02/23/07
VersaMed, Pearl River, NY, is calling upon state and local governments to redouble their respiratory care preparation and to stockpile critical supplies beyond the ventilator. For the past two years, VersaMed has embarked on a nationwide education campaign to share ideas with respiratory therapists and ensure that municipalities are making smart decisions in disaster and pandemic preparation.
Noting that numerous state, city, and local governments are not fully educated on the requirements of respiratory care, Kevin Plihal, vice president of marketing and business development for VersaMed, says, “A ventilator will do you no good if you don’t have an adequate supply of oxygen and a dedicated source of electricity.” VersaMed is participating in a public health preparedness summit organized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) this week.
As states, cities, and local municipalities move to purchase disaster preparation supplies, it is crucial that procurement officials acquire provisions to support the ventilator, such as oxygen concentrators and electric generators. Oxygen concentrators are critical in order to supply a guaranteed source of oxygen for a patient.
“Not only will adequate supplies of oxygen prove problematic in a pandemic, but the ability to monitor both oxygen supply and the oxygenation of the patient will be critical to the success of the clinicians during such emergencies,” says Plihal. VersaMed is the only vendor of a portable ventilator that can monitor the oxygen delivery and the level of oxygen in the blood through pulse oximetry, according to a company press release.
“VersaMed’s mission is to develop ICU-grade ventilators for use in disaster environments and the iVent is the most reliable, easy to use, battle-tested ventilator on the market,” says Plihal.
