“We can save the hand, but we need to place it in a bucket of ice!” If you’ve been on the receiving end of this statement (we hope not) you understand how crucial ice can be in a healthcare setting. While this is not the most appetizing sentiment, it certainly is a useful and practical application of ice. In a healthcare setting, ice has many different uses.
Ice was once considered a medical necessity and was supplied in mass quantities to Civil War Hospitals as an incredibly important tool. Ice was harvested in the winter time from lakes, streams, and rivers, and then stored in ice houses for future uses. This was, after all, a time before ice machines. Once distributed to hospitals, ice had a variety of functional uses. One of the main uses of ice was as an anti-inflammatory to reduce swelling incurred by various diseases, infections, and broken bones. In fact, ice is still used as an anti-inflammatory agent in hospital settings at the present day. Ice was even used to treat hemorrhage, although at present we use more modern methods.
In the modern day, ice still has a place at the hospital. Its uses can be varied from keeping drinks cold in the cafeteria to being served as chips to patients who are coming out of surgery. Ice is important in a healthcare setting, so it’s critical that you have an ice machine you can rely on. For a smaller space like a nurses’ station or common area, we like the Scotsman Meridian Air-Cooled Nugget Ice Machine Dispenser with Water Dispenser. This machine has been designed for healthcare settings and will produce ice safely, reliably, and efficiently. Its smaller size doesn’t hold it back - this machine is still capable of producing up to 260 pounds of ice per day. You can find this product here.
Another great compact machine for the healthcare setting is our Ice-O-Matic Pearl Ice Machine and Water Dispenser. This countertop machine does it all and creates ice that is soft, chewable, and will retain the flavors of the drinks it cools. Although the storage space is small because of the machine’s size, it can quickly refill its bin to produce nearly 12 pounds of ice per hour. Find this machine here. These machines are just a taste of the wide variety of ice machines for healthcare settings that we have available on our website. Multifunctional and efficient, we recommend an ice machine that you can rely on for a setting where ice can mean life or death. View our full range of ice machines for the healthcare setting here.
