How Our 'Speak Up' Culture Protects You at Chesapeake Regional
More Than a Policy: How Our Team's Voice Keeps You Safe
A strong safety culture is a vital sign of a high-quality hospital, and at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, it's a commitment we live every day. We believe the safest environment is one where every team member is empowered and expected to speak up to prevent potential harm. This dedication was recently recognized by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA), which honored one of our own, Monica Anderson, with the Virginians Speak Up for Safety award. When choosing your healthcare provider, look for this type of proactive, team-based commitment to safety. It shows that your well-being is truly the top priority.
Your Safety Is Our Shared Responsibility
What truly makes a hospital a safe place for you and your family? While advanced technology and expert physicians are essential, the bedrock of patient safety is a culture where every single person feels responsible for protecting patients. It's an environment where a team member can, and will, raise a hand to pause a procedure or question a piece of equipment without hesitation. At Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, this is not just an idea; it's a core practice.
This commitment was recently highlighted when Monica Anderson, one of our dedicated respiratory therapists, received the prestigious Virginians Speak Up for Safety award. This award, given by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA), recognizes individuals who take decisive action to prevent potential harm. Monica's story is a powerful example of our safety culture in action. By identifying an issue with new medical equipment before it ever reached a patient, she protected not just one person, but every patient who would need that equipment in the future. Her vigilance shows how our team's collective voice becomes your shield, ensuring the care you receive is as safe as it is compassionate.
Cultivate a Culture Where Every Voice Matters
A hospital's commitment to safety is best measured by its culture. For years, Chesapeake Regional has worked to build a positive safety culture where our staff members feel both safe and empowered to speak up, whether it's to a peer or a senior leader. Highly reliable organizations, the gold standard for safety, ensure that everyone understands they have an obligation to voice concerns. Information from the front lines is not just welcomed; it is considered a vital resource on the journey to achieving zero harm.
The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, which represents 116 hospitals in Virginia, launched the Virginians Speak Up for Safety initiative in 2017 to celebrate this exact principle. They understood that while leaders set the tone, true safety happens in the daily actions of individual staff members. Each quarter, the association reviews 50-60 nominations from across the state, selecting two winners who exemplify this commitment.
The fact that Chesapeake Regional is a recurring recipient of this honor speaks volumes. As Abraham Segrist, Vice President for Quality and Patient Safety at VHHA, noted during the award presentation, we are a hospital they "seem to come back to." This is a testament to the consistency and strength of our safety-first mindset.
Turn Vigilance into Proactive Patient Protection
Monica Anderson's award-winning actions provide a perfect window into how our safety culture works in practice. The situation began with a routine change. Like all health care organizations, we partner with purchasing organizations to be good stewards of our resources. This led to a change in some of our regularly used medical supplies, including masks used for respiratory therapy. On a typically busy day, Monica was gathering a setup for a patient who required positive end-expiratory pressure, or PEEP. This is a specific type of respiratory support that uses a machine to provide a little extra air at the end of a breath, helping to keep the lungs open for patients with breathing difficulties. It requires a specialized valve that connects to the oxygen mask. As she prepared the new equipment, Monica engaged our critical safety tools: stop, think, act and review. She paused and noticed something wasn't right. The new PEEP valve was not compatible with the new masks. It simply did not fit correctly. In that moment, she faced a choice. She could have tried to find a temporary fix for her single patient. Instead, she chose to protect everyone. Using our "Speak Up for Safety" tool, she raised a formal concern. This action triggered a system-wide response, ensuring the patient in her immediate care received properly working equipment while also launching a larger investigation.
Recognize the Ripple Effect of a Single Voice
Monica's decision to speak up had an immediate and profound impact. Because she voiced her concern, our teams quickly huddled to address the issue. The proper, compatible valves were ordered, and a system-wide check was implemented to ensure that all respiratory setups were safe and ready for the next patient in need. No patient was ever harmed or put at risk, precisely because our culture empowered Monica to act. This is the power of a single voice in a supportive system. It creates a ripple effect of safety that touches countless lives.
Her supervisor, Respiratory Services Operations Manager Karen Good, recognized the importance of Monica's actions and took the time to nominate her for the VHHA award. This demonstrates another critical part of our safety culture: leadership that not only encourages staff to speak up but also celebrates them when they do. Monica's story is a clear and inspiring reminder that at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, patient safety is not a passive goal. It is an active, collaborative effort championed by every member of our team, every single day. This is the level of care and vigilance you can expect when you walk through our doors.
Our Commitment Is to Your Well-being
Choosing a hospital is one of the most important decisions you can make for your health. While you consider factors like location and specialty services, we encourage you to also think about the underlying culture of safety. The story of Monica Anderson and the Virginians Speak Up for Safety award is more than just a single achievement; it is a clear reflection of who we are at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare. It shows that our commitment to your well-being is woven into the fabric of our daily operations. Our goal is for every patient to feel confident that they are in the safest possible hands. That confidence comes from knowing you are cared for by a team where every individual—from therapists and nurses to physicians and support staff—is an active participant in your safety. They are empowered to be vigilant, trained to identify potential issues, and encouraged to speak up to ensure you receive the highest standard of care. This proactive, patient-first approach is our promise to you and our community.
