VOICE FOR EVERYONE | Share your voice with KSHB 41’s Abby Dodge
In the wake of the pandemic, industries are adjusting, including healthcare.
“In healthcare in general, and certainly in other industries, staffing is a challenge,” said Chuck Welch, a nurse manager at the Saint Luke's Health System. “We are looking at ways to leverage technology to help improve that.”
St. Luke’s hospital near the Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri, added a helpful hand to its staff, hoping to save time on tasks throughout the building.
Moxi, a robot tasked with helping employees deliver and receive supplies, made its way through the hallways of the hospitals with ease Thursday morning.
“It flew by one day and my wife said, 'There it goes,'” said Parker McNeel, a patient at St. Luke's.
McNeel is recovering from surgery and added he prefers his current setup over a robot.
“I would not want to interact with a robot,” he said. “I’d rather interact with a person.”
Moxi’s roll is strictly outside patient rooms, leaving more space for human interaction.
“It’s always about the patient, so my focus and our focus is to help these sick patients going through difficult times,” said Kevin Turner, another nurse manager. “I think it’s so important this day in age to think outside of the box of how to best care for our patients."
St. Luke’s said based on Moxi’s performance at other hospitals, it has saved over 200,000 hours and has made 400,000 deliveries nationwide.
—
