Retired physician's donation brings advanced medical technology to Confluence Health Hospital

WENATCHEE — Confluence Health Hospital celebrated the introduction of state-of-the-art medical technology Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its Central Campus, thanks to a donation from a retired local surgeon.

The donation from Dr. Chris Stahler funded a new virtual patient monitoring system, often called "telesitter" technology, as well as advanced patient simulators for emergency care and trauma training.

"Dr. Stahler understands the challenges and shortages in the healthcare workforce nationwide, and that it is felt acutely in rural areas," explained Suzanne Carté-Cocroft, vice president of philanthropy at Confluence Health. "Having spent his career in the Wenatchee Valley and now being retired, he wanted to make an investment aimed at addressing staffing resources and efficiencies through training. These initiatives are expected to have a broad and immediate effect on care delivery."

The virtual monitoring system from CareView features predictive fall monitoring, live-feed views, and two-way communication. The technology allows a single staff member to monitor up to 12 patients simultaneously, creating greater efficiency in patient observation.

Before this technology, patients requiring close observation needed a certified nursing assistant to remain at their bedside constantly. The new system not only improves response time and safety but gives staff more flexibility to care for additional patients during their shifts.

The donation also funded three advanced patient simulators from Laerdal, including SimMan Critical Care for adult critical care training, SimNewB for neonatal care, and Resusci Anne Simulator for resuscitation training. Six manual blood pressure practice arms and six IV insertion practice limbs were also purchased for staff training.

"Our previous equipment, though well-loved and used often, had become outdated," explained Dave Shanley, clinical development and eLearning manager at Confluence Health. "These sophisticated new devices will advance our learning in simulated critical care patient events, assisting the learning for all our professionals who provide care, but most especially our excellent registered nurses (RNs), certified nursing assistants (CNAs), respiratory therapists, surgeons and trauma specialists, and all of those that work in emergency medicine."

Dr. Stahler, who posed the question "How can I help you develop and support our healthcare workforce?" to the Confluence Health Foundation, was able to observe the new equipment in action during initial training sessions.

"The simulation equipment provides a state-of-the-art training experience for virtually every area of the organization, improving confidence and quality at the bedside," continued Carté-Cocroft. "In addition, the telesitter technology enhances efficiency and patient safety by enabling continuous monitoring and two-way communication for up to 12 rooms by one caregiver, which is a phenomenal improvement in care when constant observation is required."

Confluence Health officials believe their facility is among the first in the nation to access this new technology and equipment, allowing medical staff to develop critical skills needed during actual emergency care.

Confluence Health serves the largest geographic region of any healthcare system in Washington State, covering over 12,000 square miles across Okanogan, Grant, Douglas, and Chelan counties.