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| National news program films at Vassar Brothers Medical Center |
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012307107
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By AMY WALLACE |
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Public Relations Department |
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Vassar Brothers Medical Center |
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By Amy Wallace |
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Ethel Bass, Futures Producer, Cnn American Morning, Interviews Dr. Daniel Z. Aronzon, President and CEO, Vassar Brothers Medical Center On Jan 11, 2007. |
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Vassar Brothers Medical Center became a media hub this past Thursday, as the program American Morning, the nationally syndicated CNN morning news program, spent the day filming an open-heart surgery and interviewing hospital staff and administrators on a state-of-the-art training program called "Life Wings."
Life Wings is a program created and run by pilots, which takes the metaphor of airline safety and applies it to health care. While it may seem incongruous to use airline safety methods to improve patient care, it has become the gold standard in health care, and Vassar Brothers Medical Center is only one of a handful of hospitals around the country using this cutting-edge methodology to improve their patient care.
CNN learned of this innovative technology from a New York Times article on the effort last October. Because Vassar Brothers implemented this program in 2005, ahead of hospitals in the New York metropolitan area, they contacted the hospital to learn more.
"Life Wings teaches everyone involved in patient care, that they have a voice," states Dr. Daniel Z. Aronzon, President and CEO of Vassar Brothers Medical Center. "As a result of this training, every member of the team works in a synchronized fashion in preparation for a procedure, as opposed to the old model, which puts each professional on an independent track as they each prepare for their own role."
To highlight the use of Life Wings, CNN arrived as a patient and his family was being prepped for him to undergo open-heart surgery.
The camera then followed the patient and Cardiothoracic Surgeons Dr. Mohan R. Sarabu and Dr. Rohit Shahani, Anesthesiologist Dr. Michael Simon, and the surgical team into the Operating Room. Here is where Life Wings showed its power. At this point, the attending surgeon, Dr. Sarabu, went over the pre-procedure briefing that completes a checklist with the surgical team that includes the patient, type of procedure surgical team surgery. The anesthesiologist then verbally verified the medications to be administered and perfusion requirements. The surgeon then confirmed the sterilization and correct equipment and medical instruments are available for the procedure to begin. All this while CNN had the tape rolling.
The complete surgical team included Karen Reid, Anesthesia Technician, Julia Hahn, RN Supervisor, Scrub Nurse, Lee Gerspach, RN, Circulator, Drew Gardner, PA, and Doug Hart, Perfusion. CNN also chose to interview Dr. Timothy Dowd, Chief of Anesthesiology and Paul Corish, RN MS CNOR, Director of Surgical Services due to their integral involvement in the training program at Vassar Brothers Medical Center.
The patient is doing well and was discharged from the hospital on January 17th.
The airdate for the spot has yet to be determined. For additional information about Life Wings, or to learn when this program will air locally, please contact Amy Wallace, Public Relations Assistant at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, at 483 - 6485.
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