Contact: Sara Quale
(970) 810-6133
sara.quale@bannerhealth.com
GREELEY, Colo. (Feb. 13, 2019) – Emergency medical workers (EMS) across northeastern Colorado will be safer on the job thanks to the Regional EMS Trauma Advisory Council (RETAC), which recently distributed Yaktrax, micro spikes for traction attached to the bottom of shoes.
Across the United States, 21,900 EMS workers were treated for work-related slips and falls in 2016, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. In Northern Colorado, three EMS providers within RETAC suffered significant injuries from falls, one of which was career ending.
As part of RETAC’s Injury Prevention Program, the goal of providing EMS personnel with Yaktrax is to prevent workers from slipping or falling while responding to medical calls. RETAC focuses on keeping patients and emergency medical personnel safe when responding to a medical emergency within the community. They were given a $2,000 grant initially and an additional $250 to complete the orders.
“Slipping and falling in icy conditions is a huge cause of injury and hospitalization for all age groups,” said Marilyn Johnson, RN, trauma outreach and injury prevention coordinator at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley. “Some of these falls have been career ending due to a serious back or neck injury. This prompted us to look at the issue and find a solution to where our medical personnel can remain safe and ensure that the patient is as well.”
RETAC distributed Yaktrax to Weld, Larimer, Jackson, Morgan, Logan, Washington, Yuma, Phillips and Sedgwick counties.
North Colorado Medical Center is located at 1801 16th St., Greeley, CO, 80631. For information about Banner’s injury prevention services, visit https://www.bannerhealth.com/services/injury-prevention/programs.
About Banner Health
Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com.