Abstract: A healthcare mattress useful in avoiding pressure ulcers while providing long-term patient comfort, is comprised of a foam support with a bottom and sides that define a cavity adapted to accomodate a plurality of bladders with first and second bladders placed upon the support with the first bladder positioned above the second bladder, each bladder formed of plural, generally parallel plastic sheets forming a plurality of elongated chambers extending in a generally parallel direction across each bladder with adjacent chambers in fluid communication, with an elongated foam member disposed in each of the elongated chambers of at least the second bladder and means for maintaining a fluid pressure within each of the elongated chambers of the first and second bladders, wherein the first and second bladders are disposed with the parallel direction of the elongated chambers of the first bladder substantially normal to the parallel direction of the elongated chambers of the second bladder.