Keystone Simulation & Education Center Opens in Southwestern PA

MONACA, Pa., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A new state of the art medical simulation and education center will open its doors for business on Friday, June 4th to healthcare providers and medical educators, students, emergency responders, and other organizations in need of a facility for medical simulation as well as non-medical education.

Located in Monaca, PA, Keystone Education & Simulation Center (KSEC) is the only freestanding facility in the tri-state area to offer health care education utilizing advanced simulation technology. Research shows medical simulation enhances critical thinking skills and ultimately increases quality care and patient safety by exposing healthcare professionals and students to low-volume, high-risk events without endangering actual patients.

KSEC is the result of the vision and efforts of Anthony Battaglia, MS, BSN, RN, President and CEO of Pocket Nurse, a medical simulation product and equipment company located in Ambridge, PA. Battaglia recognized the need for a simulation and education facility easily accessible to health care educators as well as the general public.

"KSEC provides health and medical related personnel the opportunity to experience firsthand what real patient care or a hospital environment is like," said Battaglia.  Unlike other similar simulation education centers in the region, he explained, KSEC is a freestanding facility, not affiliated with a university or hospital that often give priority to students and staff before outside groups.

The design of Keystone Education and Simulation Center incorporates multiple simulated hospital settings including an emergency room, medical/surgical room, intensive care unit (ICU), operating room, birthing room, pediatric and neonatal ICU, a family practice office setting with two exam rooms, a pharmacy and blood bank, task training skills lab, and three large classrooms.  KSEC provides a home setting for the care and treatment of clients that includes a living area and bathroom. Each simulation room is fully equipped with video and sound recording capabilities. Multimedia recording provides healthcare professionals and students the opportunity to critique (debrief) assessments and actions in a safe and supportive learning environment.

"KSEC's mission is to be accessible to all organizations that are interested in training education in one of the most advanced simulation environments currently available," said L. Renee Miller, BSN, RN, Executive Director for the Center.  "It is our aim to host not only local healthcare educators and students, but regional and national organizations as well," said Miller. She cited the facility's proximity to the Pittsburgh International Airport as a benefit to organizations traveling to Monaca from out of state.  In fact, KSEC has already provided simulation education to groups from California, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina.  

KSEC is housed in the former Potter Township Elementary School. The school underwent a $3.5 million privately funded restoration. The architect and designer intentionally left many characteristics of the former elementary school intact, including original oak doors, built-in cabinetry, and tile corridors.  Brand new lockers line the hall of the building, which also features a new state of the art kitchen, coffee bar, and dining area.

Most of the renovations were made with an eye toward environmental sustainability and energy savings.  Among its green features are windows that allow daylight to reach 85% of the building's regularly occupied spaces and daylight harvesting occupancy sensors to ensure electric lighting is used only when rooms are occupied and natural light needs to be supplemented.

For more information, visit www.ksecpa.org or call (724) 495-6808.

Keystone Simulation and Education Center is a nonprofit, independent, medical simulation and education center offering advanced training modules and environments for education and continuing education.  KSEC's mission is to provide a quality experimental learning environment for multidisciplinary medical simulation and healthcare simulation to meet the needs of public safety organizations, healthcare educators /providers and the community.  For more information, visit www.ksecpa.org

SOURCE Keystone Simulation & Education Center