Leader Named Patient Safety Fellow

Lucy Lajcsak, patient safety and compliance officer at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital, has been selected as a 2009-10 American Hospital Association patient safety fellow.

Lajcsak is one of 12 participants in this year’s class which includes members from across the U.S. and Canada.

“Charles Cole Memorial Hospital has a long history of being a leader for rural health care,” said Ed Pitchford, CCMH president and chief executive officer. “We are committed to being a modern, relevant organization for the benefit of our patients. Lucy’s commitment to patient safety and her participation in this very prestigious program are examples of the high standards that we, as leaders, embrace. I am proud of Lucy and our organization for supporting her in this program.”

The fellowship is a year-long leadership development program that provides leaders of hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations with skills necessary to shepherd patient safety change initiatives within their organizations. Now in its eighth year, the fellowship has supported approximately 250 leaders across the United States and Canada.

“Effective leadership is a crucial and foundational element of the patient safety work; one of several critical competencies needed to achieve safe patient care,” said Diane C. Pinakiewicz, president of the National Patient Safety Foundation, a cosponsor of the fellowship program. “This program is designed to provide upcoming health care leaders with a deep understanding of the scientific and organizational tenets of patient safety and the key role that leadership plays in influencing organizational culture, the critical context for the work. The patient safety movement has changed the face of process improvement in the health care industry and the lessons learned from this work are particularly relevant to the broader health care reform work, making this program of particular relevance in today’s environment.”

In the course of one year, fellows participate in three leadership retreats, complete self study modules, and engage in monthly conference calls. Fellows also carry out action learning projects focused on safety and quality improvements in their home institutions, in which they apply skills and knowledge acquired through the fellowship program.

Lajcsak plans to focus her project on enhancing a training and development curriculum for middle managers and their role of delivering safe, reliable health care. “I hope my training will help the community and common good for patient safety,” Lajcsak said. “It’s very enlightening to learn from my peers and respected experts within the patient safety world.”

“Lucy has always been one of the most professional individuals I have ever worked with. Her drive has always been to make Charles Cole Hospital the most efficient and effective it could be. I believe she certainly deserves this selection as a patient safety fellow by the American Hospital Association,” the Rev. Randall Headley, a CCMH board and patient safety committee member, said.

Amy Pierotti, a former CCMH board member, served with Lajcsak on the hospital’s patient safety committee. “Lucy has been extraordinary in shaping the patient safety culture at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital. Her proactive approach and formation of an effective patient safety committee have led to measurable improvements at our hospital. She is very deserving of this award and will be an asset to the AHA fellowship program,” she said.

The Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship is sponsored by the American Hospital Association and the National Patient Safety Foundation, in partnership with the Health Research & Educational Trust, Health Forum, the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Emailed from Charles Cole Memorial Hospital