patient comfort and ease of use.

JOHN DAY Patients at Blue Mountain Hospital will soon rest more comfortably as they recuperate.

    The Blue Mountain Healthcare Foundation is close to reaching its goal of raising the necessary funds to buy 14 new patient beds for the hospital.

    The beds will have all the bells and whistles that modern technology can offer.

    So far the Foundation has raised $71,500 of the total $107,000 project cost.

    We have a $30,000 grant pending that the Collins Foundation is considering, and we should hear from them somewhere around early February, said hospital CEO Bob Houser.

    Nurses at the hospital said that they and the patients will benefit from the new care-assist beds.

    They should be comfortable, pressure relieving and patient friendly, said registered nurse Jodi Ritter.

    She and other nurses at the hospital said they will also look forward to wheels that work smoothly and lock securely, as well as a built-in patient-nurse call system.

    The beds currently at the hospital range from 20 to 30 years old.

    The 13 new beds, to be used in ICU and regular patient rooms, cost $6,955 each and one new birthing bed is $10,500.

    The new beds will provide better patient and caregiver safety as well as ease of use, said Judy Krutsinger, director of the Foundation.

    She noted some of the beds features: dual locking brake casters stabilize the bed and protect the patient from falls as they exit the bed; a touch of a button will move the patient in and out of a chair position; and a built-in scale can weigh the patient from the bed.

    Also, all caregiver controls for each bed are in one central location with battery backup.

    Houser said he hopes to hear whether the hospital received the grant in early February, and if things go as anticipated the hospital may have the new beds ordered by February or early March.

    Local individuals and businesses have contributed money to the project over the last year, and fund-raising events such as the golf scramble held last August and the annual meeting dinner and auction in November have added to the fund.

    Krutsinger said local support makes it possible for the Foundation to apply for grants from charitable organizations such as the Collins Foundation.

    Our community is absolutely wonderful with participating in the fund-raisers for healthcare needs, she said.