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Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is continuously working toward becoming a High Reliability Organization (HRO). One of the fundamental pillars of an HRO is cultivating a Culture of Safety and

the wellbeing of the Veterans we serve remains at the center of that goal. “HROs are those that are committed to achieving Zero Harm and patient safety is integral to the HRO journey,” said

Bay Pines VA Patient Safety Manager and Assistant Chief of Quality Systems Kathleen Seymer. “The values and practices that are used to prevent harm and learn from our mistakes drive what we

do and how we do it, while providing a psychologically safe environment for employees to speak up.”  According to Seymer, patient safety is about fostering a physical, mental, and emotional

environment for patients that is aimed at optimizing wellness and preventing harm.  “It is, and should be, the most important aspect of patient care and service for anyone working in health

care,” Seymer shared. “It’s worth noting that specific attention should be given to identifying, mitigating, and eliminating risks that could result in adverse (harm) or close call

(non-harm) events.”  At Bay Pines VA, striving to achieve zero harm means identifying deficiencies and taking steps to fix issues as they arise. The facility leans on the directives, memos,

standard operating procedures, handbooks, and guidebooks provided by the Veterans Health Administration and the National Center for Patient Safety to build practices that result in the safe

delivery of patient care. “When a system or process is identified for improvement, the Patient Safety team will work with stakeholders to determine what actions can and should be taken to

correct that system or process,” Seymer said. “Implementing strong actions, which are designed to remove human error as a factor, result in the best and most sustainable patient safety

systems.”  Seymer stated that patient safety is a team effort and includes a cohort of strong patient safety specialists who complete the important work of establishing and maintaining

processes that have widespread impact across Bay Pines VA.  “The patient safety team consistently conducts environment of care rounds, completes assessments on falls, medication errors, and

wandering and missing patients, and performance improvement efforts, and many, many other things,” said Seymer. “They also promote the identification of adverse or close call patient safety

events through the Joint Patient Safety Reporting (JPSR) system. This identification draws attention to the root causes of safety events so that corrective actions can be taken to reduce or

eliminate the recurrence of them occurring in the future.”  With more than 40 years of experience as a registered nurse, Seymer joined team VA six years ago. She served Veterans as a patient

safety manager and transferred to Bay Pines almost 4 years ago as the Assistant Chief of Quality Systems. While cultivating a culture of patient safety hasn’t always been her exclusive

focus, it has always remained foremost in her mind.  “When I became a patient safety manager within the VA, I relished the opportunity,” Seymer shared. “Most health care professionals have

either experienced a medical error or know someone who has. It’s so rewarding to be able to do my part to reduce these errors and create health care environments where Veterans trust they

are getting the best and safest possible care in the world.”