This year our Washington State Patient Safety Coalition will start to map our future with through a strategic planning process to determine our next group of initiatives. This is where we recommit to current initiatives or sunset and introduce new initiatives. Right now we are focused on:

• Improving the Diagnostic Process through better provider and patient partnership
• Promoting Psychological Safety for staff and patients through organizational culture and foundational skills
• Reducing Stigma and Bias by building awareness and understanding of behavioral health diagnoses and impact on health and health care

Make sure your organization is a member of WPSC and join your peers at our steering Committee meetings on the third Friday every other month from 8:30-10:00am on – our next one is March 17 followed by May 19, July 21, September 15, and November 17.

WPSC unites a diverse range of health care stakeholders to achieve one goal: safe care for every patient, every time, everywhere. Improving safety and decreasing errors requires the active participation of a wide range of committed individuals and organizations and we are a member-based program made up of 40+ organizations representing health care systems, associations, and advocacy groups from across the health care continuum in the state of Washington. We greatly value the involvement of our members, who diversify the conversation with their unique perspectives and experiences. We share information in a safe, neutral setting that allows you to comfortably learn, connect, and collaborate with a community of peers including:

• WPSC Speak-UP! Awards recognize health care staff who make “good catches” and speak up to keep patients and staff safe. Seeing a problem and speaking up before harm is done, or a “good catch”, is a strong indicator of a positive organizational culture of safety. Our awards acknowledge efforts of individuals and teams at Washington health care organizations who demonstrate a commitment to keeping patients and staff safe by voicing their concerns to promote health care safety. Congratulations to our Spring 2022 Award Recipients: Nursing Team on 8EH – Burns, Plastics & Pediatric Trauma Acute Care Unit, Harborview Medical Center and ICU/Tele Team, (RNs/NACs/MTs/HUCs), Swedish Issaquah Medical Center. More information here.
• Northwest Patient Safety Conferences. 2022 focused on “Advancing Patient Safety in Today’s World” and was presented in collaboration with the Oregon Patient Safety Commission and the British Columbia Patient Safety and Quality Council.

Our 2022 conference was a great success with over 450 registered from across North America and overseas. You can still register, listen and sign up for continuing education credits here to watch keynotes Jessie Singer, author of: “There Are No Accidents,” Anne Roberts and panel of advocates: “Lessons Learned from “Dr. Death,” Michelle Schreiber, MD, Deputy Director, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: 2022 CMS Quality Strategy, CMS Levers of Safety, Carole L. Hemmelgarn and Martin Hatlie: “Who killed patient safety” and Armando Nahum, Patients for Patient Safety: Engaging Patients and Families in Quality and Safety: A deep, transparent partnership.

• Subscribe to the Friday 5 Newsletter. Our weekly Friday 5 newsletter keeps members up-to-date on the latest patient safety news and resources including articles, interviews, podcasts, videos, reports, press releases, event invites, and job listings.
• Save the Date: October 2023 for our 20^th Northwest Patient Safety Conference. We have expanded to include Oregon and British Columbia and so will continue to have a virtual conference with opportunities to network across systems and regions.