French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC), a member of the network of Dignity Health Central Coast facilities, is proud to announce the highly anticipated opening of the innovative Copeland Health Education Pavilion, further propelling FHMC into a new era of health care capabilities.
Hospital staff, physicians, board members, donors, and community members are invited to attend the grand opening celebration of the Copeland Health Education Pavilion on Tuesday, November 17 at 10:30 a.m. Attendees are invited to gather for a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting with self-guided tours of San Luis Obispo’s newest and one-of-its-kind facilities.
“We are proud to be able to introduce this highly advanced health care research and education facility to the members of our community,” says FHMC President and CEO Alan Iftiniuk. “Our hospital has been serving San Luis Obispo County for nearly 70 years and our commitment to remain ahead of the evolving health care industry remains unwavering.”
Located on the FHMC campus adjacent the hospital, the three-story, 18,000 square foot facility includes two classrooms, a conference room, boardroom, and two advanced learning facilities: The Institute for Health Education and Research, and the James R. Flanagan Simulation Learning Center. The Pavilion also includes an educational auditorium that can accommodate 175 people with a standing room capacity of 298. Every aspect of the pavilion is outfitted with state-of-the-art technology and features to advance health care education for our community and staff.
The Institute for Health Education and Research is devoted to leading scientific exploration and prevention studies. Included within this institute is an “idea incubator lab” with the capability of collaborating on research projects interactively with California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) about disease prevention and health promotion on a national level.
Another aspect of our ongoing commitment to the advancement of health care is the James Flanagan Simulation Learning Center. This simulation lab is equipped with four simulation manikins, providing the opportunity for hospital staff to experience, react to, and treat realistic, pre-programmed patient cases. Two classrooms mirrored to hospital rooms ensure the most realistic and effective training possible. Typically found only at educational medical facilities and institutions, such patient simulators offer active training and education for our medical staff and nursing professionals. The acquisition of these teaching manikins was made possible by a generous donation from James Flanagan, a former FHMC patient.
The pavilion also provides a variety of preventive health education classes to the community through a new Community Wellness Program, all free of charge.
The generous commitment from two local couples made this multimillion dollar project possible. Jim and Sandy Copeland, and Tom and Pam Copeland, long time San Luis Obispo residents, recognized business leaders, philanthropists and devoted supporters of FHMC, donated the entire building to the advancement of health care for Central Coast residents. Donations are still being sought to support the advanced technology and modern interiors in the Pavilion.
To learn more about the Copeland Health Education Pavilion, or to donate, please contact the FHMC Foundation by calling 805.542.6496, or visit www.supportfrenchhospital.org.