March 23, 2009

Avera Marshall Earns Third Patient Safety Excellence Award

Avera Marshall has earned a Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) Patient Safety Excellence Award for its work on preventing retained objects in labor and delivery through the SAFE COUNT initiative.

Because patient safety is a top priority, Avera Marshall joined MHA's SAFE COUNT initiative, where Minnesota teams are working collectively to prevent objects such as sponges from being retained in patients after giving birth. The MHA Patient Safety Excellence Award is given to facilities that have achieved more than 90 percent of the recommended actions.

“Hospitals that receive these awards are to be commended — the bar is set very high,” said MHA Patient Safety Vice President Tania Daniels.

For more information about the SAFE SITE campaign, visit the Minnesota Hospital Association Web site at www.mnhospitals.org/index/patient1.

Avera Marshall also received Patient Safety Excellence Awards for achievements in MHA's SAFE from FALLS campaign in July 2008 and the SAFE SITE campaign in October 2008.

The Minnesota Hospital Association is a trade association representing Minnesota hospitals and health systems.