SIMULATION CENTER
The Family Health Science Institute (FHSI) envisions a future where healthcare professionals in the Central Valley are trained with cutting-edge, immersive simulation technology, preparing them to deliver the highest standard of care to our region's diverse communities. Our Simulation Center will be a state-of-the-art facility, designed to meet critical training needs, enhance patient safety, and improve healthcare outcomes - especially in underserved areas.
With an emphasis on collaboration, this cutting-edge facility will unite health professionals, first responders, academic institutions, and healthcare facilities to address key challenges such as resource sharing, equity, and innovation.
A game-changing solution for our valley
Key Values of our Regional Simulation Center:
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Advancing a Diverse Healthcare Workforce Representative of Our Region’s Population: Providing equitable, high-quality education to individuals from all backgrounds to improve racial and economic justice and gender equity in healthcare.
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Comprehensive Workforce Development: Ensuring access to high-quality simulation, resources, and technologies, while fostering collaboration across all sectors to deliver a skilled workforce.
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Higher Patient Safety and Quality of Care: Meeting critical training needs to reduce errors and in-hospital mortality and improve overall care.
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Improved Population Health in Underserved Areas: Leveraging cross-institutional partnerships to improve health outcomes in our underserved region.
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Efficient Healthcare Professional Training and Cost Savings: Shared resources reduce training costs for participating institutions, while enhancing the quality of education.
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Value-Driven Healthcare Innovations Through Shared Programs: Create a platform for impactful innovation in a fast-evolving, high-tech world by leveraging collective experience, learning, and evaluation amidst financial constraints.
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Enduring High-Performing Health Industry Partnerships through FHSI’s Network, Leveraging FHSI as a unique nonprofit intermediary to sustain long-term partnerships and resources, advancing all value propositions for effective system-level health solutions.
National Consultants
FHSI is collaborating with three national leaders in healthcare simulation to develop its new Simulation Center. Meet Dr. Tara Lemoine Jackson, Jack Jaeger, and Marie Gilbert, who bring extensive expertise in simulation-based healthcare training, with a shared commitment to serving diverse and rural communities.
Tara Lemoine Jackson, DO, FAAP
Executive Director of the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS)
at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Dr. Lemoine Jackson is a trailblazer in healthcare simulation, having overseen the executive leadership of CHIPS, a 45,000-square-foot, $40 million simulation facility dedicated to interprofessional education and healthcare training. Her extensive expertise in simulation medicine, which she has honed through a fellowship at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, makes her an invaluable asset to this initiative. With deep personal and professional ties to California's Central Valley, Dr. Lemoine Jackson will offer insights into the integration of simulation training for healthcare professionals in this region, mainly focusing on simulation accreditation and innovative leadership in healthcare training.
Jack Jaeger, MSN Ed, RN, CCRN, CHSE
Executive Director of the Rural Health Innovation Collaborative (RHIC)
As the Executive Director of the RHIC, Mr. Jaeger specializes in bringing cutting-edge simulation-based education to underserved, rural communities. His work has involved developing simulation programs in partnership with state organizations and not-for-profits, ensuring that even the most remote and critical access hospitals have access to high-quality healthcare training. His experience in developing consortium models for shared resource programs nationwide will be vital in shaping the vision for the San Joaquin Valley Regional Simulation Center.
Marie Gilbert, DNP, RN, CHSE-A
Director, Central California Center for Excellence in Nursing
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Marie brings extensive clinical, leadership, and academic expertise to the development of the regional simulation center. Since being introduced to healthcare simulation in 2006, she has been a dedicated advocate for using simulation to elevate patient care quality and safety. As an Advanced Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE-A), Marie has led simulation initiatives at local, state, and national levels. She serves as an elected board member on the Society for Simulation in Healthcare Board of Directors and continues to make significant strides in patient safety, healthcare education, and simulation-based learning practices through her leadership and contributions.
What is Healthcare Simulation?
Healthcare Simulation is invaluable in building a safer, more effective, and patient-centered healthcare system while enhancing the preparedness and performance of first responders, health professionals and public safety agencies.
MULTI-SECTOR BENEFITS:
Population Health
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Training for public health emergencies: Simulations allow healthcare professionals and public health agencies to practice responding to pandemics, natural disasters, or bioterrorism threats. This ensures that they can efficiently coordinate resources and manage large-scale health crises.
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Community outreach and education: Simulations can be used to educate the public on health practices, such as hand washing or infectious disease prevention, improving overall public health outcomes.
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Interprofessional collaboration: Public health simulations foster collaboration between different sectors (healthcare, first responders, government), enhancing the collective ability to respond to health crises.
Patient Safety
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Clinical scenario training: Healthcare providers can practice complex medical procedures or manage critical patient situations (e.g., resuscitation, surgeries) without risking harm to real patients. This helps clinicians refine their skills, learn teamwork, and improve their response to emergencies.
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Reduction of medical errors: Simulations help identify common areas where errors occur, allowing healthcare providers to develop strategies to minimize risks and enhance patient safety.
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Crisis resource management: Teams can be trained to work under pressure in real-time simulated environments, improving their ability to manage unexpected patient complications or healthcare system failures.
Quality of Healthcare
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Continuous training and improvement: Simulation-based training enables healthcare providers to stay updated on new technologies, techniques, and treatments, which directly improves the quality of care provided.
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Patient-centered care: Simulations encourage empathy and understanding by recreating real patient interactions. This can enhance providers' communication skills, cultural competence, and ability to deliver holistic care.
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Quality improvement projects: Healthcare institutions can use simulations to test new protocols, technologies, or workflows before full implementation, identifying and addressing potential challenges in real-world settings.
First Responders (EMS, Police, Fire)
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Emergency response readiness: Simulations enable first responders to practice and refine their skills in managing trauma, hazardous materials, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks. This builds muscle memory and coordination in high-pressure scenarios.
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Interagency coordination: Simulated drills involving police, fire, EMS, and healthcare providers improve communication, coordination, and decision-making during mass casualty incidents.
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Scenario-based training: Simulations help police officers practice de-escalation techniques, crisis intervention (e.g., mental health emergencies), and tactical responses in a controlled environment, reducing the risk of injury or error in the field.
Fire Services
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Fire suppression and rescue drills: Firefighters can practice techniques for extinguishing fires, conducting rescues, and handling hazardous materials in simulated environments. This ensures they can respond safely and effectively in real-life emergencies.
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Safety and risk management: Simulations allow firefighters to experiment with different strategies for minimizing harm to themselves, civilians, and property, while also reinforcing the importance of personal protective equipment and team coordination.
Academia
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Healthcare Professional education: Simulation is a core component of healthcare education, allowing learners to practice clinical skills, patient assessment, and treatment in a risk-free setting. This enhances competence and confidence in new providers entering the workforce.
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Interdisciplinary education: Simulations can be used in academic programs to bring together students from various disciplines (medicine, public health, social work) to collaborate and develop a shared understanding of patient-centered care.
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Research and innovation: Simulations serve as a platform for testing new healthcare interventions, devices, and policies in a controlled environment, offering insights that can lead to innovations in practice and patient care.
Police
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Tactical training and de-escalation: Police officers can engage in role-playing simulations to practice de-escalation, crisis negotiation, and tactical responses in life-threatening situations. This can reduce the use of force and improve public trust in law enforcement.
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Public safety training: Officers can also simulate situations like active shooter incidents or natural disaster responses, helping them better protect the public and coordinate with other emergency services.
In summary, healthcare simulation fosters collaboration between healthcare, emergency services, and public agencies, creating a more integrated system that can respond to complex health and safety challenges. By providing realistic training environments without risk to actual patients or the public, simulations help professionals refine their skills, reduce errors, and ultimately improve outcomes across the board.
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For more information about healthcare simulation or the Regional Simulation Center, contact Marie Gilbert, DNP, RN, CHSE-A, at mariegilbertdnp@gmail.com.