Never fear fatties, hospitals are now supplied with the tools to move your massive frames.<br />
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At St. Luke’s Hospital, in Kansas City, Missouri, each of the 14 new neurology intensive care rooms has a feature that’s becoming standard in the health care industry: a patient lift system that can handle 600 pounds.<br />
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Hospital officials had the equipment installed out of safety concerns — it can take five or six nurses to lift extremely overweight patients, said Jennifer Ball, a patient care director with St. Luke’s.<br />
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Severely overweight people tend to have more health problems and they often can’t fit in standard beds or wheelchairs built for 300-pound people. The $3 billion market for hospital beds, wheelchairs and other equipment designed for plus-size patients is rapidly growing as more Americans become obese.<br />
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Read the full story at <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/diet.fitness/08/27/caring.for.the.obese.ap/index.html"><strong>CNN</strong></a>
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