Hercules at Baptist Health Richmond: A hero for nurses, patients and the community

Step aside, ancient legends. The real hero in Richmond is Hercules – and this champion isn’t wielding a sword or shield. Instead, it’s saving the backs of nurses, protecting patients’ dignity and strengthening care in ways worthy of celebration. 

Thanks to the generosity of donors, every hospital bed at Baptist Health Richmond now comes equipped with the Hercules Patient Repositioner – a system that helps nurses boost patients up in bed with the push of a button. 

For caregivers, this technology is moving mountains. Before Hercules, 97% of staff said it took two or more people to pull a patient up in bed, a motion that often led to chronic pain and back injuries. Nearly half said the physical toll had them considering leaving nursing altogether. Hercules has since changed the game; a recent survey showed soreness dropped dramatically, back injuries have all but disappeared and only 4% of staff are considering leaving due to the workload. 

“It’s alleviated so much of the physical labor for nurses,” Annie Payne, Director of Nursing Professional Practice and Innovation, said. 

Annie helped bring the Hercules system to every hospital bed by leading its acquisition, then working with the company on installation. 

“It’s a slow, steady motion that gently pulls the patient up – much smoother and more comfortable for them, and safer for our nurses,” she explained. 

The first to feel the strength of Hercules was Richmond’s ICU, championed by Joni Berry. Joni has been going the distance at Baptist Health Richmond for 40 years; She began on the medical surgical floor in 1986 and today serves as Director of Nursing for the ICU. Though in leadership, Joni still puts on her scrubs every day, walking the halls alongside her team. 

“I have to know how to support my staff for what they need and help them get past any barriers,” Joni explained. 

One of those barriers is physical, which as a longtime bedside nurse, Joni has experienced, and suffered from, firsthand. 

She even has the battle scars to prove it. 

“Not just acute injuries, but chronic injuries – with the repetitive movements over the years, and two nurses having to pull somebody up in the bay on a draw sheet,” Joni said. “The patient could be 90 pounds or 400 pounds, but you still have to move them.” 

It was Joni who helped rally leadership to approve the first Hercules systems for the ICU, a decision that’s now strengthened care hospital-wide. Like Hercules himself, Joni has carried incredible weight over the years, though her greatest strength has always been in lifting others up.  

“I'm very excited that this generation of nurses may never have to experience a back injury because of how we're pulling our patients up in bed,” Joni said. “And the patients aren't going to get shearing of the skin from sheets constantly rubbing up against them and rolling up underneath them. It’s just a blessing all the way around.” 

Because of donors, Richmond was the first Baptist Health hospital to fully embrace Hercules – and the results are striking. Nurses are healthier, patients are safer, morale is stronger and the spirit of caregiving in Richmond is mightier than ever. Your generosity continues to lift countless members of the community, making you a true hero in their lives. 

Impactful patient care – more powerful than any Roman myth. 

“We want the money and the funds to make our patient experience better,” Joni said. “And that’s exactly what this did."