Pictured are members of the Colquitt Regional Volunteers, better known around the hospital as “Bluebirds.” Recently the volunteers donated $3,500 for the purchase of a mock crash cart that nurses and physicians will use in training exercises. Also pictured are Gail Sparkman, BSN, RN, CIC and Kayla Long, RN, members of the Staff Nurse Advisory Committee that will use the cart.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Colquitt Regional Medical Center just fulfilled a vital nursing education need. The Staff Nurse Advisory Committee has developed and implemented a mock code program, which is an educational activity carried out on a mannequin in a controlled environment.

The goal of this program is to educate and train staff and provide patients with the most competent and well-prepared nursing staff possible, according to a press release from the hospital. In a generous contribution, Colquitt Regional volunteers donated the $3,500 code cart to aid in the learning and training process for nurses throughout the hospital. The mock code cart allows the nurses the opportunity for hands-on practice with code medications, a respiratory therapy box and other equipment and supplies needed when practicing realistic scenarios.

“We are incredibly grateful for our volunteers at Colquitt Regional,” said Colquitt Regional CEO and President Jim Matney. “They not only give of their time, but their generous monetary contributions will impact the learning and training of the present and future generations of nurses and physicians.”

This cart allows nurses to familiarize themselves with the contents of a standardized code cart before they are faced with actual patients in a crisis. The benefits of this program are invaluable, the hospital said. Nurses, nursing students, medical students, residents, respiratory therapists and physicians will now have the opportunity to build confidence, competence and cohesiveness as a team during these mock codes.

“The Colquitt Regional Volunteers, also called Bluebirds, are a special group of people,” said Hospital Authority Chairman Maureen A. Yearta, Ed.D. “Their passion for the hospital and its future success is evident, along with their commitment to ensuring exceptional healthcare is the standard at Colquitt Regional.”

Colquitt Regional is a 99-bed medical center located in Moultrie, GA. The latest “A” Hospital Safety Score designation from The Leapfrog Group names them as one of the safest hospitals in the nation.