At Missouri Employers Mutual, we don’t want funding to stand in the way of saving lives at work. That’s why we created the MEM Safety Grant program. Safety grants provide financial reimbursement for the purchase of approved products and equipment that can reduce or eliminate injuries or illnesses. See how three healthcare businesses used their safety grant funds to improve workplace safety.
Community Support Services of Missouri
Serving Missourians with special needs since 1978, Community Support Services of Missouri provides numerous services (behavioral fitness, case management, community living services, early learning center, early childhood, and residential services) to the community. Most individuals living in their group homes are non-ambulatory, requiring employees to lift patients for total care. The residents are also medically fragile, so they must be weighed every week as an overall indicator of their health. To help reduce injuries and obtain a more accurate weight, Community Support Services of Missouri purchased a Detecto 6550 Wheelchair Scale with their safety grant funds. The portable scale features a 1,000 lb. capacity, vertical fold-up storage, two-way built-in ramps for accessibility from both sides, and clinical-grade accuracy within 0.2 lbs. The wheelchair scale allows employees to weigh medically fragile individuals while securely in their wheelchairs, reducing the number of manual lifts and improving patient care.
Lincoln County Ambulance District
The Lincoln County Ambulance District provides emergency medical services to Lincoln County, Missouri covering approximately 630 square miles and averaging more than 7,000 calls per year. With their safety grant funds, they purchased a Stryker Power Pro XT 6506 Stretcher, an industry-leading powered ambulance cot featuring a battery-powered hydraulic system that raises and lowers up to 700 lbs. at the touch of a button. On almost every call, paramedics are responsible for lifting patients from the floor onto a stretcher and then lifting the stretcher to waist height for transfer into the ambulance. The power stretcher cot greatly reduced the number of manual lifts, therefore reducing workplace injuries.
Sunnyhill, Inc.
An organization that provides services, programs, and opportunities for children and adults with developmental disabilities, Sunnyhill, serves more than 1,000 children and adults, ages 4-85, annually in six St. Louis metropolitan counties. With their safety grant funds, Sunnyhill purchased two Spinlife C-375/450 rechargeable battery-powered pool lifts for use at their in-ground pool and recreational lake. During the summer, Sunnyhill offers ten-week residential camps with activities such as swimming and boating. Before implementation, moving individuals from their wheelchair to the pool or boat required a two-person lift with extreme bending from high to low positions on potentially wet and slippery surfaces. Annually, the implementation of the pool lifts eliminates more than 500 manual patient transfers.
All of MEM’s policyholders are eligible for a safety grant, regardless of premium size or claims history. Successful applicants earn one-to-one matching grants up to $10,000 toward approved safety initiatives. Policyholders are required to monitor claims data and report on the success of the safety grant so MEM can help other businesses learn from their success.
You can read even more safety grant success stories on our blog. Visit our Safety Grants page to learn more about the program and how policyholders can apply.