Livermore takes one of 'Pete's beds' for a test-sleep

Pete Livermore, a trustee for the Carson-Tahoe Hospital, knows firsthand the fitful nights of patients who couldn't sleep comfortably in the hospital's beds.

"You think you see the hospital in every angle," said Livermore. "The bed I was in for the three nights I was there was very uncomfortable. I had to get up in the night and put the sheets down and go back to bed."

Since his stay in April, Livermore has been pushing to get something done.

Now, the hospital has 88 new beds. So Livermore slept Monday night at the hospital to try one out.

And on Tuesday morning, he reported the beds are just fine.

"From my night of sleeping there, I got up this morning and I'm at work and I feel as rested as if I were at home," he said. "It's possible these beds will be here in 15 years, but I'm hoping it's not 25 years again.'

It was a welcome change from the bed he occupied in April, which he later found out was 27 years old. The hospital had a rotation policy of five beds per year.

"We've replaced a hell of a lot of things, but the beds have not been replaced that quickly," he said. "With 128 beds, it takes a long time to get them replaced," he said.

Trustees approved nearly $1.1 million to purchase up-to-date hospital beds. The new beds provide convenience for both the patient and the nursing staff. They are adjustable, so they can be put in an upright position without assistance or additional steps for the patient.

So far, 88 beds have been installed, which leaves 10 more to be placed in the intensive care unit. The remaining 30 are new enough to still be usable.

Livermore said the new mattress is a benefit for the patients, who should be the utmost concern for staff and administration.

"It got really comfortable at times. I never had to get back out and fix the sheets in the bed," he said. "Of course, the nurse was interrupting me during the night."

Livermore, a hospital trustee since 1995, said the other trustees have nicknamed the new beds "Pete's beds."

"I don't think that's completely fair," he said. "It something that I felt was really important for the patients."