Patient Safety Awareness Week is March 8 to 14, and Penn State Health is using the opportunity to emphasize what the health system is doing to prevent harm.
“It’s an exciting time for Penn State Health,” said Steve Mrozowski, director of patient safety and patient safety officer at Hershey Medical Center. “As we talk about growth and expansion of our services, this week reminds us that the foundation to it all is harm-free care and the safety of our staff.”
At Hershey Medical Center and in Penn State Health Shared Services, employees continue to adopt the “It Takes a Team to Reach Zero” safety program. Nearly 1,000 leaders and more than 10,000 staff have been trained in high-reliability principles, expected safety behaviors and error prevention techniques.
“Our goal is that these principles and techniques become how we conduct our daily work in every department,” said Mrozowski.
Hershey continues to surpass its organizational goal of reducing serious preventable harm to patients but continues to strive to zero harm.
How can you help? Speak up and report safety concerns. Complete patient safety event reports for events that impact patients or are near-misses.
And wash your hands.
Check in with your supervisor to see how your office is observing Patient Safety Awareness Week. At Hershey Medical Center, the patient safety staff will present an information table tomorrow through Thursday, March 12, in the main hallway near Starbucks:
- Tuesday, March 10: 7:30―10:30 a.m.
- Wednesday, March 11: 7:30―10:30 a.m.
- Thursday, March 12: 10:30 a.m. ―1:30 p.m.