The healthcare field has made great progress in patient safety over the past two decades, yet medical harm is still a leading cause of death worldwide. Some studies suggest that up to 400,000 deaths occur each year as a result of errors or preventable harm in America. Of course, not every case of harm results in death, but when patients are not safe they can experience long-term impacts on physical health, emotional health, financial well-being, or family relationships.

During Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 14-20), L.A. CADA would like you to know about some of the ways our agency works to ensure patient safety:

• Patient Safety Standards. L.A. CADA staff and volunteers are trained in L.A. County Department of Public Health standards for client/facility health and safety. Training is provided directly after hire, annually, and for unique circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We ensure that L.A. CADA staff can identify patient risks and hazards, follow written safety and hygiene procedures, and provide input for the analysis of risk behaviors.

• Client Confidentiality. Our staff and volunteers are also trained in federal confidentiality rules and regulations, and L.A. CADA works to create an organizational culture that values and respects a patient’s right to privacy. To safeguard the electronic data, personal information, and records of our behavioral healthcare patients, our agency adheres to strict guidelines set forth by the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

      ·  Person-Centered Care. L.A. CADA services are delivered in alliance with eight principles of person-centered care: 1) respect for patient’s values, preferences and expressed needs; 2) patient-driven care coordination and integration; 3) patient education and information on their diagnosis, prognosis, and processes of care; 4) assistance with physical comfort; 5) emotional support for fear and anxiety; 6) involving family and friends in the treatment process; 7) linkage to ongoing care after discharge; and 7) improving access to behavioral health care, especially for the disadvantaged groups we serve.

• The Use of Evidence-Based Practices. We don’t reinvent the wheel; L.A. CADA uses prevention and treatment practices that are proven by science to work with the patients we serve.

• Culturally-Responsive Care. L.A. CADA delivers services in a personalized way that takes into account and respects each of our diverse participant’s unique cultural and linguistic needs and perspectives.

• A Team Approach to Care. Patient safety at L.A. CADA is a partnership that includes our program participants, behavioral healthcare staff and volunteers, program managers, agency directors and management staff, and our funders.

Find out: what patients can do to ensure their own safety