A medical worker at a MultiCare clinic in Tacoma stands on a SATECH mat.
Two medical workers from a MultiCare clinic in Tacoma stand on a SATECH anti-fatigue mat.
The Chehalis-based manufacturer SATECH, Inc. has found its niche for lending a helping hand in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The company is donating its patented anti-fatigue mats to Washington hospitals in order to help medical workers and hospital staff who are on their feet all day feel better when they clock out.
Chad Lindstrom, vice president of marketing for SATECH, said the company was looking at some of the inventory they had that was just sitting around and thought it would be better to put it to good use rather than let it sit in a warehouse.
“It’s not just a foam mat,” Lindstrom said. “It is made out of rubber and has energy return to it, so it really makes you feel better when you’re on your feet all day and that’s what we’re trying to do, just help (medical workers) who are on their feet all day any way we can,” Lindstrom said.
He added: “Obviously they’re mentally exhausted and it’s got to be physically exhausting too. And that’s our whole goal as a company, our founding principle is life shouldn’t hurt, and we really try and live by that.”
The company had donated about 215 of their 2-by-3-foot and 3-by-5-foot mats in the last two weeks to various hospitals in Washington, according to Lindstrom.
So far, the recipients of SATECH’s anti-fatigue mats include St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, Providence Health Care System hospitals in Everett and Seattle, Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Bellevue, Silverdale, Olympia and Lynnwood and Lake Chelan Community Hospital, according to Lindstrom
Chris Thomas, the public relations manager at Providence Centralia Hospital, said they put in a request to get SATECH’s anti-fatigue mats last week.
At Lake Chelan Community Hospital, chief nursing officer Jaime Minnock requested an order for ten mats and received them several days later. She said the mats are being used by the radiology staff, the registration staff and the kitchen staff.
“As a small critical access hospital, it is so hard to get access to anything so it was nice to be able to get those mats for free,” Minnock said.
Minnock’s job no longer requires being on her feet all day, but it used to, and she explained that when you’re working on a concrete floor, which most hospitals have, it makes a noticeable difference for the staff that are on their feet all day to work on top of the mats.
She also noted that it is significantly easier to have the mats that can be moved around and cleaned easily as opposed to carpets that need to be rolled up and sent to a cleaner.
Hospitals looking to receive SATECH’s anti-fatigue mats can visit their website at smartcellsusa.com/covid-19support/ and fill out a form to get mats at no charge.
