Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center Wins Statewide Patient Safety Award
The Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) recently awarded Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center a Patient Safety and Quality Award recognizing the hospital’s achievement in improving patient safety and medical outcomes.
The hospital was recognized for its project, “Dolls Aren't Just for Babies Anymore,” which identified patients at risk for falls in the hospital and developed a strategy for reducing risk. The project won second place in the Hospitals with Over 300 Beds category.
“Atrium Health Navicent is committed to redefining care – for you, for us, for all – and taking steps to ensure patients receive safe, high-quality health care,” said Atrium Health Georgia Market President Delvecchio Finley. “We extend our thanks to GHA for recognizing our teammates for their creativity and innovation in finding new ways to keep our patients safe.”
In 2024, a group of nurses identified a pattern in falls among confused patients. Despite industry recommended interventions such as fall mats, alarms, safe environments, virtual patient observation and sitters, these patients continued to have incidents of falling from their beds.
In response, nurses started a trial program in which these patients were each given a swaddled doll. Nurses monitored the patients for evidence of calming as well as decreased falls. Results showed an improvement in patients’ mental status, and a decrease in the prevalence of falls from three before doll therapy to zero in the five days following doll therapy.
“Results of the trial were overwhelmingly positive for both men and women, and it was amazing to see how the patients bonded with the dolls, even naming them,” said Atrium Health Navicent Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrice Walker.
“Congratulations to the Atrium Health Navicent nurses involved in the project on this much-deserved recognition.”Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center was also presented with a Circle of Excellence Award, an honor given to hospitals and health systems that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to quality and patient safety as evidenced by not only winning a patient safety award this year, but by earning three or more Patient Safety and Quality Awards within the previous five years.
“It is an honor to recognize GHA’s Patient Safety and Quality Award winners in person each year and this year, we are proud to recognize Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center for their outstanding work on the frontline to enhance patient safety and quality,” said GHA President and CEO Caylee Noggle. “The incredible projects presented by our member hospitals support GHA’s strategic initiatives, from access to care to behavioral health and rural health sustainability, among others. We are all working together to improve patient outcomes, and I applaud our member hospitals for continually stepping up to serve Georgians by providing high-quality care.”
About Georgia Hospital Association
Founded in 1929, GHA serves more than 150 hospitals in Georgia and promotes the health and welfare of the public through the development of better hospital care for all Georgia’s residents. The mission of GHA is to advance the health of individuals and communities by serving as the leading advocate for all Georgia hospitals and health care systems. GHA represents its members before the General Assembly and Congress, as well as state and federal regulatory agencies, and is an allied member of the American Hospital Association. For more information, call 770-249-4500 or visit gha.org.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.