Labette Health is First Hospital in State to Receive Caregiver Safety Accreditation

PARSONS, Kan., Aug. 27, 2009 – Labette Health recently became the first hospital in the state of Kansas to achieve the Caregiver Safety Accreditation distinction for 2009. The designation was awarded by the Caregiver Safety Society, which annually audits member hospitals for compliance with its stringent safety standards.

Caregiver Safety Accreditation focuses on patient transfers and lifts, which are the leading causes of hospital employee injury nationwide. According to national safety studies, hospitals that provide safe working environments also provide safer patient environments, according to the Caregiver Safety Society.

“During the July 17, 2009, audit, Labette Health demonstrated a significant commitment to employee and patient safety,” said Christopher M. Miller, Caregiver Safety Society board member. “We were most pleased to see the commitment the nursing staff has made to utilizing all types of patient transfer equipment. This commitment will help to keep both patients and employees safe from injury.”

Kathi McKinney, Labette Health director of quality, risk management and corporate compliance, said that the safe environment at Labette Health was a matter of making the proper equipment available to staff members, training them to use it, and communicating patients’ needs. McKinney, who formerly was director of the intensive-care, 2-North and 3-North units, worked with Stella Clark, vice president of patient care services, to develop the Labette Health program.

“Our focus is on moving every patient safely,” McKinney said. “We provide gait belts, non-skid footwear and walkers. When it is appropriate, we use ceiling lifts or other lifts. Now it has become part of our culture.”