Hospital staff undergoes emergency drills to prepare for opening

With the opening less than a month away, workers are getting ready for many situations.

Nick Daggy/Staff photographer Gina Angelillo of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics tests the West Chester Medical Center's lab equipment March 10.

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By Tiffany Y. Latta, Staff Writer Updated 11:34 PM Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Mock emergencies testing the staff’s readiness at the soon-to-open West Chester Medical Center have been ongoing for a couple weeks.

A woman in the lobby desperately wanting information about a family member, a simulated device that appears to be breathing and registers a pulse in a crisis — these drills are preparation for the real thing.

“They’re getting trained on not just treating patients, but helping our visitors and everything we have to do to run a great hospital,’’ said Jennifer Garcia, a spokeswoman for the hospital.

The 160-bed hospital opens at 7 a.m. May 11 — less than 20 days away.

Officials broke ground on the $220 million state-of-the-art hospital in July 2006, and when it opens, it will be one of the most technologically advanced health care facilities in the area.

Officials say health care workers have been clamoring for employment at the hospital.

Officials say they have received more than 15,000 applications for more than 400 jobs.

“I don’t know if we expected to get that many (applications), but given that health care is one of the still growing job sectors, we knew we were going to.”

Once employees are hired, Garcia said staffers attend three days of orientation where they learn about the hospital and the Health Alliance.

The Health Alliance is the region’s largest health care network that includes The Fort Hamilton Hospital, University Hospital, West Chester Medical Center and other facilities in the region.

Employees then receive training for their position, and move on to “real life” scenarios they will encounter on the job.

“We’re trying to prepare for every possible situation,’’ Garcia said. “They’re trying to keep people on their toes.’’

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