Hospital police, housekeeping staff, medical administrators and laborers, as well as doctors, nurses, and entire care teams who have made their mark on the front lines of patient safety, were recognized this month as the HHC 2011 Patient Safety Champions. The title goes to the individual or team that best represent the ongoing commitment that the public hospital system has to constantly improve the care given to patients and keep them safe from harm.

HHC President Alan D. Aviles selected from among all the Patient Safety Champions and presented the President’s Choice Award to two winning teams: the Central Sterile Processing Department at Metropolitan Hospital and the Regional Perinatal Center-Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Bellevue Hospital.

The Champions were recognized at HHC's Annual Patient Safety EXPO March 9, where staff teams also had a chance to showcase their top patient safety initiatives and join in a spirited competition for best in show. Five EXPO winners were selected by an impartial group of judges, and all attending the event had a chance to vote for their favorite project for the People's Choice Award. And the winners are:

Grand Prize –Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospitals for their successful work to reduce adverse outcomes in labor and delivery.

First Prize, Hospital – Metropolitan Hospital for its pediatric program to improve immunization rates among children treated at the hospital, as inpatients and outpatients.

First Prize, Nursing Home/Longterm Care – Gouverneur Skilled Nursing Facility for its program to improve outcomes for resident patients on anticoagulation therapy.

First Prize, Diagnostic and Treatment Center – Gouverneur Healthcare Services for its program to enhance patients' health literacy and communication skills.

People’s Choice Award – Metropolitan Hospital for its creation of a "Quiet Zone" for safe medication administration after a study of hospital staff found that distractions was one of the top causes of medication administration errors.