News
August 20, 2021 – Sacramento, CA USA
TAGCarts is pleased to officially welcome Dr. Karen K. Giuliano, PhD, RN, FAAN, MBA, to the TAGCarts Board of Advisors.
Karen brings over 25 years of experience in critical care nursing, medical product innovation and clinical outcomes research. Karen has made numerous contributions to the literature, with over 80 publications in more than 20 different journals and is also a frequent presenter. While her knowledge is in general acute and critical care, Karen’s specific interests are focused on the intersection of clinical needs and medical technology use, development and innovation.
In mid 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Registered Nurse, Karen K. Giuliano, was featured on the “Handoff” podcast by Trusted Health – For the Modern Nurse, as a nationally recognized nurse-innovator. TAGCarts reached out to Dr. Giuliano to appreciate her interview and share the work they were doing to elevate nursing with highly designed medical carts for healthcare.
Karen recognized the medical cart market as antiquated and ripe for disruption. Embracing TAGCarts’ vision and culture, Karen was attracted by how the company had made nurse input vital to their research and design process. In light of the CEO’s experience in medical carts for healthcare, Karen was impressed with the depth of end-user / nurse feedback TAGCarts integrated as part of the due diligence product development process. (TAGCarts and it’s partners conducted a multitude of interviews, performed in depth research, and hosted a three-day design charette with nurses in Berkeley, California in January 2020).
In the fall of 2020 TAGCarts engaged Karen’s consultancy firm, Pace-Setter & Associates, to perform clinical research and collect data around a potentially life saving medical cart innovation project. In addition Karen participated on the design team for their first generation supply / treatment / procedure medical cart.
“TAGCarts is committed to creating innovative products that include clinical end-users as a vital part of the product development process-that is why I am part of TAGCarts.”
– Karen K. Giuliano, pHd, rn, FaAN, MBA
Karen and CEO Taggart Neal met in Boston, Massachusetts in April of 2021 as her role soon progressed from consultant to Advisor.
“Karen’s experience and performance in critical care nursing, product innovation, and clinical research is nationally recognized in healthcare. She is a joy to work with and we are grateful to have her expertise on the team.”
– Taggart neal, Ceo tagcarts, inc.
Dr. Giuliano’s professional and educational background can be seen on her Advisor profile here.
June 14, 2021 – Sacramento, CA USA
TAGCarts, Inc. was recently awarded a Utility Patent from the United States Patent & Trademark Office, for their “Wall Anchor for Cart with Recharging.”
Patent No.: 10,927,873 – TAGCarts, Inc.
TAGCarts®’ intellectual property development is a key focus of it’s growth strategy. On February 23, 2021 the USPTO awarded the Delaware corporation’s first utility patent relating to medical and workstation carts. You can readily view on Google Patents here, “Wall Anchor for Cart with Recharging.”
Background of Invention:
In TAGCarts’ mission to solve for nursing with evolved medical cart and workstation solutions, an undeniable pain point emerged as omnipresent.
Problem: Clinically and professionally trained Nurses monitoring, managing, and maintaining mobile medical cart power systems. Initially chords, plugs and outlets plagued hospital and healthcare nursing. In order to keep medical carts and workstations powered, nurses are required to monitor power levels, manage chords, outlets and plugs, and maintain populations of powered carts for use while others may be charging. A slight improvement came with “Swappable” batteries. Now, with banks of batteries charging at centralized stations in a department, nurses were no longer having to plug, unplug and manage chords, outlets and plugs. However, they still require monitoring, managing and maintaining these floating battery cartridges, into the carts, into the chargers, and round and round. This added unnecessary nurse ambulation, and traded one physical and cognitive task for another. While solving for chords and plugs, and to some extent nurses bending up and down with chords, now they are carrying loaf of bread sized batteries to and fro. Additionally, now the PAR levels of batteries available, must be maintained, purchased, and refreshed to require the power modules for the carts. Unfortunately a huge majority of carts and workstations still use the less expensive chord / plug / outlet versions, and the newer “Swappable Batteries” still fall short of actually solving for eliminating this non patient centered task from nursing workflow.
Solution: The TAGCarts’ Patented design is an ecosystem whereby omnipresent and existing items in the nurses’ environment of care, are smart, charging carts at all times as needed. Thus completely eliminating the physical, mental, and cognitive task nurses currently have with mobile power systems – and more importantly freeing them up to do more dignified, important, and patient outcome centered tasks.
The winners of the concept design?: Nurses, Patients, Staff, and hospitals.
Currently named the “Power-Anchor Smart Rail™”, the product has successfully completed the “Proof of Concept” phase and entered the “Prototype” phase. The company’s evidence-based design methodology directs toward usability studies and select hospital pilots next. In addition to smart charging, the Power-Anchor Smart Rail also embodies features for seismically anchoring, cart-top / workstation surface wireless charging (handhelds, laptops, & tablets), general “Docking” (physical or virtual), and data transmission for medical carts and workstations.
TAGCarts® has benefited from a plethora of nursing professionals who continue to encourage, support, and participate in their research and development of medical cart solutions for healthcare. Together – they are committed to medical cart design and manufacturing that enables and elevates the nursing community, rather than add remedial tasks with no patient benefit.
About TAGCarts, Inc.
TAGCarts® is a Veteran Owned, California Founder Institute company bringing the medical cart industry into the 21st century with conscientious design and material manufacturing for nurses in healthcare. Based in Sacramento, TAGCarts® mission driven values’ of social responsibility and sustainability in healthcare was honored as Comstock’s Magazine’s “Startup of the Month” and founded by CEO Taggart F. Neal in 2019.
Sacramento, CA USA
Early on in the COVID-19 global pandemic, TAGCarts vetted several types of face coverings for procurement and dissemination. While they were not clinical in nature, the intent was to support others when masks were still hard to come by. They partnered with “GEAR’N UP” out of Littleton, Colorado. “Renae and the GEARN’Up Team understood the culture and values underlying our support of nurses with medical cart solutions. While less expensive options were available, she brought us an eco-friendly solution that was an absolute home run with our clientele, and really anyone who received a mask”, says Founder Taggart Neal.
The “Next Level® ECO Face Mask” boasts a 93.6% PFE (Particle Filtration Efficiency) rate which is the highest ratings in Next Level’s cloth mask product line when compared to our CVC and Cotton cloth masks. The Eco Mask is reusable, eco-friendly, and sustainable 2-ply mask made of 70% recycled material. Lightweight, breathable, and super-soft comfort fit for all day wear. Each mask is made using RPET poly from recycled water bottles. Moisture wicking fabrication is washable and breathable. Features a double layer fabric, goes over your ears for secure fit, fits over an N95 mask.
About TAGCarts, Inc.
Based in Sacramento, TAGCarts® is a Veteran Owned, California Founder Institute company established in 2019 by Founder and CEO, Taggart F. Neal. They are bringing innovative design and material manufacturing to the medical cart industry in the 21st century. TAGCarts® mission driven values of social responsibility and sustainability in healthcare was honored with Comstock’s Magazine “Startup of the Month”, in November 2019.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 26, 2020
SACRAMENTO, California- Unprecedented times call for innovative solutions. The FEMA HEROCart™ is a perfect example of a scalable and deployable solution that addresses the needs of nurses, clinicians, or anyone working to help treat patients during a disaster.
As FEMA procures and deploys various durable medical equipment (DME) kits, consumable medical supply (CMS) kits, comfort hygiene kits and more, the FEMA HEROCart™ stands at parade rest and ready for duty.
Made out of corrugated paper board, FEMA HEROCarts™ are recyclable, lightweight, yet durable multi-drawer carts on wheels, filled with masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to not only protect nurses from injury or infection and improve workflow, but to offer dignity to patients without spreading disease.
The carts can either be shipped “flat-packed” and assembled in a pop-up fashion on location by response volunteers or, in a more preferred method, they may be kitted with identified supplies and shipped fully assembled and ready for deployment and integration. In addition to various medical supplies and equipment related to COVID-19 and healthcare, they may also be pre-kitted with non-perishable meal kits, comfort items, bedding supplies, hygiene and Commonly Used Sheltering Items (CUSI) for any surge population environment.
U.S. Navy Veteran and TAGCarts’ CEO Taggart Neal says, “As a former sailor, I see the equipment and supplies like the Marines, they do a good portion of the real heavy lifting. But the Navy, or HEROCart in this sense, is the vessel by which they arrive at their point of purpose and improve their ability to perform at their operational point of service. Not only does the FEMA HEROCart store and transport necessary items, it may serve as durable medical equipment, comfort and hygiene personable storage, or potentially collapse and unfold to be used as a shelter item itself.”
The patent-pending HEROCart™ was designed and developed to improve nurse safety and workflow in non-traditional environments of healthcare. The pop-up carts are currently serving in the battle against the COVID-19 global pandemic. Temporary, alternative care sites and acute care hospitals are using HEROCarts as a one-time use cart for positive testing COVID-19 patients, serving as a bedside medical cart for nurses, patients, or both- without the risk of cross-contamination.
Neal says, “Serving nurses during COVID-19 has provided us valuable lessons, resources and partnerships positioning the FEMA HEROCart™ ready to serve on a large scale level. With the product, fulfillment, and supply chains in place as well as being federally registered with System for Award Management (SAM), my company is capable of deploying hundreds of thousands of FEMA HEROCarts™ within weeks.”
“FEMA HEROCarts™ have tremendous opportunity to serve post-disaster populations of hurricanes, earthquakes and fires or other natural events. TAGCarts having them supplied, stored and ready for deployment anywhere on demand is a strong value proposition to emergency management and response agencies”, shares John Krueger, advisor to TAGCarts.
All FEMA HEROCarts are assembled by U.S. Veterans and Americans with Disabilities in California. Recent HEROCart deployments to state emergency management agencies such as California Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES) and Arizona Department of Health Services (AZ DHS) have caught the recent attention of media as helping under-served and at-risk community populations by working with tribal healthcare, municipal public health agencies, acute care hospitals and COVID-19 designated Alternative Care Sites (ACS). See some of our media coverage here, here and here.
According to the third edition (updated 6/30/20) of the CDC Federal Healthcare Resilience Task Force Alternate Care Site Toolkit, concept section 1.1, “An ACS is a building or structure of opportunity that is temporarily converted for health care use during a public health emergency to provide additional health capacity and capability for an affected community, outside the walls of a traditional established health care institution. The safety of patients, care providers and the general public is the main priority.”
“Whether an emergency response to medical surge population or sudden disaster driven mass population displacement, temporary hybrid environments of care require and demand temporary hybrid solutions. Preparedness is the mission critical key and the FEMA HEROCart is a valuable component of that comprehensive toolkit,” says Founder and CEO Neal.
To customize and build December 2020 shipments and secure warehouse orders for future On-Demand Deployment, procure the company capability statement, or to inquire about a partnership with TAGCarts, visit www.TAGCarts.com
About TAGCarts, Inc.
Based in Sacramento, TAGCartsTM is a Veteran Owned, California Founder Institute company established in 2019 by Founder and CEO, Taggart F. Neal. They are an innovative designer and manufacturer of patent-pending medical carts and workstations for healthcare, with mission driven values of social responsibility and sustainability. Named Comstock’s Magazine “Startup of the Month”, in November 2019, TAGCartsTM continues to offer solutions for today’s hospital medical staff across the country.
About HEROCarts
The HEROCart family of products includes Bedside Carts, PPE Carts, Full Size Isolation Carts, and Laptop/Tablet Workstation Carts. They are identified for Emergency Response, Disaster Response, Temporary and Hybrid Nursing environments, as well as Acute Care Hospital Emergency Departments for a single patient use exchange cart model.
Media Contact:
Kellie DeMarco Communications
916-747-3231
For PDF Press Release please click here
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