Mary Hardin, Vice President of Patient Care Services, VCU Health CMH; Melissa Black, Acute Care Nursing Director, VCU Health CMH; award recipient Hilary Tackett, Registered Nurse in ICU, VCU Health CMH; Abraham Segres, Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety, VHHA; Dr. J. Thomas Ryan, Senior Medical Advisor, VHHA; Christopher Bailey, Executive Vice President, VHHA; and W. Scott Burnette, CEO, VCU Health CMH.

South Hill – Hilary Tackett, Registered Nurse at VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital, received the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association’s Virginians Speak Up for Safety Award for the first quarter of 2019.

Hilary received the award for actions that she took to advocate for a patient while partnering with physician colleagues to facilitate a successful transfer of the patient to a tertiary care center.           

The VHHA stated, “We believe that employees who feel safe and empowered to speak up to peers as well as to those in authority are able to do so because of a positive safety culture in their organization.  So, while we congratulate Hilary for her actions, we also congratulate the leadership team at VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital for the culture of safety they are creating that values information from front-line staff as a vital component of their journey to achieving zero harm to patients and staff.”

The VHHA’s Virginians Speak Up for Safety Award is a statewide award that is designed to recognize staff and physicians in Virginia hospitals who identify potential situations for harm in their work environments and speak up when it is easy to say nothing and may be difficult to say something.

VHHA representatives also awarded VCU Health CMH leadership with a plaque for creating a culture of safety where hospital staff is encouraged to speak up for the benefit of patients.