Chair Files
Patient Ambassadors
As the automobile industry in Flint, Mich., has declined, area residents have faced significant setbacks in both their economic and health conditions. The region reports higher-than-state-and-national average morbidity and mortality rates for heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity and more. Hurley Medical Center, a 443-bed public, nonprofit, teaching hospital in Flint, aims to empower patients and, in turn, improve their health. As part of a strategic quality initiative, Hurley began building a stronger patient safety culture, including helping patients and families become better informed and more involved in their care. Hurley used the Joint Commission?s Speak Up? Campaign and expanded it by creating a Patient Speak Up Ambassador program. Staff volunteers receive training to encourage colleagues to report incidents and encourage patients to express concerns and ask questions. Ambassadors visit patients in their rooms and may accompany patients who have no friends or family present. Hurley started with 25 ambassadors and now has 130. The hospital has improved scores on patient satisfaction and safety surveys.
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