Harrington HealthCare System Joins Be Aware for Safe Care Campaign

SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass., March 1, 2012 – In an effort to raise awareness and encourage the engagement of patients, families, health care providers, and the public, Harrington HealthCare System is participating in the 2012 Patient Safety Awareness Week campaign, Be Aware for Safe Care. Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 4-10, 2012, is an annual education and awareness campaign for health care safety led by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF).

This year’s theme: “Be Aware for Safe Care” focuses on the need for everyone to understand the importance of patient safety and to recognize the range of efforts being made to improve health safety in the US and worldwide.

Harrington will engage staff, patients and the community through educational and awareness-building activities specific to patient safety. The campaign seeks to make patients, providers, and the public aware of the ways they can participate in these efforts and partner to improve patient safety. While efforts of the past decade have brought improvements, recent studies indicate that much work remains to be done—and can be done most effectively through the involvement of all parties.

“Be Aware for Safe Care” emphasizes the fact that safety issues impact everyone. “We work together to promote patient safety everyday at Harrington, but this week will give as an opportunity to showcase some of our initiatives throughout the three campuses,” said Kathleen Davis, Vice-President of Quality and Patient Safety. “We will have story board displays of our patient safety initiatives, an educational screen saver, buttons to wear, and a contest related to safety with prizes for staff.”

HARRINGTON HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, www.harringtonhospital.org, is a comprehensive regional healthcare system serving the needs of Southern Worcester County and Northern Connecticut through our 114-bed acute-care Harrington Hospital in Southbridge that provides medical and surgical inpatient care; our satellite medical facilities across South Central Massachusetts; and a free-standing treatment center, The Cancer Center at Harrington, in Southbridge.