IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Right now, Dr. Dave Mayer, CEO of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation and government director of the MedStar Institute for High quality and Security, has reached Jacksonville Seaside, Fla. concluding a 2,452-mile digital stroll from San Diego. As a lifelong advocate of affected person security and supporter of the muse’s mission to realize zero preventable affected person deaths by 2030, Dave’s Digital Stroll Throughout America for Healthcare Security started in February 2020 to boost consciousness of the significance of healthcare employee and affected person security through the pandemic and to honor these on the entrance strains.
Dr. Mayer, an avid Chicago Cubs baseball fan, kicked off his stroll early February 2020. His first stroll was to Petco Park stadium in San Diego and the unique plan was to proceed strolling to all main league stadiums. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic’s quarantine and journey restrictions required him to show the stroll right into a digital occasion overlaying 2,452 miles over 350 consecutive days – the gap from coast to coast following the Bike Throughout America route. When potential, he continued to journey from metropolis to metropolis to hit all the foremost league ballparks, visiting over 20 stadiums, 12 spring coaching ballparks, three minor league stadiums and 7 NFL stadiums and was joined alongside the way in which by households who misplaced family members attributable to preventable hurt. Dave’s Stroll Throughout America impressed almost 1,000 people to affix the motion and log over 134K miles strolling, working and biking in help of safer care.
“As a retired scientific doctor, I felt helpless firstly of the pandemic and needed to do one thing to indicate my help for my colleagues on the entrance line who have been placing their lives in danger day by day,” said Dr. Mayer. “Via this stroll I used to be in a position to acknowledge and keep in mind entrance line employees and people whose lives have been negatively impacted by a preventable medical error by leaving a stone at every main league baseball stadium I visited of their honor.”
Yearly, greater than 200,000 folks die in U.S. hospitals from what are thought-about preventable medical deaths. These preventable medical errors are a results of systemic issues in healthcare – not well being employees themselves. Most of the issues – from burnout, to lack of transparency and secure processes – aren’t simply preventable however repeatedly set well being employees up for failure and error. Much more gentle has been shed on these points as healthcare employees have been overwhelmed with COVID-19. In actual fact, over 3,000 healthcare employees have misplaced their lives as a result of an infection whereas attempting to handle their sufferers and the neighborhood.
“This stroll was not about my private feat, however about having a platform to acknowledge and keep in mind the entire healthcare employees and sufferers who’ve been impacted by a preventable medical error,” mentioned Dr. Mayer. “We are going to by no means be capable to reverse hurt performed or lives misplaced, however we are able to do far more to forestall these medical errors sooner or later. If the pandemic taught us something, it’s that we are able to’t have affected person security with out healthcare employee security. Whereas I’ve concluded this a part of the journey, it isn’t the tip and I’ll proceed to convey gentle to this trigger till we attain zero preventable affected person deaths.”
To see the complete journey and keep up-to-date on Dr. Mayer’s stroll as he visits the remaining 10 main league stadiums, observe on Twitter @WalkForPtSafety and Instagram walkforptsafety. To be taught extra in regards to the sufferers he walked for go to: https://patient.sm/Daveswalk. To help the Affected person Security Motion Basis’s efforts, donate right here: https://patient.sm/PR-Donate.
Concerning the Affected person Security Motion Basis: Annually, greater than 200,000 folks die unnecessarily in U.S. hospitals. Worldwide, 4.8 million lives are equally misplaced. The Affected person Security Motion Basis (PSMF) is a worldwide non-profit on a mission to remove preventable deaths from hospital errors. PSMF uniquely brings sufferers and affected person advocates, healthcare suppliers, medical know-how corporations, authorities, employers and personal payers collectively beneath the identical trigger. From its Actionable Affected person Security Options and trade Open Information Pledge to its World Affected person Security, Science & Expertise Summit and extra, PSMF gained’t cease preventing till it achieves zero. For extra info, please go to patientsafetymovement.org to be taught extra, and observe PSMF on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
