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MONTROSE, N.Y. The very specific populations served by the Montrose Veterans Affairs Hospital Campus require very specific needs.
Thus, a Patient Safety Fair was conducted on the campus Thursday morning to help unite staff around the cause of caring for veterans.
Everyone has a greater sense of camaraderie, said Doris Vahey, patient safety manager, who has organized the fair the last four years. Everyone takes seriously taking care of veterans.
The Montrose VA Campus, in conjunction with the VA's Castlepoint Campus and seven outpatient clinics, care for more than 25,000 veterans in the Hudson Valley. More than a dozen patient safety programs were on display during the fair.
Presenters that may not be a part of a general population hospitals safety programming included a gun safety booth. Project Child Safe gives away gun locks, a 16-inch long piece of flexible, thick gauge metal cord which, at the bottom, folds back into a padlock. The cable is threaded through the portion of the gun that normally holds a magazine or through the barrel or cylinder of a handgun. Project Child Safe is a safety program in every VA hospital nationwide.
Jose Graham, a canine handler in the VA Police Department on campus, said she believes its common for veterans to own personal handguns, saying they have extensive handgun handling experience.
More common hospital-related patient safety programs include what may seem elementary to those outside of the health care field. The focused program has only one objective to encourage and mandate hand washing.
Its not really that hard if you have programs and monitors who are not intimidated to remind people, said Cindy Eastwood, infection control specialist on campus. She said elevator buttons, door handles and cell phones can be common bacteria breeding grounds people dont often consider.
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