A virtual training tool helps Children’s Memorial prepare for real-life emergency response

Launch Chicago Sun-Times story

In this September 14 Sun-Times article, Mary-Margaret Crulcich, RN, head of Safety and Emergency Preparedness, discusses the advantages of using a virtual world that recreates Children’s Memorial for mock emergency drills. In an online world known as Second Life, Crulich can survey the scene around the hospital and practice responding to staged virtual emergencies in preparation for real-life responses.

Crulcich says, "The virtual world of Second Life gives Children's Memorial an environment we can use over and over. Other scenarios will play out to help Children's Memorial leaders decide details such as the number of wheelchairs needed to evacuate safely, how the decision-making plays out in a crisis, and what happens when traffic gets blocked at Lincoln and Fullerton.”