Sherman Hospital staff takes day-long test run of new building

Deb Gallo had severe abdominal pains on Thursday, so she and her husband, Rich, went to the emergency room at the new Sherman Hospital in Elgin.

Soon she was being whisked into an emergency area, surrounded by a team of doctors and nurses focused on providing the best care for possible for the 32-week-old fetus in distress.

Just 17 minutes later, Justin David was the first baby "delivered" at the new hospital.

Weighing in at probably less than 2 pounds, packed with stuffing and a full head of yarn, Justin was really a doll.

And Deb Gallo wasn't really pregnant.

The delivery was just one aspect of Sherman's "Day in the Life" training at the new, 225-bed facility as the staff gears up for the real thing on Dec. 15.

"This is really about learning our flow and function," said Sherman Chief Operating Officer Linda Deering. "Just like when you move into a new home, you've got to figure it out."

The emergency delivery was one of 38 scenarios - both emergency and routine - carried out by more than 100 hospital staff members Thursday.

Others included treating an overdose patient and helping someone in a severe car crash.

Hospital officials want to ensure they don't miss a step and have their staff ready to hit the ground sprinting when their $325 million facility at Big Timber and Randall Roads opens.

Tools and supplies are in different places and routines that have been forged by years of repetition must change quickly.

"This is our test run, sort of like the walk-through when you buy a new house," said Patti Turner, executive director of Sherman Choice and evaluator of the birthing scenario.

After Dr. Frank Pangallo delivered "Justin," he was taken to a 5,000-square-foot special care nursery.

"The baby appears to be OK, but the baby is only 32 weeks," Pangallo told the mother afterward.

Deb Gallo was taken to a triage room and if she stayed for real, she would eventually be moved to a room overlooking the 15-acre geothermal lake that helps heat and cool the facility and soothe patients.

The staff held a brief evaluation meeting afterward to get comments and suggestions.

Nurses say the table for the premature baby needed an overhead warmer in addition to blankets.

Overall, it went well and Gallo - who in real life is a mother of three - quips that Thursday's procedure was "the fastest delivery I've ever had."

Turner congratulated the nurses, saying she was impressed with their level of seriousness.

"I could tell really clearly this wasn't because this was a drill. This is who you are," she said.