Senator Norma Torres Visits Community Hospital of San Bernardino

California State Senator Norma Torres (D-Pomona) visited Community Hospital of San Bernardino on July 30 to learn more about the facility, how state legislation and health policies impact the hospital and its patients, and to see demonstrations of the hospital’s innovative use of technology in patient care. During the visit, Senator Torres, hospital senior leaders and board members toured Maternal Child Services which includes labor and delivery, couplet care and the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). On average, over 2,100 babies are delivered annually at Community Hospital. Senator Torres viewed a demonstration of the hospital’s new obstetric birthing and newborn simulators and learned how together, they provide hands-on training for some of the most difficult situations that can arise during labor and delivery. “We are very fortunate to have this technology available in the 32nd District. It was impressive to see how the advanced birthing and newborn simulators help the team practice working together in an emergency situation,” said Senator Torres. Senator Torres also witnessed a demonstration of computerized physician order entry (CPOE), a key component of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Meaningful Use program that supports the adoption of electronic health record (EHR) technology, including the process of entering medication orders and other physician instructions electronically instead of on paper charts. “CPOE is more efficient and improves the coordination of patient care between providers, which helps our physicians make treatment decisions quickly and safely,” said June Collison, president, Community Hospital of San Bernardino. “The demonstrations were great examples of how the innovative use of technology is making a difference in providing patient care for people in the Inland Empire,” said Senator Torres. “Here in the 32nd District, we are blessed to have hospitals like Community Hospital of San Bernardino that deliver exceptional health care,” she added. “We sincerely appreciate that Senator Torres took the time to allow us to share hospital successes as well as how we have improved quality with the use of technology, complementing our bedside care,” Collison added.