THE MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION’S 27TH ANNUAL MEDICAL CENTER OPEN SUPPORTS PURCHASE OF A MOBILE SIMULATION UNIT
Jeff Terry, MD and Karen Baston, co-chairs of the 27th Annual Medical Center Open Golf Tournament, announced that the 10/4/18 golf tournament raised $320,000 for the purchase of a new mobile simulation unit. 100 percent of the proceeds will go directly towards the purchase the unit for training of Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) staff and community partners.
The mobile simulation unit will directly enhance the quality of patient care by training NGHS staff how to react in life-threatening situations. Staff members will be able to move from novice to competency with no risk to actual patients as new techniques are learned and skills continue to be developed and practiced.
“Being new to the area, I am amazed at the willingness of this community to give back through their participation in the Medical Center Open,” said Chris Bray, president and chief development officer of The Medical Center Foundation. “As the first mobile simulation unit in Georgia, NGHS will have the ability to provide training that will touch many lives in the northeast Georgia region and beyond.”
In the mobile simulation unit, learners are immersed in realistic experiences and mock codes, enabling staff to prepare for rare, emergent, life-threatening situations so that response times are decreased when facing real-life events. This hands-on training is especially critical to meet the training demands of Trauma Program providers, Respiratory Therapy and EMS professionals and is also invaluable for nurses and caregivers on patient floors.
“Using the simulation unit, we’re able to build a bank of experience upon which we can draw in a time of real crisis without the risk of harming actual patients,” said Dr. Michael Appeal, Chief Patient Safety Officer for Northeast Georgia Health System. “Simulation enables us to act optimally and without panic so that we can raise the bar and deliver the highest quality health care possible.”
Since 1997, the Medical Center Open has raised more than $3.5 million to support community health improvement initiatives. In addition to the fundraising efforts of the Open, it was a great day for golf at Chicopee Woods Golf Course. This year’s top prize, the Woody Stewart Trophy, was awarded to Walt Booth, Curtis Caldwell, Cory Cummings and Jake Martin with the low gross score of the day.
The Medical Center Open was supported by premier sponsor Bank of America Merrill Lynch and McGarity’s Business Products, who sponsored the 19th Hole Reception. This year’s reception featured a helicopter ball drop raffle. With more than 200 sponsors, more than 200 players and 100 volunteers, it was a fun day that will change lives with the purchase of a mobile simulation unit, providing life-saving training to care providers across NGHS’ 18-county service area.