Sutter practices moving patients to new hospital

Sutter Medical Center conducted a drill Wednesday in Santa Rosa to practice moving patients from its old hospital on Chanate Road to its new facility next to Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. While there were a few hurdles along the way, hospital officials said the mock move went smoothly overall.

Nursing students from Sonoma State University played the roles of six patients and were transported by ambulance to the new hospital, giving Sutter a chance to test its procedures and iron out any wrinkles before the real move takes place next week.

“The feedback we got from our simulated patients was very positive,” said Virginia Schneider, a consultant hired to assist with the move.

A total of 200 hospital staff, students and volunteers took part in the drill, said Lisa Amador, Sutter hospital’s strategy and business development executive. From the moment they left their rooms at the old hospital, she said, a command team tracked every move of all the faux patients, including “Danny Dialysis” who suffered renal failure and “Momma Mary,” a mother who had just delivered newborn “Baby Bob,” a role played by a doll. Staff ran into a few problems, including an elevator at the old hospital that did not work and ambulance delays - all issues that the hospital will address before the official move date, Amador said.

The $292 million hospital, which opens Oct. 25, is the first new hospital built from scratch in Sonoma County in a quarter-century. Sutter will spend $7 million on the move alone, a sum that covers, among other things, the cost of planning, consulting, moving equipment and licensing fees.

They expect to move 68 to 69 patients to the new hospital, which will employ 950 doctors, nurses and other staff and is expected to receive about 50,000 hospital visitors annually.

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com.