SIM Lab dedication & disaster drill gained media attention
On November 22, 2024, Ohio legislators joined Cincinnati State officials to dedicate the Health & Public Safety Simulation Lab on Clifton Campus.
Participants included (photo above) Cecil Thomas (State Representative), Dr. Bonnie Smith (Dean, Health & Public Safety), Jason Asic, ’04 (CEO, Mercy West Hospital & member, Cincinnati State Foundation Board & Alumni Board), George Vincent (Cincinnati State Trustee), Dr. Monica Posey (President), Cailey Duckworth (EMT/Paramedic student), Sedrick Denson (State Representative), Catherine Ingram (State Senator), Gary Cates (Senior Vice Chancellor, Ohio Department of Higher Education), Dani Isaacsohn (State Representative), and Robbin Hoopes (Provost).
The 6,000-square-foot lab, located on the first floor of the Main Building, cost $3 million to construct and equip and is part of the College’s efforts to help meet urgent regional need for well-trained graduates to enter nursing and other allied health fields.
The lab includes classrooms and lab spaces that resemble healthcare settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. In addition, four programmable manikins allow students to work with “patients” in a controlled environment.
The new SIM Lab also is an essential tool in the College’s efforts to provide interdisciplinary training for health professionals, which has been shown to increase positive outcomes for patients.
This fall, hundreds of students in Health and Public Safety programs had SIM Lab activities as part of their education, and many college and visiting high school students are using experiences in the SIM Lab to help them determine which health career field they want to enter.
Funding for the SIM Lab came from the state of Ohio and from an anonymous foundation for equipment.
Also on Nov. 22, more than 40 students from multiple Cincinnati State Health and Public Safety programs worked together to conduct the College’s first-ever Interdisciplinary Disaster Drill, starting with a simulated serious automobile accident in a parking lot at the College.
Students in the College’s fire and EMT/paramedic programs extracted an adult male, a pregnant adult female, and their child from the car. The patients were rushed for diagnosis and treatment in the SIM Lab and other labs at the College, requiring the coordinated efforts of students in nursing, respiratory therapy, surgical technology, medical assisting, and health information management.
Three local doctors (MDs) and a Certified Nurse Midwife volunteered to help lead the simulation. In addition, two special effects makeup artists used their skills to create a realistic presentation for the car accident victims.
Students in the audio/video production program captured live video coverage of the simulated disaster.
Media coverage for the lab dedication and disaster drill included:
- Cincinnati Business Courier (may require subscription to read)
- Local 12 TV (WKRC)
- Fox19 TV (WXIX) (preview)
- Fox19 TV (interview with student & faculty)
- Links will be added as other media coverage becomes available