The ‘Environmentally Friendly’ Transportation System.

By producing a transport chair that is theft resistant, we have significantly reduced replacement costs. The durable construction of staxi® chairs means they are built to last and are virtually maintenance free, reducing both costs and emissions for new parts. staxi® is the Strongest Design, Hardest to Steal, Safest to Use and most sustainable alternative to traditional wheelchairs.

For a FREE quotation please visit: http://staxi.com/quote.php
Alternatively your can contact a staxi®  sales representative on:
Phone:Toll Free 877.677.8294
Email: info@staxi.com

According to STAXI® Corporation’s new Green Partner, carbonfund.org…

Since the Industrial Revolution started in the middle of the 19th century, carbon dioxide emissions in our atmosphere have increased steadily and dramatically from the burning of fossil fuels, namely coal, oil and gas, and to a lesser degree from methane and industrial gases.

This increase in CO2 from roughly 280 parts per million (ppm) prior to the Industrial Revolution to about 392 ppm today is having a dramatic impact on our climate, both warming our climate and altering our weather with more droughts and more very extreme weather events. Our sea levels are rising and entire countries are at risk of disappearing. If the Greenland glaciers fail, global sea levels could rise by 20 feet, swamping low level areas around the world, including Florida and Manhattan, causing global catastrophe.

The cause of climate change is manmade.

And we must solve the problem by reducing our emissions by 50-85% globally by mid century. Breaking down the problem, this does not need to be an insurmountable task. Reducing our emissions just 2% per year would do it. www.carbonfund.org helps individuals and businesses understand climate change and develop practical and cost-effective solutions to slow, stop and reduce our climate crisis.

To learn more about the fantastic projects http://Carbonfund.org are involved in, visit http://Carbonfund.org

At STAXI®, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint wherever we can, and offsetting it where we can’t. We are delighted to announce that we have partnered with Carbonfund.org http://Carbonfund.org to offset all of our carbon emissions, from our offices to our warehouses. We have also worked to offset all of the carbon emissions resulting from the manufacture, transportation and delivery of STAXI® products to our customers.

STAXI® is an environmentally friendly transportation system. By designing a product that is theft resistant we have reduced replacement costs. The staxi® chair’s durable construction means it is built to last. staxi® chairs are almost maintenance free and require minimal spare part replacement, reducing both costs and emissions for new parts. And the travel systems are made from fully recyclable materials.

In addition STAXI® have implemented office sustainability measures, including teleworking, electric bike and walking commuting, greenhouse gas corporate inventory, and, of course, carbon offsetting what we cannot currently reduce.

To learn more about the carbon reduction projects we are now supporting visit http://www.carbonfund.org

Six Things to Consider When Choosing a Patient Transportation Chair

Whether one is a nurse, attendant, volunteer or administrator in a healthcare facility, each appreciates the importance of safe, dependable patient movement from place to place within their facility from their own perspective.  However, each understands that transportation chairs are vital for the smooth running of a care facility and quality patient care.

Depending on the institution, supplying enough sturdy and durable transportation chairs can run into thousands of dollars, euros or pounds annually. Hence, it is important to choose the transportation solution that best suits current and future needs.  Renowned hospital an healthcare systems across the North America and parts of Europe are familiar with the concept of nestable – or, stackable – patient transportation chairs.

One US hospital saved more than $100,000 by switching from standard wheelchairs to nestable transportation chairs for their patients.  This was measured in savings from reduced repairs, replacements, theft, employee strain injuries, et cetera.

The following guidelines are based on feedback that STAXI – global manufacturers of transportation chairs – received from its customers in hospital systems worldwide. This checklist is designed to provide hospital / healthcare facility managers and purchasers with insights needed to make significant fiscal savings as they migrate from costly standard wheel chairs to cost-efficient nestable transportation chairs.

A Hospital Transport Chair should be strong and durable.

Most standard wheelchairs have a weight capacity of 250 pounds. This is proving to be insufficient by today’s standards and patient needs.  A transport chairs can carry a load of 500 pounds, which will allow for heavy medical equipment to be carried along with the patient.

A Hospital Transport Chair should not have removable parts.

Why? These items can be lost, stolen, broken off from the fittings, are awkward to remove, or can injure the patient or attendant. Standard wheelchairs have footrests that can be removed to allow the patient to stand up, pedal, and to collapse smaller to fit into vehicles.  A transportation chair should have no removable parts.

Ideally, armrests should swing up and back for side transfers, and footrests should be designed to be out of the way when the patient stands.

A Hospital Transport Chair should be rigid.

Personal wheelchairs that travel with patients need to fold up to fit into vehicles. However, a transport chair is designed to be pushed by an attendant; therefore, the chair seat and back may be of solid construction with padded cushions to make the chair more comfortable.

A Hospital Transport Chair should be space saving.

Wheelchairs take up a great deal of floor space, especially in areas where there are many unoccupied chairs, such as at entrances. Nestable transportation chairs are designed to rest behind each other like grocery carts or shopping trolleys. This takes up less floor space, and a stand can keep your extra chairs handy and uncluttered.

A Hospital Transport Chair should be easy to use.

Attendants and nurses spend a lot of their day pushing patients in wheelchairs. Standard wheelchairs with the large rear wheel are designed for patients to push themselves. They are built low to the ground to allow patients to pedal with their feet if desired. They are built for a different purpose than patient transporting by an attendant.

Attendants need transport chairs that are ergonomically correct to save their backs from bending and straining. chairs have a higher push bar in the back, rather than two handles. The bar allows an attendant to push with one hand while using the other to carry something or open doors. Attendants should be able to easily manoeuvre and roll chairs with smaller wheels and wheelbase.

A Hospital Transport Chair should be safe.

This seems to be a “no-brainer,” however, not everything is as safe as it appears to be.  For example, a transportation chair should have an automatic brake system that engages when the push bar behind the seat is released – hence, there is no “need to remember” to set the brake.  Benefits like this should be found throughout the chair – anti-tipping design, side entry, etc. all of these points add to the overall improved safety of a transportation chair.

For more information on nestable transportation chairs, please visit www.staxi.com to see a comprehensive demonstration video or contact David Gallant on +44 (0) 1915 006 129, or davidg@staxi.com

Lateral Solutions to Reducing Hidden Costs

By Curtis Hand, Elliott & Partners Healthcare Team

Many costs are “Hidden” and often overlooked.  Something as simple as lost man-hours, operational inefficiencies (including theft, parts replacements and repairs) or avoidable inconveniences is often left off the balance sheet. However, these things still affect productivity and the “bottom line.”

Consider hospital wheelchairs.  It is something that is often required for every patient in the hospital at some point during his or her treatment.  Although a wheelchair might cost “X” there are many additional costs associated with it that are hidden, such as repairs, need for constant maintenance, missing or broken parts, time lost locating them, staff strain injuries, and theft.

The reality is that routine items/small costs add up to a major headache as managers try to untangle financial knots constricting a healthcare system’s ability to function cost effectively for the facility’s and patients’ benefit.  Wheelchairs – necessary equipment – typically lead to unnecessary costs.

Triumph Out of Tragedy

Andy Hart formed the STAXI corporation out of personal tragedy. He found that products available did not meet the demands required for functionality and optimum quality of life. He noticed health facilities always seemed short of wheelchairs due to misplacement, theft or service.

Being an innovative entrepreneur, he spent considerable time and money studying various aspects of traditional and specialist chairs to understand what works best.  A.J. Hart grouped the areas where wheelchairs needed help into the following categories:

• Ruggedness of construction
• Simplicity of use
• Locate-ability / theft
• Longevity
• Occupational / attendant “sympathy”

He developed an alternative transportation chair, the STAXI, as a result.

Easy to Find – The STAXI was easy to find because it was designed to be nestable so it could be stored in central locations, save space and be easily accounted for by healthcare teams.  The STAXI only requires 1/3 the space of a normal wheelchair.  It is also available with docking stations and coin-reward/release systems.

Simple to Use – The STAXI is ergonomic and highly manoeuvrable easier to push than regular wheelchairs.  Passenger transfers are made easy for both patient and attendant; the seat is far more comfortable for passengers; and, STAXI has an automatic braking system.

Built to Last – Because the STAXI has few removable parts and is made of rugged construction and materials, it has a low-maintenance requirement, meaning it has a longer life than normal wheelchairs.

Hard to Steal – The STAXI, by design is theft resistant, and has no removable parts that can be stripped, stolen or misplaced.  Moreover, it has ample inbuilt storage – 2.5 cubic ft (70 litres) of under-seat space for a patient’s records and personal belongings.

Doing the Maths

“Many healthcare facilities internationally are familiar with the concept of what is commonly called ‘stackable wheelchairs.’ However, STAXI is quite different from other mobility solutions; it is a safe, robust, comfortable transportation ‘system’ that pays for itself. This is rather new concept for most of Europe,” said STAXI Business Manager (UK-Europe) David Gallant.

When considering hidden costs and the benefits of simple solutions such as replacing wheelchairs with a STAXI, some US healthcare facilities save approximately €100,000 annually.  This cost-savings overtime adds up and allows resources to be redirected into better healthcare.

STAXI are used worldwide, with the largest marketplace in North America.  However, UK’s NHS uses them and STAXIs are being adopted across Europe.  David Gallant, the UK-European main point of contact, is available to meet with facility managers to discuss the patient, staff and financial benefits of the STAXI range of nestable transportation chairs at davidg@staxi.com. More information can be found at  www.staxi.com