ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Riverside Health System and OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital will both receive Safety FiRsT® grants to implement initiatives that will elevate technologist safety in the workplace. Launched in 2015, the Safety FiRsT® program awards two ASRT members per year a grant of up to $7,000 each to improve radiologic technologist safety in their departments.

This year's recipients are:

Ruth Van Davelaar, M.H.S.A., R.T.(R)(T), who applied on behalf of Riverside Health System in Newport News, Virginia. The grant will be used to purchase a vertical power lift that allows technologists to move patients with ease from floor-level surfaces to higher levels such as a chair or treatment table. The new lift will provide safety for the radiation therapist, reducing potential back strain and subsequent injuries, as well as the patient. This device, paired with ASRT's educational product Safety Essentials: The Series, which also is being awarded, will enable staff to move and care for patients safely.

Annette Long, R.T.(R)(MR) MRSO, who applied on behalf of OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The grant will be used to purchase a ferromagnetic detection system for MR safety. The device will allow for real-time screening of potentially hazardous implants, devices and supplies and prevent injury from ferrous materials that could otherwise enter the screening room. Unlike wand detectors that rely on the diligence of the user, this device will provide consistent and reliable screening while remaining less intrusive than other screening methods. Annette also will receive ASRT's educational product Safety Essentials: The Series.

As director of the Radiation Oncology/Radiosurgery Department for Riverside Health System, Ruth said being chosen for the grant opens the door to education and awareness for other team members throughout the hospital system, peers and the community.

"By celebrating this award publically, more opportunities will arise to talk about safety in our profession, and to take specific and deliberate action. This [grant] enables us to highlight and promote safety for our team while providing safe and comfortable transfers for our patients. "

Annette, team leader – MRI for OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, said she strives to make Zone 4 in the MRI suite as safe as she possibly can.

"This award will be used multiple times daily on patient and staff to ensure clearance into Zone 4. It will prevent unknown ferromagnetic objects to enter the room therefore making that environment safe for the patient and staff."

Now in its fourth year, the Safety FiRsT® program is helping health care facilities create safer work environments for radiologic technologists. In 2017, Ericka Lasley, R.T.(R), of Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was awarded a grant to purchase lightweight and lead-free aprons that provide 20 percent more protection. In addition, Meghan Whittaker, R.T.(R), of Union Health-Union Hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana, received a grant to purchase an MR-safe cart that raises and lowers for proper positioning of the patient and proper ergonomics for the technologist.

The ASRT Foundation and Canon Medical Systems Safety FiRsT® grants are funded by a grant from Canon Medical Systems.


About the ASRT Foundation
The ASRT Foundation supports and empowers medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals and students to pursue opportunities that improve patient care. For more information, visit the ASRT Foundation website at www.foundation.asrt.org.


About Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc.
Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc., headquartered in Tustin, Calif., markets, sells, distributes and services radiology and cardiovascular systems, including CT, MR, ultrasound, X-ray and interventional X-ray equipment. For more information, visit Canon Medical Systems' website at https://us.medical.canon.


About Canon Medical Systems Corporation
Canon Medical Systems Corporation develops and manufactures diagnostic imaging systems including CT, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray systems and clinical laboratory systems and provides them to around 140 countries and regions around the world, offering technology that provides faster diagnosis and early treatment. Under the slogan "Made for Life" (Made for Partnerships, Made for Patients, Made for You.), Canon Medical Systems is making positive contributions toward hospital management, and provides a range of patient-friendly healthcare systems and services, continuing its long tradition of contributing to healthcare.