PULSE Update March 15, 2011

About PULSE:PULSE of New York is dedicated to raising awareness about patient safety and reducing medical errors through advocacy, education, and support. We work to empower the public to make informed decisions, increase effective communication and respect between healthcare providers and the public, and create community partnerships that will foster and ultimately lead to safer healthcare environments.
 What happens when the advocate becomes the patient?  Read about what happened on my blog here: Rants of a Patient Safety Advocate

Recently In the News: 

Selling Out Injured Baby Rights
New York State's Governor Andrew Cuomo will be judged harshly by history if he doesn't reverse his position supporting limiting the legal rights of brain damaged babies. Imagine a life-time $250,000 cap on pain and suffering and families having to endure a burdensome and humiliating struggle to get medical bills paid as they arise from an insurance funded entity.
Read more :    http://www.nader.org/index.php?/archives/2248-Selling-Out-Injured-Baby-Rights.html

Radiation Safety
Newswise — As part of Patient Safety Awareness Week, the American College of Radiology (ACR) reminds patients that everyone should understand radiology benefits and risks before they or a loved one receives an X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan or other medical imaging exam.  Before undergoing a scan, patients should ask their physician...
Read more: http://www.newswise.com/articles/radiation-safety-during-patient-safety-awareness-week


New Guide From AHRQ Instruct on TeamSTEPPS TeamSTEPPS® Instructor Guide
The TeamSTEPPS Instructor Guide is designed to help you develop and deploy a customized plan to train your staff in teamwork skills and lead a medical teamwork improvement initiative in your organization from initial concept development through to sustainment of positive changes.
Get more information here:   http://www.ahrq.gov/teamsteppstools/instructor/index.html

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Releases Healthcare Quality Report. 
Highlights From the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports
Health care seeks to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease and to improve the physical and mental well-being of all Americans. Across the lifespan, health care helps people stay healthy, recover from illness, live with chronic disease or disability, and cope with death and dying. Quality health care delivers these services in ways that are safe, timely, patient centered, efficient, and equitable.  Read more herehttp://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhqr10/nhqr10.pdf

Learn more about PULSE of NY at www.pulseofny.org

PULSE Update March 8, 2011 Patient Safety Awareness Week

March 8, 2011

Patient Safety Awareness Week March 6-12, 2011 Visit the NPSF website for more information on Patient Safety Awareness Week! Here’s another tool to help you choose a hospital. Does your local hospital celebrate Patient Safety Awareness Week? This annual event, sponsored by the National Patient Safety Foundation is designed to highlight improved patient-provider communication as a vital part of keeping patients safe.  See where there are celebrations this year here. Patient Safety Awareness Week March 6-12, 2011  The Joint Commission celebrates Patient Safety Awareness Week with a new Speak Up video!  This just released video is free to anyone who wants to encourage the patient and /or their family to Speak Up.  This is the first of a series being introduced by The Joint Commission an independent, not-for-profit organization who accredits and certifies more than 18,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Learn more about Speak Up! PULSE of NY Training Sign up now for our Empathy Training.  Empathy is a respectful understanding of what others are experiencing, but most of us learn early on that we are expected to "fix-it" when others are in pain. Groups will be small so register early here! About the instructors:  Anne Fleming and Barbara Singer have been facilitating Compassionate Communication classes at the South Nassau Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Freeport since 2005.  Their 13-week course is presented on Saturday mornings in the fall and spring of each year. See What's New at PULSE of NY See the PULSE of NY Programs and Tools! See how we can help you! Meet the Patient Safety Advisory Council Members for 2011. The Patient Safety Advisory Council (PSAC) was developed to have a wide-reaching impact on improving patient safety awareness in local communities while strengthening ties with health care providers and studying patient safety needs and how they differ or are the same for each other or other patients.  If you are a community leader, and want to be involved in the Patient Safety Advisory Council in New York, or, to start one in your community call (516) 579-4711 and see how we can help. Learn to be a Patient Safety Advocate for Your Friends, Family and People Who Need You Moms and wives often say they can advocate for their family. But who will advocate for mom when she is sick?  Next Class May 2, 2011  Register Here This 8 hour certificate program encourages the partnership between patient and provider and can be offered in your community!  You get the participants, we do the rest! Meet the May 2, 2011 instructors: Charles E. Cal., MS, MBA, R.N.,  Mr. Cal is the Director of Program Evaluation at the Krasnoff Quality Management Institute, a division of North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System and Adjunct Professor at New York Medical College, Valhalla, and Baruch College, New York City. He holds two Masters degrees from Adelphi University, one in Nursing Administration and another in Business Management. His expertise is in the coordination and development of quality management curricula. Leslie Farrington, MD  Leslie Farrington is a practicing gynecologist on Long Island. She completed her training at Long Island Jewish in 1989 and has been practicing and teaching at LIJ, now part of the North Shore LIJ Health System for most of the past 20 years. Dr. Farrington was involved in the planning and participation of the PULSE Patient Safety Health Fair for Patient Safety Awareness Week in March 2006. She was active in developing the curriculum for the Family Centered Patient Advocacy Training and has co-presented numerous patient advocate training workshops. Dr. Farrington is presently training in Compassionate Communication and has been involved in developing presentations for healthcare workers using compassionate communication skills. Help us to continue our services with a tax deductible donation to PULSE of NY that will help defray the costs of our programs.  In most cases, we do not charge for services.  We count on the support of people like you! Donations, in any amount can be made by credit card here  or, to save our credit card handling fees, send your donation directly to PULSE of NY PO Box 353 Wantagh NY 11793-0353.  To learn more about PULSE of NY, and how we can help the community you serve, call (516) 579-4711.