UT Arlington's College of Nursing and Innovation’s Center for Rural Health and Nursing launches cutting-edge unit to tackle workforce and training challenges (VIDEO)
Caption
The $1 million mobile unit, a 40-foot commercial vehicle, is equipped with three simulation bays and three advanced patient manikins, one of which simulates childbirth, including cesarean sections and other obstetric emergencies.
A lack of obstetrical services is one of the more pressing health care challenges in rural counties of the state. Fewer than half of Texas’ rural hospitals provide maternity care, leaving many rural residents without essential services.
“When it comes to obstetric or delivery emergencies, rural patients are at higher risk for poorer outcomes than their urban counterparts,” said Jennifer Roye, the assistant dean of simulation and technology at the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at UT Arlington. “That is all the more reason to train those nurses out there on how to take care of emergency situations to save moms and save babies.”
Access to care continues to decline. In the 1960s, Texas’ rural counties had 300 hospitals, nearly double the number today. The past decade alone has seen more than 20 rural hospitals shut their doors.
Credit
Courtesy UTA
Usage Restrictions
none
License
Original content