News

News Release

For immediate release                       Contact: Melissa Nowitz 508-553-3993

SafeLiftingPortal.com

New Website -- - Promotes Nurse, Caregiver Injury Prevention thru Safe Lifting Practices

Franklin, MA – May 8, 2006 – A comprehensive new Web Portal designed to assist hospitals and nursing homes reduce costly and disruptive caregiver injuries has been launched at www.safeliftingportal.com. The new website will serve as a national healthcare industry clearinghouse for injury prevention information, presentation aids, educational and web resources. 

It was developed as part of Liko North America’s ongoing pro-bono "Safe Lifting Environment" injury prevention campaign.

"Our launch of SafeLiftingPortal.com is timed to assist healthcare officials and staff manage the advent of safe lifting legislation around the U.S. Information sharing is becoming a key priority among lift committees, risk managers, safety directors, occupational health professionals, and others.  Our mission for SafeLiftingPortal.com is to serve as a nexus of timely information for all these constituencies – as well as managers and administrators, nurses and caregivers, legislators, risk management firms, and healthcare insurance providers," said Brian Wright, Liko’s Vice President of Marketing and Education.

Major SafeLiftingPortal.com features include:

• Safe Lifting News: Monthly newsletter detailing news in the world of safe lifting and caregiver injury prevention;
• Getting Started: Application assistance, installation and maintenance information for lifts or slings;
• Safe Lifting Products: Valuable generic information on patient lifts, and Liko product overviews;
• Safe Lifting Environment: "Pro bono" injury prevention campaign

"Many hospitals and nursing homes have commissioned safety committees to spearhead injury prevention programs.  Often, they must start from scratch to gather basic information before developing specialized solutions specific to their organizations," he noted.  "At SafeLiftingPortal.com they’ll find a single, easy-to-use channel to access a wealth of information to help them provide a greater depth of caregiver solutions, enhance patient care outcomes, promote and achieve buy-in, and focus innovative educational solutions for injury prevention initiatives.  There’s even an interactive calculator to assist in estimating the projected savings of a safe lifting program."

Related audiences, such as risk management firms and insurance providers seeking to control costs related to lifting injuries, will also find that SafeLiftingPortal.com is a valuable resource, he added.

To date, Liko’s Safe Lifting Environment efforts have received wide industry interest and appreciation.  More than 500 healthcare institutions have requested free "Safe Lifting Environment" Starter Kits and are in the process of implementing the campaign in applications ranging from single rooms to entire facilities. A newsletter, SafeLiftingNews.com, was commissioned in January in response to industry requests.

Liko is one of the world’s leading suppliers of patient lift and transfer solutions.  The company’s products include mobile lifts, overhead ceiling mounted systems, and a variety of injury prevention solutions.  For more information about SafeLiftingPortal.com, contact Liko North America at: 842 Upper Union Street, Franklin, MA 01038; telephone 888-545-6671 or 508-553-3993; fax 508-528-6642; on the Web at http://www.liko.com.