In recent years, concern about preventing medical error has led to the establishment of numerous initiatives to help hospitals provide safer care. Yet, there is growing awareness that these strategies in and of themselves are not enough to insure the desired outcome. Everyone – providers, administrators, medical academia, and patients themselves – must embrace a culture in which safety is accepted as the universal imperative. On Thursday June, 11th, more than 250 healthcare leaders gathered at Jacobi Medical Center to explore this concept at its 2nd Annual Lorraine Tregde Patient Safety Leadership Conference.
This year’s theme, “Fostering Sustainable Change,” focused on a variety of topics including: recognizing the challenge of integrating patient safety tools into the teaching hospital setting, understanding the use and benefits of bar coding for patient identification, gaining awareness about the usefulness of simulation applications in two clinical disciplines, exploring the legalities involved in utilizing electronic medical records, learning about the safety tools designed for use in the OR and for preventing infections, and recognizing why patient safety must be incorporated as a core value in medical academia.
“At Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital, we are deeply committed to insuring that patient care is as safe as it can possibly be,” said William P. Walsh, M.B.A., M.S.W., Senior Vice President of the North Bronx Healthcare Network. “This annual conference is an important aspect of that commitment.”
Jacobi Medical Center welcomed Dr. James P. Bagian as this year’s keynote speaker. Dr. Bagian has extensive experience in the fields of human factors, aviation, and patient safety. A former NASA astronaut for 15 years, he flew on two Space Shuttle missions. Following the 1986 Challenger space-shuttle explosion, Dr. Bagian dove and supervised the capsule’s recovery from the ocean floor, and led the development of the Space Shuttle Escape System that is now in use. He was also the Chief Flight Surgeon and Medical Consultant for the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Through the years, Dr. Bagian has received a number of awards for his contributions to the advancement of the American public healthcare system.
The event was sponsored by Albert Einstein College of Medicine in joint sponsorship with Jacobi Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Greater New York Hospital Association, National Association of Public Hospitals, Jacobi Medical Center Auxiliary, Inc, and North Central Bronx Hospital.
