HOISINGTON — Clara Barton Hospital has added new state of the art cardiac monitoring equipment to keep up with the past faced demands of today’s ever changing medical environment.

One to two years ago, the staff at the hospital identified two vendors that they wanted to come to provide new equipment.

"The staff chose this system because of it capabilities and cutting edge technology," said Jane Schepmann, director of nursing. "We’re fortunate to be able to buy a system that will grow with the organization. It can be upgraded.

"We were most impressed with the support the company provides," she said. "The company will provide us with ongoing educational support.

Any patient that comes to the hospital will be touched by this equipment in some way," she said.

The hospital went with the DS 7600 by Fukuda Denshi. The equipment offers touch screen technology, ability to connect over the internet to remote printers and can be connected to each monitor throughout the hospital.

The equipment offers up to 48 hours of memory for review.

"The new equipment is a marked improvement that will allow the doctors to view information on an ongoing basis," said Schepmann. "They will be able to view patient information at a distant location."

With the upgraded equipment, the hospital will be more able to make knowledgeable decisions about needed treatment.

The old monitoring equipment was great than 10 years old, with no ability to expand, upgrade, or be serviced.

"We are grateful to the board for approving the purchase which will improve the care we will be able to provide the community," said Schepmann. The total cost is around $140,000.

The Clara Barton Hospital Foundation provided funds for the cardiac monitors, providing $38,900 towards the purchase.

"Because the hospital is not for profit, the foundation is pleased to have the support of the local community to raise funds to purchase capital equipment," said Michelle Moshier, executive director of the Clara Barton Foundation.