Conejos County Hospital Hits 365 Days Without A Patient Fall

In a testament to the level of dedication to patient safety that is practiced, the staff at Conejos County Hospital recently celebrated a pretty remarkable feat.  CCH recently eclipsed the one year mark of having zero patient falls. 

“I am beyond proud, yet very unsurprised, that our staff worked so hard together to make this happen,” said CCH Administrator Kelly Gallegos.  “It is great to celebrate this milestone but even greater that we have established a standard of excellence that our patients have come to expect.”

A Total Team Effort

Gallegos noted that to achieve a milestone like this, it takes everyone on the team doing their own individual part. 

“So many people worked together as one unit to make this happen,” Gallegos noted. 

The project was led by Ceci Lopez, CCH’s Registered Nurse in charge of quality and safety.  Lopez and team noted that there was a lot of planning and strategy around preventing falls that contributed to the group’s success, as well as a large amount of teamwork.

“The Fall Prevention Program was initiated facility-wide,” explained Lopez.  “All employees are accountable for preventing falls.  They are the extended ‘eyes and ears’ of the nursing staff whenever they are in the patient care areas.  Teamwork at CCH has proven to promote patient safety.”

Continuing the Effort

Data was tracked regarding patient safety and was posted on this board, along with notes from patients thanking staff for a positive experience while at CCH.

As Gallegos stated above, it is an accomplishment to reach the milestone of no patient falls for one year, but even more important is that the bar has been set and this is what patients can come to expect during their stay. 

“In no way will our efforts become more relaxed now that we have eclipsed one year with no patient falls,” said Gallegos.  “Now we are trying to get to two years.”

San Luis Valley Health CEO Konnie Martin weighed in on the accomplishment, stating, “We are both proud and pleased with the attention to detail and the commitment that CCH staff has shown over the past year to get to this point.  Patient safety is one of our organization’s top priorities, and we are pleased at the amount of progress that has occurred at CCH.”

Pictured: CCH Chief Administrator Kelly Gallegos (front, left) is joined by members of the Fall Prevention Program.