Estes Park Medical Center Joins Statewide 5 Million Lives Campaign to Improve Patient Safety 

Estes Park Medical Center is one of 45 Colorado hospitals who have joined a statewide effort to increase patient safety and protect patients from harm.  

The Colorado 5 Million Lives Campaign is an initiative to help Colorado hospitals enhance quality measures, improve patient safety and reduce medical injuries. The effort is based on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) national 5 Million Lives campaign, an initiative to prevent five million instances of patient harm over two years through the implementation of twelve interventions.  

These interventions include:

§    Rapid response at the first sign of patient decline

§    Making certain that patients receive the right medications at every transfer point in care

§    Adherence to best practices known to prevent heart attacks and ventilator-associated pneumonia

§    Reduction of infections and drug-resistant staph

§    Incorporating hospital leadership into patient safety efforts.

§    Reducing surgical site infections

§    Preventing harm from high alert medications

§    Reducing the incidence of pressure ulcers

§    Deliver reliable, evidence based care for congestive heart failure 

In Colorado, the 5 Million Lives Campaign is being supported by The Colorado Trust, a grant making foundation dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Coloradans.  Estes Park Medical Center received a check from the Trust in the amount of $40,000 to begin implementation of the interventions. 

The 5 Million Lives Campaign follows upon the success of the 100,000 Lives Campaign, a previous effort of The Colorado Trust and IHI to reduce mortality in hospitals.  That effort resulted in saving approximately 122,000 lives nationwide over 18 months. 

“Colorado hospitals are committed to providing quality care in a safe manner,” said Steven Summer, President and CEO of the Colorado Hospital Association. “With the large majority of our hospitals participating in the campaign, it’s clear that Colorado hospitals are eager to enhance safety for the benefit of all patients.”  

“This is the right thing for patients and for our community,” said Robert Austin, CEO of Estes Park Medical Center.    “By ensuring consistent implementation of proven patient safety practices, EPMC will see immediate improvements in patient care, while creating system-wide procedures that last over time.”  

“Joining the 5 Million Lives Campaign allows Estes Park Medical Center to publicly show that its clinical and medical staff have been practicing evidenced-based medicine with positive patient safety results for some time now,”  Austin.   “Participation in the campaign also gives us access to more patient safety resources from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to assist EPMC in continually improving our quality of care.” 

The Colorado effort is supported by the involvement of leading healthcare organizations including the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care, the Colorado Hospital Association, the Colorado Rural Health Center, and the Center for Nursing Excellence.

Mary Glass (RN), CEO Robb Austin and Board President Phil Moenning accepted the check for EPMC to participate in the 5 Million Lives campaign.

 NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES (SPANISH)