Contact
Lorna Fernandes
lfernandes@alamedahealthsystem.org
510-506-0812
EMBARGOED UNTIL APRIL 10, 2018
Alameda Health System Debuts Medical Simulation Center
Oakland, Calif. — April 10, 2018 — Alameda Health System today announced the grand opening of a new state-of-the-art Health Professions Training and Education Center that will give local young women and men from diverse backgrounds hands-on experience to jumpstart their careers in health care.
Also known as the Simulation Center, the facility was funded by a $10 million grant to the AHS Foundation from The Atlantic Philanthropies for the development of HealthPATH, an AHS workforce initiative designed to prepare under-represented minority youth and young adults for careers in health care.
“This Center will provide a hands-on learning environment for youth and young adults who participate in HealthPATH’s pipeline programs,” said Jessica Pitt, Ph.D. executive director of HealthPATH. “Highland Hospital is an academic teaching hospital, and this facility will also be used by physician residents, nurses and other clinicians in training for patient-centered care.”
Featuring high-fidelity computerized manikins, hospital beds and functional medical equipment in three suites, the Center provides a simulated hospital environment where students and healthcare professionals can mimic a wide range of patient care situations and identify potential procedural complications in a safe setting. Complete with vital signs displayed on monitors, the Center provides students, residents, physicians, and nurses the opportunity to practice everything from intubation and defibrillation, to childbirth or cardiac life support.
Providing quality health care, and addressing health inequities and disparities in one of the most diverse communities in the county, requires that AHS employs a workforce that reflects the background and experiences of the patients, families and communities who depend on it for care.
“AHS is committed to eliminating health disparities in vulnerable communities and, as such, the Simulation Center will provide HealthPATH students hands-on experience in the health care careers they are interested in,” said Ghassan Jamaleddine, M.D., AHS chief medical officer. “In addition, we are a highly-respected teaching hospital with the only adult Level 1 Trauma Center in the East Bay, and residency programs in various disciplines. This Simulation Center will enable multidisciplinary medical and nursing teams to train, practice and perfect procedures to deliver the safest and highest quality care to our patients.”
Said Debra Barnes, president, Alameda Health System Foundation, “we are grateful for the overwhelming partnership of many private community donors who helped us surpass our original $15 million goal to raise $24.1 million for equipment and programs at the new Highland Hospital Campus, the largest amount raised to date. The HealthPATH program and the new Simulation Center are an amazing contribution to the future success of our youth in achieving their dream of having a well-paying career in our local health care delivery system.”
About Alameda Health System
Alameda Health System (AHS), headquartered in Oakland, Calif., is a leading public health care provider and medical training institution recognized for its world-class patient and family-centered system of care. Our mission, Caring, Healing, Teaching, Serving All, reflects our commitment to promoting wellness, eliminating disparities and optimizing the health of all communities in Alameda County. We currently provide more than 4,500 jobs and are home to more than 1,100 physicians across nine facilities, including five hospitals and a network of community-based wellness centers. For more information, visit AlamedaHealthSystem.org.
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