New safety slogan selected for USA Health
“Each of us has to do the right thing so that we provide the safest environment possible not only for our patients, but also for each other.” – Michael Chang, M.D.
We asked and you responded.
We received more than 50 suggestions for a name for the USA Health safety initiative. And the chosen slogan is: Safety Starts With Me
“This slogan typifies the approach we must have within USA Health so that we can become a highly reliable organization,” said Michael Chang, M.D., USA Health chief medical officer. “Each of us has to do the right thing so that we provide the safest environment possible not only for our patients, but for each other. Each of us has to be willing to step up and point out when something doesn’t seem right or a mistake has been made.”
Chang reiterates that change is the only way to improve our outcomes. But to make those changes, we have to know where there are issues.
“No matter the industry, most of the mistakes made are process-driven,” Chang said. “As such, we have to eliminate an atmosphere of ‘blame’ when a mistake is made so that it can be reported and we can get to the root cause of the issue. Through this effort, we can adapt processes in such a way that there is much less opportunity for mistakes to be made.”
In the coming days and weeks, you will begin to see notices reminding you about our safety program. In addition to general awareness, we will share with you safety tips and let you know when you or your co-workers go above and beyond on a potential safety issue.
“We are looking forward to sharing the ‘great catch’ stories with everyone,” said Becky Pomrenke, M.S.N., R.N., USA Health’s patient safety manager. “Our safety reporting tool, RL6, has an icon where people can share their ‘great catch’ stories, in addition to reporting when there are safety issues or concerns.”
Chang notes that creating the culture of safety will require time, but that the ultimate pay off of no harm to our patients or co-workers is well worth it.
