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The I AM Patient Safety award is an annual contest that recognizes and celebrates healthcare staff for their individual or collective commitment to and influences on patient safety. It is a chance for us to celebrate the things that go right each day in healthcare to make our patients safer. We will also highlight two runners-up in each category to honor more patient safety heroes for their extraordinary work. We at the Patient Safety Authority (PSA) invite you to nominate individuals or teams who have made a difference in patient safety.

​Award Categories

Executive Director's Choice

• Winner
• HAI Focus Team, WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital  

       1.    Ambulatory Care/Surgery Facility

• WINNER

  • ​ Jesse Hixson, MSN, Greg Purnell, MD, and the AHN-Monroeville Surgery Center Team, Allegheny Health Network – Monroeville Surgery Center
• ​RUNNERS-UP
  • ​ Bethel Park Surgery Center Team, Allegheny Health Network – Bethel Park Surgery Center
  • ​Jamie Hallam and Front Office Staff, Spartan Health Surgicenter  

          2.    IMPROVING DIAGNOSIS

• WINNER​ ​
  • Joyce Litwak, RN, Lehigh Valley Health Network
• RUNNERS-UP
• Dr. Jaber Monla-Hassan, Einstein Medical Center Montgomery
• Dixon Foundation Health Center Team: Anila Gidwani, Rebecca Topping, Bethany Dieffenderfer, WellSpan Dixon Foundation Health Center

     3.     ​INDIVIDUAL IMPACT- GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND

• ​WINNER
• Kristin Keane, RN, Short Procedure Unit, Phoenixville Hospital​
• RUNNERS-UP
• Theresa Lasko, RN & Deborah Gruntz, RN, Welcome Center Senior Teammates, Advanced Surgical Hospital
• Adrienne Bellino-Ailinger, RN, Einstein Medical Center Montgomery - Einstein Endoscopy Center Blue Bell

     4.     LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY

• Winner
• Desiree Schuler, LPN, Restorative Nurse, Hometown Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
• RUNNERS-UP
• Alicia Elvidge, NHA, Chief Executive Officer, South Mountain Restoration Center
• ​Kimberly Krall, Thornwald Home

     5.     NATIONWIDE WARRIORS

• WINNER
• Perioperative Surgery, Northwell Health
• RUNNERS-UP 
• The Second Victim Committee, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
• Rinisha Thomas, RN & Tatiana Ziegler, RN, Delaware Valley Veterans Home

    6.    PHYSICIAN OFFICES​

• WINNER
• Melissa Bauman, CRNP, Lehigh Valley Physician Group Family Medicine–Bath
• RUNNERS-UP
• Tammy Bowman, Office Coordinator, LVPG Hematology/Oncology Office, Lehigh Valley Physician Group​
• Outpatient Falls Prevention Team, Einstein Medical Center Montgomery

    7.     SAFETY STORY (NEAR MISS OR CLOSE CALL)

• WINNER
• Registered Nurses on 5 Cathcart/Schiedt (Medical-Surgical Unit), Pennsylvania Hospital
• RUNNERS-UP
• The PAR (Patient At Risk) Bundle Team, Pennsylvania Hospital
• Monitor Technician Department, UPMC Community Osteopathic

    8.     TRANSPARENCY AND SAFETY IN HEALTHCARE

• WINNER
• Nursing Leadership and Education, Physicians, EPIC Team, Patient Safety, and Library Staff, UPMC Carlisle and Central Pennsylvania Hospitals
• RUNNERS-UP
• Central Sterile Processing Department — UPMC Hamot
• Rosanna Catania-Venuto, MSN, RN  — Chester County Hospital

And this years' two new categories:

    9.    SEPSIS

• WINNER
• Emergency Department Team, Dr. Christopher Stromski & and Ryan Kloss, St Luke’s Allentown
• RUNNERS-UP
• WellSpan Health Sepsis Team, WellSpan Health
• Dr. Jaber Monla-Hassan, Dr. Robert Czincila, Kim Mikula, Kim Vitelli, Olivia Johnson, Scott Urbinati, Einstein Medical Center Montgomery

    10.   TIME-OUTS

• WINNER
• The Pre-Procedure Time-Out Taskforce, Pennsylvania Hospital
  
• RUNNERS-UP
• Radiology Department, Chester County Hospital
• The Allegheny Health Network Perioperative Education Team, Allegheny Health Network
  

Judging

 

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Judges select individuals and teams from nominations, submitted by healthcare facilities throughout Pennsylvania and throughout the country, for their individual and/or team commitment to imprving patient safety.

• Evident commitment to patient safety
• Focus on high-level changes (for example, barriers and forced functions) and replicability
• Indicative of strong patient safety culture in the facility
• Initiative taken by individual/group

Past Winners

2021 Patient Safety Winners 

2020 Patient Safety Winners 

2019 Patient Safety Winners

Contact us

• Send an email 

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