Bronx, NY – May 26, 2009 – In recent years, concern about preventing medical error has led to the establishment of numerous initiatives to help hospitals provide safer care. Yet, there is growing awareness that these strategies in and of themselves are not enough to insure the desired outcome. Everyone – providers, administrators, medical academia, and patients themselves – must embrace a culture in which safety is accepted as the universal imperative. To explore this concept, Jacobi Medical Center, a member hospital of the New York Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), will host its 2nd Annual Lorraine Tregde Patient Safety Conference on Thursday, June 11, 2009.

Focusing on “Fostering Sustainable Change,” healthcare leaders from across the metropolitan area will gather to discuss a variety of topics including: recognizing the challenge of integrating patient safety tools into the teaching hospital setting, understanding the use and benefits of bar coding for patient identification, gaining awareness about the usefulness of simulation applications in two clinical disciplines, exploring the legalities involved in utilizing electronic medical records, learning about the safety tools designed for use in the OR and for preventing infections, and recognizing why patient safety must be incorporated as a core value in medical academia. /p>

“At Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital, we are deeply committed to insuring that patient care is as safe as it can possibly be,” said William P. Walsh, Senior Vice President of the North Bronx Healthcare Network. “This annual conference is an important aspect of that commitment.”

Jacobi Medical Center is honored to welcome Dr. James P. Bagian as this year’s keynote speaker. Dr. Bagian has extensive experience in the fields of human factors, aviation, and patient safety. A former NASA astronaut for 15 years, he flew on two Space Shuttle missions. Following the 1986 Challenger space-shuttle explosion, Dr. Bagian dove and supervised the capsule's recovery from the ocean floor, and led the development of the Space Shuttle Escape System that is now in use. He was also the Chief Flight Surgeon and Medical Consultant for the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Through the years, Dr. Bagian has received a number of awards for his contributions to the advancement of the American public healthcare system.

The event is sponsored by Albert Einstein College of Medicine in joint sponsorship with Jacobi Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Greater New York Hospital Association, National Association of Public Hospitals, Jacobi Medical Center Auxiliary, Inc, and North Central Bronx Hospital.

The conference will be held from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Jacobi Medical Center Conference Center located in building 4 on the Jacobi campus (1400 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, NY). Space is extremely limited, and all attendees must be registered to attend. For more information or to register for the event, please call (718) 918-4055.

About Jacobi Medical Center: Jacobi is part of HHC's North Bronx Healthcare Network, which includes North Central Bronx Hospital. A 457-bed teaching hospital affiliated with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Jacobi offers numerous centers of excellence including its renowned trauma center, multi-person hyperbaric unit, burn center, surgical intensive care unit, stroke center and regional perinatal center. Jacobi’s new Ambulatory Care Pavilion is a stunning complement to its recently constructed inpatient facility and allows staff to provide outpatients with high-quality care in a modern, state-of-the-art environment.