St. Joseph’s Hospital wins facility management award for reducing falls

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2015

CHICAGO – St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, Florida, won the 2015 Excellence in Health Care Facility Management Award for its project aimed at reducing common area slips, trips, and falls. The award, presented by the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association and sponsored by Trane, was announced during National Health Care Facility and Engineering Week Oct. 25-31.

The Excellence in Health Facility Management Award recognizes an individual or facility management department that has implemented new or innovative programs or processes to optimize the physical environment and improve patient care. The facility management team at St. Joseph’s Hospital, which is part of the BayCare Health System, set out to reduce falls in common areas of the hospital, such as hallways, waiting rooms, cafes, sidewalks, and parking lots. The team studied slip and fall incident reports and implemented 12 safety initiatives based on their findings. After the safety measures were implemented, the hospital recorded a 16 percent reduction in falls from the previous year.

“Our facilities team has continued to serve the needs of our patients, visitors, and team members with the utmost professionalism and attention to detail,” said Lorraine Lutton, president of St. Joseph’s Hospital. “I know this to be true because I round with the team weekly and see their results first hand. Other departments, such as Food and Nutrition, and Quality and Safety, have embraced and supported the facilities team’s safety initiatives.