Burke Inc, Kansas City, Kan, has been manufacturing bariatric bed frames since 1979. Recently, Rehab Management (RM) had the opportunity to interview the company’s director of national and international marketing, Steve Allee, about Burke’s products and future endeavors.

RM: What is Burke Inc’s specific niche in the bariatric market?

Steve Allee

Steve Allee: Hospital beds with 1,000-pound capacity with all the usual options and an excellent, well-received Impulse Drive System that allows one tiny nurse to gently glide bed and patient out the door without bringing staff in from around the floor to help. It’s awesome for lowering risk-management concerns, saving labor, and it’s less trauma to the patient who doesn’t have to be lifted out of bed or jostled around.

RM: What is the most important consideration when designing a bariatric bed?

Allee: Without a doubt, safety for both the patient and the caregiver.

RM: Could you tell us about some of the products you are working on?

Allee: We’re very excited about being able to very soon provide specialty air mattresses that will specifically fit our products and offer features unique to the Tri-Flex II and Tri-Lift designs.

RM: What are the most significant changes in your industry, and how are they affecting your business?

Allee: The demand for products needed to service the bariatric industry continues to climb due to the ever-increasing numbers of people, year after year, requiring bariatric care. Because of this, the bariatric setting is becoming more commonplace in care facilities. More and more it is becoming the norm versus the rarity. Due to this, we are seeing a great deal of focus on sleep centers catering to the bariatric patient population. Part of the protocol is to deal with sleep apnea prior to surgery, and that is where the sleep center market comes into play.

RM: How important is your customer base in dictating the types of products you make?

Allee: It is paramount. Customer input is priceless and helps guide our efforts to deliver the products they want.

RM: What future plans are in store for Burke Inc?

Allee: To continue to work closely with our customers, creating new products as we go and looking to the next 12 months to increase our presence in Europe and the Far East.

—Rogena Schuyler Silverman