By Noreen Kirk
Special to The Health News Hub
Hartford HealthCare’s Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation is recognized as a regional, national and international destination for leading-edge medical training.
Now its capabilities are greater than ever, thanks to a major expansion. The program began as part of Hartford Hospital in 2000 and has grown to meet the training demand across the Hartford HealthCare system. The Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation’s most recent expansion takes it to a new level, turning it into what Program Director Stephen Donahue calls “an educational powerhouse.”
Simulation-based training is an effective tool for enhancing safety and quality. Clinicians work with high-technology manikins in computer-programmed scenarios to perfect their skills in a safe environment before applying them to patients. Multidisciplinary teams practice collaboration and staff practice communication skills vital to a positive patient and family experience.
Healthcare providers learn to perform almost any task needed to care for patients. Last year, about 11,000 people trained at CESI. This spring, CESI will unveil an expanded facility allowing it to accommodate more learners and offer more programs.
The center’s space on Jefferson Street has been renovated, and a three-story addition has been constructed adjacent to it. The project increases CESI’s space from 10,000 to 35,000 square feet. It adds more simulation space, including five high-fidelity training rooms, for a total of 10, and four classrooms. In a new, four-patient simulated medical/surgical suite, clinicians will practice triaging and caring for multiple patients simultaneously.
A simulated intensive care unit will provide practice in caring for critically ill patients. A cadaveric lab will help clinicians master performing procedures on human tissue. The center will have a rooftop helipad and an out-of-service helicopter for use in training air ambulance crews. These new features, combined with the existing biolab and robotic, cardiac, endovascular and endoscopic simulation technology, will make CESI one of the most comprehensive training centers in the world. In keeping with the center’s focus on innovation, the CESI team is exploring the use of virtual reality for training purposes.
“Using virtual reality to teach people in more of an immersion environment is one of the most exciting possibilities of the expanded CESI,” says Donahue.
The CESI project is part of a multimillion-dollar capital improvement plan. Funding for CESI’s expansion has come from the hospital and several other sources. In 2012, recognizing CESI’s potential to enhance the state’s bioscience sector, Gov. Dannel Malloy announced the awarding of a $15 million state grant. Several individuals, foundations and corporations have supported CESI’s expansion.
“Philanthropy is essential to this effort,” says Carol Garlick, vice president, philanthropy. “It is the key source that allows us to realize our vision for CESI.”
Around the Corner, Around the World
Most of those trained at CESI are from Hartford Hospital or other Hartford HealthCare partners. But organizations near and far rely on CESI to gain and hone advanced skills.
The U.S. Navy sends doctors and corpsmen to be trained at CESI. CESI also has a contract with the U.S. Air National Guard. Local, state and federal police officers come to CESI for active-shooter simulations, learning to care for victims until paramedics arrive.
CESI also works with companies to support research and development of medical devices. Word of CESI’s capabilities has stretched around the globe.
Professionals have come from Europe, Asia, South America and other locations to take advantage of its unique learning opportunities. Donahue says that CESI will continue to evolve to meet professionals’ educational needs.
“There are always new technologies coming out, and doctors have to know how to use them in the real world,” Donahue says.
For more information on Hartford HealthCare’s Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation, click here.