MEDIA CONTACT: Kristine McGrath
561-297-1168, kmcgrath@fau.edu
BOCA RATON, FL (October 19, 2006) – Florida Atlantic University hosted a dedication ceremony today for the new Disaster and Emergency Healthcare Training Facility on FAU’s Boca Raton campus. The ceremony included remarks by FAU President Frank T. Brogan, Florida State Senator Jeff Atwater and Florida Representative Adam Hasner.
“This project is an excellent example of what can result from collaboration between Florida Atlantic University and municipal agencies,” said FAU President Frank T. Brogan. “We take pride in being part of a program that will allow us to provide a public service to our region, the state and the nation.”
The unique, state-of-the-art facility houses four different types of training environments, including a triage simulation center, a transportation center that will include a modular ambulance to simulate road conditions for first responders, an emergency room center and a decontamination area. The facility simulates emergency conditions in an effort to train healthcare professionals and other first responders when confronted with extreme trauma, biochemical, nuclear or biological agents. Trainings at the facility will teach the most up-to-date chain of patient safety and treatment procedures, while creating the illusion of real-life drama, both under normal and disaster circumstances.
“Having already experienced an emergency condition of this nature in our community, it is appropriate that FAU and the City of Boca Raton are taking the lead with this type of innovative training facility,” said Florida Representative Hasner. “This facility will be charged with educating and training our first responders and emergency care providers to recognize potential threats and take actions that will improve patient care and ultimately save lives.”
By utilizing sophisticated human mannequin simulators that have married the “high tech” with “realistic human response” elements, the facility will simulate emergency conditions and employ hands-on practice to repeat emergency procedures until patient care becomes second nature. The key to learning is to develop critical thinking in an environment that allows for suspension of disbelief, thus allowing for responses to a myriad of human conditions that will be encountered outside of the teaching environment.
“With this facility, we will develop an educational model that other cities and states can follow regarding emergency response and disaster relief,” said Florida Senator Atwater. “The facility will apply human mannequin simulators to train and certify our healthcare providers in the identification, isolation and treatment of biological, chemical and nuclear events. The simulations will bring together multiple emergency care providers and multiple simulated patients to improve patient care during emergencies.”
For additional information regarding the Disaster and Emergency Healthcare Training Facility, contact Dr. Michael Friedland, dean of FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science, at 561-297-2219.
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