Tech talk: Laser mapping, wearables and virtual home health

Engineering Ministries International project manager Dirk Anderson distributes plans of hospital being built in Kenya. The organization is working on a new project in the Dominican Republic.

Photo courtesy of Engineering Ministries International

Engineers use laser technology to get 30-bed community clinic just right

Engineering Ministries International (eMi), a U.S.-based nonprofit Christian ministry, is using tried-and-true technology to build a 30-bed clinic in a poor community of disenfranchised Haitians living in a small Dominican Republic village.

eMi is working with the community’s Colegio Evangélico Moriah to create a conceptual design for the clinic along with recommendations regarding site drainage, water and sanitation systems, electrical supply and distribution systems, and a site master plan for future expansion, all of which required comprehensive surveying.

To do that, eMi is using a laser rangefinder and mapping system that develops complete mapping and surface modeling, which allowed the engineering group to create drawings quickly .   

Check out more of the ministry's work in the video below

Medical campus building tech store to test health care wearables and devices

Rendering shows planned layout of MUSC's campus technology store.

Rendering courtesy of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture

The Medical University of South Carolina is building a campus technology store to help improve health care for its patients, according to the Charleston Regional Business Journal.

The 1,200-square-foot space is planned to open in early May and will sell computers, tablets, cellphones, chargers, headphones and other technological devices. It also will feature an innovation bar or technology playground, where patients can test some of the latest health care technology and wearables, such as fitness trackers, blood pressure cuffs, blood glucose meters and heart-rate monitors.

Hospital rolls out easy-to-use virtual care program for at-home patients

Trinity Health is rolling out a new virtual care program for its home health patients.

Photo courtesy of Vivify Health

Trinity Health is partnering with Vivify Health to deliver virtual care for its at-home patients. Trinity is rolling out the program this month beginning with its southeast Michigan communities before expanding to its other home health agencies in six states — Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, California, Maryland and Ohio.

The virtual care solution is designed for instant use and includes a wireless 4G-enabled tablet configured with voice and text instructions that walks users through simple steps for monitoring and reporting their current wellness status and how to take part in virtual visits and patient education programs. Patients also have access to user-friendly wireless health devices that automatically collect weight, blood pressure and other health data.