Bayhealth Holds Ribbon Cutting for PCOM Simulation Center

Bayhealth brings a new era of medical training to central and southern Delaware with the ribbon cutting and opening of its PCOM Simulation Center at Bayhealth. Located on Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus, the state-of-the-art training space is designed to provide a high-tech immersive learning environment for medical students, residents, and healthcare professionals.

“We’re supporting graduate medical education as well as the education of our nurses and other clinicians at Bayhealth so we can continue to provide quality care to Kent and Sussex counties,” Sarah Beebe, PhD, CNM, WHNP, CHSE, Graduate Medical Education Simulation Lab program manager said.

The facility was opened in part thanks to generous supporters who are shaping the future of healthcare in our communities by helping enhance training and advancements in healthcare for all Delawareans.

“Our relationship with Bayhealth has long been one of trust and collaboration,” said Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) President & CEO Jay Feldstein, DO. “This new simulation center further strengthens that bond.”

PCOM and Bayhealth have had a long-standing partnership. For many years, Bayhealth has been an undergraduate medical education (UME) site for PCOM medical students completing their 3rd and 4th year rotations. Numerous PCOM graduates have joined Bayhealth’s graduate medical education (GME) programs. These residencies are training new physicians in family medicine, internal medicine, and general surgery.

“We are proud to be part of their [Bayhealth’s] residency programs and the sim center in order to attract and retain quality healthcare professionals to our first state,” said President Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware Nick Moriello. “At Highmark, we’re committed to working with all providers, businesses, and community partners to build the healthcare workforce we know that we need particularly here in Kent and Sussex counties.”

Earlier this year, Bayhealth was awarded a $1.5 million grant from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware to support its GME residency programs.

“The creation of the PCOM Simulation Center at Bayhealth is essential not only for our GME program but for healthcare across our community,” said Bayhealth President & CEO Terry M. Murphy, FACHE. “This state-of-the-art training lab is unlike anything we’ve seen in Kent and Sussex counties. It will play an integral role in reshaping the way we learn, teach, and practice medicine here at Bayhealth.”

The PCOM Simulation Center at Bayhealth encompasses more than 10,000 square feet and includes an operating room, emergency bay, inpatient/outpatient flex space, classrooms, and debriefing rooms. It also has a hybrid conference room that can hold up to 125 people.

The center features several high-tech full-body patient mannikins that can mimic human responses to trauma and critical care scenarios. The teaching spaces are equipped with a sophisticated audio-visual setup to record scenarios and allow learners to get immediate feedback during debrief.

Medical students, residents and healthcare professionals are already using the space to learn new skills and enhance their knowledge, bolstering Bayhealth’s mission to strengthen the health of our community.

“We’re incredibly grateful to our donors – large organizations and individuals – who have helped make the opening of the sim center a reality,” said Bayhealth Foundation President Lindsay A. Rhodenbaugh. “This is an exciting time to be a part of Bayhealth’s mission. We’re enhancing access to exceptional healthcare and recruiting the physicians and clinicians of tomorrow.”

Visit Bayhealth.org/Foundation, download the brochure, or call 302-744-7015 to learn how you can be a part of the cutting-edge of healthcare education in your neighborhood.