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6 Living Well
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Simi Valley Hospital
A team of Simi Valley Hospital Emergency
Department employees are better equipped to
handle an influx of contaminated patients and to
instruct co-workers on how to do so after partici-
pating in a weeklong training led by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The four Simi Valley Hospital employees—
emergency nurses Nicole Vorzimer, Chantel
Allen and Diane Koeritz and emergency medical
technician (EMT) John Zimbardo—were among
150 health care professionals in California who
attended training at the Center for Domestic
Preparedness at the former Fort McClellan Army
base in Alabama in mid-June. An employee of
ReddiNet—an emergency medical communica-
tions network in Southern California—coordinated
the California contingent.
The nurses participated in hospital emergency
response training while Zimbardo attended
a program at the only facility in the U.S. that
trains with live hazardous agents such as anthrax
and ricin. All programs are free of charge for
the participants.
“The training was absolutely invaluable,”
Vorzimer said. “We learned how to set up an
emergency treatment area outside of the hospital
that included tents and water supplies for decon-
tamination, how to don and work with personal
protective equipment that completely covers
the caregiver’s body, how to receive a surge of
contaminated patients, and how to protect the
hospital from contamination in the process.”
The group practiced multiple simulation drills
with volunteers acting as victims, culminating in
a final drill that involved almost 200 “patients.”
Despite having to wear bulky Tyvek suits, respira-
tors and hoods in the 90-degree heat and humidity
of the Deep South, Vorzimer said, the experience
was thrilling and rewarding.
“This is state-of-the-art training—probably the
best available because it is supported by FEMA,”
she said. “We all came back excited to share what
we learned with the people we work with. This
is an opportunity that everyone who works in
emergency care should take advantage of as often
as possible.”
New health care
collaboration improves
patient care
As an extension of our mission to provide exceptional
service and quality care, Simi Valley Hospital has partnered
with local physicians to create Focus Healthcare, a clinically
integrated network (CIN). A CIN is a collection of health
care providers—such as physicians, hospitals and post-acute
care treatment providers—that work together to improve the
overall health and well-being of the community.
The names of individual physician practices that partici-
pate in Focus Healthcare will not change, and there will
be virtually no other changes that are visible to patients.
However, patients will still benefit from the partnership
in many ways. For instance, a high level of coordination
among primary care physicians, specialty physicians and
Simi Valley Hospital will result in a smoother and more
effective health care experience for patients.
Focus Healthcare encompasses physician practices
throughout Simi Valley, Moorpark and other communities in
eastern Ventura County.
Emergency professionals attend federal training
Simi Valley Hospital’s Nicole Vorzimer (far left) works
to decontaminate a volunteer “victim” of a chemical
weapon attack during a simulation drill at the Center for
Domestic Preparedness in Alabama.
News
2014 recycling milestones
for Simi Valley Hospital
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
SAVED
In September 2010, Simi Valley Hospital launched
an organization-wide recycling program. Since
that time, the hospital has continually added
new conservation and recycling initiatives,
including a recent move toward water-saving
irrigation practices. In 2014, the hospital recy-
cled 251 tons of aluminum, cardboard/paper,
scrap metal, plastic, wood pallets and glass. The
statistics highlighted here represent some of the
impact these recycling efforts have made.
More than
1.2 million gallons of water
, enough to meet the
daily fresh water needs of more than 16,510 people.
3,902 mature trees
, enough to produce
more than 48 million sheets of newspaper.
Almost
922,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity
, enough to
power more than 76 homes for a year.
425 barrels of oil
, enough to heat and cool more than 88 homes for a year.