"Virtually Yours"

Annual Candlelight Capers Fundraising Gala to Benefit Simulation Training and Education Center

PHOENIX (Aug. 1, 2005) - Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix is slated to unveil the Valley's first Simulation Education and Training Center (SimET Center) to train medical residents, staff physicians and nurses in late 2005. The estimated $2 million Center is the beneficiary of this year's Candlelight Capers black-tie gala.

The SimET Center brings forth a collaborative partnership between the Phoenix-based hospital and the recently completed Arizona Surgical Technology and Education Center (ASTEC) at Tucson's University of Arizona Health Sciences Center and University Medical Center.

Now in its 51st year, this year's Candlelight Capers event — aptly dubbed "Virtually Yours" in honor of the SimET Center — is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005, at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in north Phoenix.

Expected to raise an estimated $500,000 for the Center, Candlelight Capers proceeds will fund the purchase of such items as state-of-the-art computerized robotic mannequins and virtual reality trainers for advanced surgical and hospital procedures.

The computerized mannequins will enable trainees to learn and practice such techniques as starting IVs, inserting chest and breathing tubes, administering medications and conducting highly-advanced surgical procedures — all techniques that were previously taught through lecture and observation before being performed on patients.

The Simulation Education Centers at Banner Good Samaritan and University of Arizona Health Sciences Center will collaborate enabling both to interact and train medical professionals together via telemedicine capabilities.

Originally started as a tea dance more than 50 years ago, Candlelight Capers has become one of Banner Good Samaritan's primary fundraising events. Gala tickets, which include a cocktail reception and silent auction, dinner, dancing and a live auction, are priced at $250 per plate; preferred seating tickets start at $1,000 per couple. Sponsorship tables of ten range in price from $4,000 - $6,000. Additional sponsorship opportunities include $10,000 major sponsorships and a $25,000 presenting sponsorship.

To purchase tickets or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Volunteer Services "Friends of Good Sam" committee at (602) 239-4380.

About Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center
Located in downtown Phoenix, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has been providing medical care since 1911, and is a flagship hospital within Banner Health. Licensed for 673 inpatient beds, Banner Good Samaritan is recognized as a Magnet™ hospital for nursing excellence. Today, more than 3,600 nurses and Banner Good Samaritan staff members work with over 1,700 physicians representing nearly 50 specialties to provide care to more than 36,000 inpatients each year.

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center
1111 E. McDowell Road
Phoenix, AZ 85006
Contact: Kristine Burnett
(602) 239-4412