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After ‘28 years’ at MUSC, robots Leuk and Carry retire by Matthew Douglas Public Relations On March 19,  two dedicated workers at MUSC retired after working 24 hours a day for six years.  Leuk and Carry are a pair of HelpMate robots that have worked tirelessly for MUSC.  The robots were originally leased in March 1997 to deliver blood to locations in the Children’s Hospital.  “In 1997 Transfusion Services and clinical staff in nursing areas spent more than 80 hours a week hand delivering blood from the second floor of the Children’s Hospital,” said Margaret Murphy, manager of Transfusion Services. “That was valuable time that could have been devoted to patient care.” For this reason Leuk and Carry were hired by MUSC to perform the time saving service of delivering blood.  For the past six years, Leuk and Carry have roamed the hallways of MUSC, always apologizing for getting in the way. Sadly times change and technology advances.  Because of the constant construction and lock down of specific units, Leuk and Carry found it hard to maneuver the hospital as they once had. Leuk and Carry retired with 28 years of experience at MUSC.  Twenty-four hours a day for six years comes out to 25 years, still three short of the state retirement requirement of 28 years. Since Leuk and Carry never took a smoke or lunch break they were granted three more years of service and will reap full retirement benefits. The robot pair will be replaced by a new tube system that will run throughout the hospital.  Technicians can punch in a code and the tubes of blood will fall out of a chute. Leuk and Carry’s retirement party saw many friends wishing the pair well as they finally took a much-deserved break.      Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.