More Space, Technology and Opportunities for Clinical Training: Renown Health, UNR and Helmsley Charitable Trust Announce the Opening of the Helmsley Simulation Center

January 30, 2025

By integrating advanced simulation technology into medical education, doctors, nurses and future healthcare providers can practice complex medical scenarios in a safe, controlled environment- ultimately improving patient safety and teamwork.

Renown Health announces the opening of The Helmsley Simulation Center, a training facility designed to enhance healthcare education and clinical excellence across northern Nevada.

“The opening of The Helmsley Simulation Center marks a significant milestone in our commitment to advance clinical training for area healthcare professionals across the state of Nevada,” said Brian Erling, MD, MBA President & CEO, Renown Health. “This state-of-the-art facility builds the confidence and skills of current and future healthcare professionals with hands-on, real-world training to enhance patient care and outcomes. As a not-for-profit organization, Renown relies on fundraising support. We are grateful to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for their partnership and generous support in making this vision a reality.”

The Helmsley Simulation Center represents a significant collaboration between Renown Health and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, which granted Renown Health Foundation $3.1 million in 2022 to construct this innovative facility. The grant supports one of Helmsley’s core program areas; strengthening rural healthcare.

“Simulation education has become standard practice for many of our healthcare personnel,” said Erin Van Kirk MSN, RN, Director of Nursing Education, Renown Health. “This simulation lab will provide expanded opportunities in a controlled setting where physicians, nurses, and students can gain valuable experience in providing the best care possible.”

“This center does much to support Renown Health’s strong and important partnership as an academic health system with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, and the Orvis School of Medicine, where we are working to expand training modules focused on rural health, virtual care and telemedicine for our medical students and learners,” said Paul Hauptman, MD, Dean, UNR Med and Chief Academic Officer, Renown Health.

“This is a remarkable resource that bridges academic excellence with clinical practice- and it is a dream come true for me and those I work with and teach,” said Kirk Bronander, MD, an academic hospitalist at Renown Regional Medical Center and Director of Simulation at UNR Med. “For decades, airlines have relied on simulation training to ensure pilots are prepared for any situation. Now, we are bringing that same level of rigor and hands-on experience to healthcare. By integrating advanced simulation technology into medical education, doctors, nurses and future healthcare providers can practice complex medical scenarios in a safe, controlled environment- ultimately improving patient safety, decision-making and clinical outcomes. This is particularly crucial for clinicians serving in our rural and underserved areas.”

“Our mission is to ensure that healthcare providers in all communities have access to high-quality training and resources,” said Wayne Booze, Rural Healthcare Program Director. “By supporting Renown Health, we are investing in the future of healthcare across Nevada and empowering providers to deliver life-saving care. The Center fits with our goal to level the playing field by giving rural residents and providers access to top-notch healthcare, regardless of their ZIP code. The new center will enable Renown Health to train substantially more nurses, physicians, community clinical partners, medical students and rural providers while improving medical and nursing expertise to support staff throughout northern Nevada.”

Features include real-life acute, outpatient, telemedicine and specialty care scenarios with;

• Six patient rooms designed to simulate real-world clinical environments, including acute, outpatient, telemedicine and specialty care settings;
• Four advanced simulation “people and baby” manikins, capable of mimicking a wide range of medical conditions and responses;
• Advanced equipment includes a telemetry monitor, IV and epidural equipment, a code cart, a defibrillator, a balloon pump, ventilators and a cooling machine;
• Two debriefing rooms, where educators can review scenarios with participants, analyze decision-making processes and provide constructive feedback.

“Our mission as a health system and Nevada’s first hospital is to serve our community as the only not-for-profit academic health system, committed to saving lives, nurturing minds, and caring for all people,” said Melodie Osborn, MBA, BSN, RN, Chief Nursing Executive and sponsor of the project. “Opening the simulation center, you feel our mission in action. The simulation center will serve a wide range of learners including nurses, physicians, community clinical partners, EMTs and first-responders, medical students and rural providers. This state-of-the-art simulation center expands our academic partnerships and substantially increases training capacity from 1,500 to 2,500 clinicians each year across urban and rural settings. In addition, we will foster confidence, teamwork and clinical expertise with the care teams that care for almost a million patients and their families. It’s a very exciting and important day.”

Yesterday, Becker’s Healthcare listed The Helmsley Simulation Center at Renown Health as one of the nation’s 64 Simulation and Education Programs to Know.

"I am proud that northern Nevada and Renown Health, with support from The Helmsley Charitable Trust, are investing in the future of healthcare for our region,” said Greg Walaitis, MBA, Renown Health Foundation Chief Development Officer. “Delivering best-in-class care begins with ensuring every provider, whether new or experienced, has access to a space where they can continually refine and enhance their skills. This generous grant for the new simulation center from The Helmsley Charitable Trust is truly an investment in the bright future we envision for Renown, our care teams and the community.”

About Renown Health

Renown Health is the region’s largest locally governed, not-for-profit integrated academic healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,500 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network and the locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. For more information, visit renown.org.

About The Helmsley Charitable Trust

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $750 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and two U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.