Navicent Health Hospitals Win Statewide Safety Awards for Improved Medication Safety, Care of Ventilator Patients

The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) has presented its prestigious Quality and Patient Safety Awards to Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin (NHB) in Milledgeville and The Medical Center, Navicent Health (MCNH) in Macon for projects that improved patient safety and care.

NHB was honored for its project that helped reduce medication errors. The project, titled, "Simple as That: How Transparency Reduced Patient Harm in our Community Hospital," won second place in the Hospitals with 100 to 299 Beds category.

MCNH was recognized for its project that improved the care of patients who require ventilators. The project, titled, "Decreasing Ventilator Associated Events and Saving Lives" won first place in the Hospitals with More than 300 Beds category.

MCNH 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 in 2017, but by earning three or more PHA Patient Safety Awards within the previous five years.

"At Atrium Health Navicent, we are continually improving our processes in order to ensure we deliver the highest caliber of safe, quality care to each individual patient. We are pleased that two of our hospitals have been rccognized among their peers throughout the state for their efforts in this area," said Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, FACHE, President and CEO of Atrium Health Navicent.

These annual awards recognize Georgia healthcare organizations for achievement in reducing the risk of medical errors and improving patient safety and medical outcomes.

"Ensuring that patients receive the right medication at the right time is vital to patient safety. We applaud Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin for its success in this area and for making critical progress in patient safety while ensuring the best and safest care possible for patients," said Georgia Hospital Association President and CEO Earl Rogers. "Hospitals are diligently working each day to ensure the safety of their patients. We also applaud The Medical Center, Navicent Health for its success in reducing ventilator-associated events and for making critical progress in patient safety while ensuring the best and safest care possible for patients."

About PHA

The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA), an affiliate of GHA, was established in January 2000 to improve patient care and patient safety in hospitals and other health care facilities and create healthy communities.

About GHA

Founded in 1929, GHA serves more than 170 hospitals in Georgia and promotes the health and welfare of the public through the development of better hospital care for all Georgia's citizens. 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, please call 770-249-4500 or visit gha.org.

About Atrium Health Navicent

Atrium Health Navicent was incorporated on November 17, 1994, as a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose is to coordinate The Medical Center, Navicent Health and other affiliated entities in their mission of providing a comprehensive continuum of high quality, reasonably priced healthcare services to the region. Atrium Health Navicent has 970 beds for medical, surgical, rehabilitation and hospice purposes. The health system includes The Medical Center, Navicent Health, a nationally recognized tertiary teaching hospital; Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital, the region's only dedicated pediatric hospital; Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin and Medical Center of Peach County, Atrium Health Navicent, both rural critical access hospitals; Rehabilitation Hospital, Atrium Health Navicent, the region's oldest and most experienced rehabilitation provider; Pine Pointe, Atrium Health Navicent, which provides palliative and hospice care in homes and in its facility; Carlyle Place, Atrium Health Navicent, the area's first continuing care retirement community; Navicent Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Atrium Health Navicent; as well as diagnostic and home care services. For more information, please visit www.navicenthealth.org.