South Jersey Healthcare - RMC Opening Events

South Jersey Healthcare Regional Medical Center came alive with employees, physicians, volunteers and visitors in the week before the August 8 opening. Ongoing training and orientation coupled with almost-daily special events had brought hundreds of people into the building.

Kicking off the official "sneak preview celebrations" was a well attended luncheon on July 21 for health care CEOs from throughout the region. A series of physician orientations began the same day to help familiarize members of the medical staff with the new facility and its state-of-the-art technology. In addition, a volunteer recruitment sneak preview brought in more than 60 interested local residents.
On July 22, a day known as the "RMC Reality Check," staff tested and become more familiar with numerous new work flows, technologies and processes. Nurses tested the new nurse call system that uses wireless phones to expedite response times. For example, ER staffed practiced transporting a patient from the Regional Medical Center’s helipad to the Emergency Department. Lab staff used the hospital’s computerized pneumatic tube system to send and receive paperwork and supplies.

The goal of the day was test systems that are critical to patient care and to identify any issues that need to be resolved before August 8, opening day. The day proved to be a tremendous educational experience for all involved.

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SJH President and CEO Chet Kaletkowski speaks to a gathering of more than 30 hospital and health system CEOs at a special sneak preview held on July 21.	Members of the SJH Medical Staff listen to a presentation about new technology at the Regional Medical Center. The orientation program also included tours and demos of new technology at the RMC.	(L-R) Francois Bodhuin, SJH Director of Information Systems, and Julie Morris, Clinical Systems Manager, assist Michael Dovnarsky, M.D., with a demo of the fingerprint scanning technology that will allow physicians to quickly and securely access patient information from any nursing unit.

As part of the July 22 RMC Reality Check, a helicopter landed on the helipad and an imaginary patient was transported by Emergency Department staff to the ER.		SJH Emergency Medicine physicians tour the trauma room in the Emergency Department.

(L-R) William Mills, M.D., president of the SJH Medical Staff, talks with Elizabeth Sheridan, R.N., M.A., during the Regional Medical Center Reality Check. Sheridan will serve as the Chief Operating Officer of the Regional Medical Center when it opens on August 8.	A demo of the Regional Medical Center’s Pacs System. Shows how images from the Radiology Dept can be instantly viewed at nurse's station throughout the facility	Staff members test the bed -tracking system with assistance from a manufacturer's representative.

Approximately 1,600 local residents came out during the two-day community open house at the Regional Medical Center. In addition to touring the new facility and learning about the benefits it is bringing to the region, many attendees took advantage of free health screenings and health information that were offered.	A large contingent of volunteers, auxilians and clergy turned out for a special RMC sneak preview. The group was treated to refreshments in the colorful restaurant-style dining area.	During one of several dozen tours that occurred last week, visitors caught a glimpse of some of the cutting-edge technology that will be available at the RMC. Pictured, a tour group visits an interventional radiology suite.