Groundbreaking Care Arrives in Mission: The ALTA Platform is Here
We are proud to share that a groundbreaking piece of equipment recently arrived in Mission Memorial Hospital (MMH) thanks to a joint initiative between the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation, Mission Health Care Auxiliary, the community of Mission, and Fraser Health.
The idea was sparked by recently retired Mission doctor and former site director of MMH, Andrew Edelson, who learned about the device from a Doctors of BC publication. He thought the opportunity was “too good to pass up” and immediately contacted the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation to gain their support in finding funding.
“I’m very excited about it. Everyone I’ve talked to thinks it is great. Healthcare workers are thrilled. This is groundbreaking for Mission and for Fraser Health.”
Dr. Andrew Edelson
What is The ALTA Platform?
The ALTA Platform is a robotic patient transfer device that utilizes artificial intelligence to help move a patient from one platform to another (stretcher to bed or imaging table, bed to stretcher, etc.)
Some Fun Facts About the ALTA:
- Developed by Canadian company Able Innovations, the ALTA is designed and manufactured in Canada.
- Mission is one of the first hospitals in BC to purchase one. It is the second hospital in BC to have the device, and the first small community hospital in the world to have one.
- The ALTA can reduce the amount of staff needed for a transfer from up to 8, to just one operating the ALTA!
- This intelligent device also includes features such as the SmartMoov™ augmented driving suite that integrates LIDAR with haptic touch sensitive inputs to effortlessly transport patients.
Why It’s Important:
“Imagine you have an elderly or injured patient laying on their back,” says Dr. Edelson.
“Perhaps they have broken limbs or had a stroke. You need to move them from a stretcher to an x-ray table and then into their bed. You need 2-4 attendants to move them across a 4-6 foot space. There is potential for staff back injury, not to mention jostling the patient and causing pain. The ALTA will improve patient safety during transfer, improve patient comfort, dignity, and stability of their injury, meaning less pain. The equipment will also benefit staff, by pulling less staff away from other duties each time a patient needs to be transferred. It should significantly reduce injury rate, and decrease staff work days lost to injury. It should make the job of staff easier and faster and will soon pay for itself.”
“We were able to fund the ALTA from money raised at The Cottage Thrift Store and MMH gift shop (both run by Auxiliary volunteers). It is important for the public to know how the items they donate to The Cottage Thrift Store end up benefitting the community.”
Alice Campbell, President of Mission Health Care Auxiliary
We are so thankful to all community members who worked together to deliver the ALTA to Mission Memorial Hospital!
“This has been a team effort. I heard of this piece of equipment as a member of the community, got support from Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation, and received funding from the Mission Heath Care Auxiliary, all with the support of Fraser Health.”
Dr. Andrew Edelson
