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November 2015
Dear Friends,

This year, we have received a $50,000 matching challenge donation from the Coverys Community Foundation to support our work related to patient safety education.

Healthcare is changing and we are seeing patients taking a more important front-line role in healthcare policy and conversations. Representing the patient voice, CTCPS is working closely with all of those involved in health care in Connecticut to make sure that these changes are patient-centered and lead to safe high-quality health care for all residents.

Communication has always been one of the leading causes of sentinel events, serious medical errors that should not have happened. We are focusing on educational opportunities to bring together doctors, medical residents, students, other health care providers, with PATIENTS, to strengthen that communication, to understand each other's roles and to improve the patient experience in meaningful ways. Research now supports that medical errors contribute to as many as 440,000 American deaths each year. We need to change that!

By working together, we believe that we can change and improve the patient experience, patient safety and patient outcomes. We rely on your support of our programs to raise the patient voice in all that we do. Please contribute and support our work by clicking the link below or by mailing your donation to:

Connecticut Center for Patient Safety
857 Post Road  #220
Fairfield, CT  06824


Thank you for your continued support.  With all of our appreciation and best wishes for a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season,
 
Sincerely,
Gus Velez, President
Lisa Freeman, Executive Director


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Since our founding just over a decade ago by a handful of patients whose lives had been impacted by medical harm, the Connecticut Center for Patient Safety has blossomed into a highly regarded state-wide organization with national influence. We have seats at a number of tables addressing and working to improve healthcare  through policy and programs.  CTCPS members are involved in improving patient safety by representing the non-conflicted patient voice at conferences and working group meetings, and by raising our profile with the public through outreach activities. Our recent creation of a curriculum for emerging leaders in patient safety promises to extend CTCPS's influence further, as a new generation of medical residents and medical and health science students learn the importance of engaging in current patient safety strategies that place patients at the center of health care.  This past year has been a pivotal year as we transition to a new iteration of our organization built on our long standing, well established foundation.  We have a new executive director who brings fresh and innovative plans to continue to fulfill our mission and meet our ongoing challenges. Our responses and actions have resulted in keeping CTCPS vibrant and strong.
As the economy continues to struggle with its slow rebound, we have had to deal with slow growth in our financial resources as well.  To respond to this, in addition to our reliance on dedicated donors,  we are developing programs that will allow us to increase our grant revenue and create income streams that will provide sustaining funding going forward.  We are also planning on holding a fundraiser in 2016 that will have the twin benefits of raising both dollars and visibility for our group.

With "patient safety" in our name, and with all of the changes that are occurring in healthcare we have our work cut out for us in the coming years. The staggering figure of 400,000 people in the United States dying each year as the result of medical harm must be dramatically reduced.  We are listening to member input and are working to eliminate patient error and patient harm.  Our website expands public access to our vast resources and raises awareness through links to related organizations as well. Comments from our visitors such as, "Your website provides a wealth of useful information for both patients and caregivers alike.  It is comfortable to maneuver." represent what we frequently hear.  Our growing exposure on social media including Facebook and Twitter continues.  People are hearing our messages calling for change.  We continue to give presentations to community groups and many schools of nursing throughout the State, sharing our member's stories of harm, teaching patient safety strategies and impressing these nurses of the important role that they play as patient advocates.  Their evaluations confirm that we offer a perspective that reaches them in a way that stories in textbooks can't.  Our presence in the media has been broad and far reaching, from local printed and internet press to national publications and radio.  Our input on healthcare stories places the patient perspective in the public view for patients and policymakers alike to see.

This past year, legislative regulations supporting transparency in health care were passed and signed into law by the Governor.  CTCPS's executive director and volunteers met with legislators to educate them and to insure that the new laws and policies that were enacted are sensible and fair to Connecticut residents.

In all of these efforts, CTCPS's executive staff was gratified and encouraged by the dedication and generous support of our membership. I look forward to working with many of you on these and new initiatives in the coming year. Your support and ideas are vital to the Connecticut Center for Patient Safety's success This important work can only be accomplished with your help.


 
 

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