News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2015 

Simulation-Based Training Expands in Queens

NYC Health and Hospitals Opens New Simulation Center in Queens to Expand Staff Training Using Realistic Medical Scenarios

State-of-the-art satellite training center at HHC Elmhurst Hospital to help healthcare professionals master teamwork skills to improve patient care and experience

(Queens, NY) - New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) officials today opened a new state-of-the-art medical simulation training center in Queens to help doctors and nurses practice medical emergencies and real life-saving procedures that improve safety and the patient experience. The new $750,000 simulation center features high fidelity patient mannequins and spaces that can replicate operating rooms, intensive care units, emergency rooms, and pediatric patient exam rooms where staff can be trained to practice complicated cases including blunt trauma injuries, cardiac arrest, breathing difficulties, and post-partum hemorrhage. The simulation center will also host training classes to help healthcare teams enhance their communications skills.

The new NYC Health and Hospitals simulation center is located at Elmhurst Hospital Center and will serve staff from Elmhurst and Queens Hospital Center, as well as staff in community-based health centers across the borough. It is a satellite site to expand the health system’s Institute for Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning that opened in 2010 in the Bronx, where more than 2,000 NYC Health and Hospitals employees train every year. The new satellite site in Queens will allow borough-based staff to participate in more training classes and limit the need to travel to the main training facility.

“Our health system is committed to continually enhancing the quality of care our patients receive, and New Yorkers rely on, every day,” said Dr. Ross Wilson, NYC Health and Hospitals Chief Medical Officer. “By expanding our successful and highly regarded simulation program to satellite centers at our hospitals we’ll offer more opportunities for our healthcare providers to hone their clinical, communication and collaborative skills needed to reduce medical errors, maximize effective care, increase patient safety and improve the patient experience.”

“Healthcare simulation is about providing better care for our patients, and our training and courses are focused on minimizing medical errors by exposing staff to complex medical cases in a safe environment where they can learn,” said Katie Walker, Director of the NYC Health and Hospitals Institute for Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning.

“Training in a simulated environment gives our healthcare providers the opportunity to grow as clinicians and support our health system’s ongoing mission to ensure our patients and community continue to receive high-quality care in a safe environment,” said Chris Constantino, Executive Director of the NYC Health and Hospitals Elmhurst Hospital Center and Queens Hospital Center.

"The use of simulation has become a gold standard in medical education and we welcome the exciting and novel opportunities that our simulation center will allow for training and education," said Suzanne Bentley, MD, MPH, FACEP, Clinical Director of the Simulation Center. "The exciting advances in simulation education being deployed in our new center allow for enhanced training and hands-on practice for interprofessional healthcare teams."

“In recent years there has been an increased focus on using simulated scenarios in healthcare education in order to foster a team-based approach to medical treatment,” added Leila Taqueban, MSN, RN, ACNS BC, CCRN, Associate Executive Director of Nursing Education at Elmhurst Hospital and the simulation center co-director. “The HHC Simulation Center at Elmhurst supports this initiative by giving healthcare providers the opportunity to enhance critical-thinking, decision-making, and communication skills in a realistic environment.”

 

Contact: Ian Michaels, HHC, 212-788-3339
Atiya Butler, 718-334-1259

About Elmhurst Hospital Center

Elmhurst Hospital Center (EHC), part of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), is the major tertiary care provider in the borough of Queens. The hospital is comprised of 545 beds and is a Level 1 Trauma Center, an Emergency Heart Care Station and a 911-Receiving Hospital. It is a premiere health care organization for key areas such as Surgery, Cardiology, Women’s Health, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation Medicine, and Renal and Mental Health Services. Last year, EHC received close to 700,000 ambulatory care visits and over 130,000 Emergency Room visits.

About HHC

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system, the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country, and one of the New York area's largest providers of government-sponsored health insurance, MetroPlus Health Plan, the plan of choice for nearly half a million New Yorkers. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, five skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission's John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/hhc or find us on facebook.com/nycHHC or twitter.com/HHCnyc.