At Phoebe, nothing is more important than the safety of our patients. “Our patients are at the center of everything we do, and their safety must be our top priority,” said Evelyn Olenick, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer.  “We have to make sure the actions of every member of our team will keep patients safe.”  Phoebe will reinforce that commitment during National Patient Safety Week, March 12 – 18.
 
Each morning at 10:00 sharp, leaders from every department in the hospital gather for a patient safety huddle to make sure staff at the front line of care have the resources, equipment and support they need to offer the best possible care.  “We look back at the previous 24 hours or last shift to identify significant safety or quality issues,” Olenick said.  “We also look forward in anticipation of any safety or quality issues in the next 24 hours or next shift.  We want to ensure situational awareness of any problems that could impact the safety and quality of patient care by those closest to the patient.”
 
The leaders in that meeting then take the information back to their individual units where they have a more focused safety huddle specifically for their areas.
 
Each day Monday - Thursday during Patient Safety Week, employees at the main safety huddle will recite part of the Phoebe Promise.  On Friday, they’ll begin the huddle by saying the National Patient Safety Foundation Health Professionals Pledge.  Media representatives are invited to attend the first part of Monday’s huddle.
 
Phoebe leaders will be available for interviews about our commitment to patient safety.  We will also release an internal “Step Up, Speak Out” video that emphasizes our daily responsibility to keep our patients safe.  “When we ensure patient safety, all the other dominoes fall in place,” said Janet Simoneaux, Patient Safety Officer.  “Quality of care, patient experience, the overall success of the hospital all begin with patient safety.”