On the eve of what would have been his 32nd birthday – Oct. 29, 2019 – Riverside Health System leadership and team members, supporters and special guests officially kicked off construction and dedicated the future Huntington Ingalls Industries Education & Training Center, which will house the Dr. Brandon D. Rogers Simulation Lab and the Riverside Regional Medical Staff Resident and Clinical Education Wing at Riverside Regional Medical Center.
Members of Dr. Rogers’ family and friends attended the event to honor the legacy of Rogers, who was tragically killed in a car accident in June 2017. “For somebody who was with us just a short period of time, he made such a big impact,” said William B. Downey, CEO of Riverside Health System.
To date, more than $1.2 million has been raised from over 400 donors in support of the simulation lab, related training facilities, and in memory of Dr. Rogers.
“When we first came up with the idea, it was conceived to be a very small lab, with a few simulation models,” said Mike Doucette, Riverside Senior Vice President and Administrator for Riverside Regional Medical Center. “The concept has since grown into what will be a truly world-class training center.”
Several key contributions have been made to benefit this state-of-the-art-facility. Lead partners, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Newport News Shipbuilding, who use simulation modeling, recognize the importance of investing in education, training and technology which has been shown to improve patient safety and improve healthcare competency.
The Center will house the Dr. Brandon D. Rogers Simulation Lab and the Riverside Regional Medical Staff Resident and Clinical Education Wing. Simulation instrumentation and virtual reality tools housed in the center will enable clinicians to maintain and frequently update skills without risk to patients. In a controlled setting, physicians and staff will be able to enhance their dexterity with high-risk procedures they seldom see, and more quickly acquire new skills as techniques and equipment continually evolve. Additionally, the Clinical Education Wing will include our resident studies, libraries, lounge, classroom space.
Other major supporters of the project include ESa, GC Commercial, Inc., MEDNAX, Spain Commercial, Inc., TowneBank, W.M. Jordan Company, Riverside Regional Medical Staff and Emergency Physician champions.
Once complete, the state-of-the-art training facility will benefit more than 80 surgical specialists, over 55 emergency medicine providers, medical residents in multiple specialties, and numerous other nursing and clinical staff each year.
Construction of the center is expected to finish in the fall of 2020. Financial contributions are still being accepted to the Dr. Brandon D. Rogers Memorial Fund, created in partnership with the Rogers family and the Riverside Foundation.
For more information or to donate, call the Riverside Foundation at 757-234-8740 or visit riversideonline.com/foundation.