Press Release

For Immediate Release | June 24, 2010

Contact: Tiffany Himmelreich
(office) 614.221.7614
(after hours) 614.205.6635
e-mail: tiffanyh@ohanet.org

(COLUMBUS, OH) – Nine Ohio hospitals are receiving a total of $50,000 in grants from OHA Insurance Solutions (OHAIS) for patient safety and risk management projects. OHAIS is a hospital-owned medical professional liability provider.

The following hospitals and health systems received grants for these projects:

• Ashtabula County Medical Center, Prevention of Acquired Aspiration Pneumonia. The program will educate staff and community members about risk factors and prevention measures.
• The Bellevue Hospital, R&R: Reducing Risks for Inpatient Falls. The program aims to decrease patient falls by 50 percent.
• Coshocton County Memorial Hospital, Skin Integrity Project. As part of the KePRO Pressure Ulcer Collaborative Project, the grant will help a program targeted at preventing avoidable pressure ulcers and facilitating healing.
• Dunlap Community Hospital, Orrville, SAIL to Safety. The project is designed to decrease patient misidentification and health care-associated infection rates. 
•  Highland District Hospital, Hillsboro, Coumadin Management Clinic. The grant will go toward opening a clinic focusing on Coumadin safety and risk management.
• Marion General Hospital, You Have Been Spotted: Identifying High Risk Areas and
  Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance. The goal is to increase hand hygiene compliance.
• Morrow County Hospital, Mount Gilead, Raising Awareness to Mental Health. This pilot program will address mental health awareness in order to ensure safe, timely and thorough treatment of mental health patients.
• OhioHealth Foundation, Columbus, Rapid Response Teams and Their Impact. The project will evaluate the use of a Rapid Response Team (RRT) and standardize the RRT process.
• Salem Community Hospital, Say Goodbye to UTIs. The grant will be used for a catheter-associated urinary tract infection prevention program.

About OHA Insurance Solutions
OHA Insurance Solutions was established in 2003 to help bring long-term availability, predictability and stability to the Ohio medical professional liability marketplace for hospitals and physicians. OHAIS, a hospital-owned company, strives to ensure all Ohioans have access to health care by enabling Ohio’s physicians and hospitals access to medical malpractice insurance. Learn more about OHAIS at www.ohainsurance.com.

About OHA
The Ohio Hospital Association was established in 1915 and currently represents 169 hospitals and 18 health systems throughout Ohio. OHA is a membership-driven organization that provides proactive leadership to create an environment in which Ohio hospitals are successful in serving their communities. Visit OHA’s Web site at www.ohanet.org. Follow OHA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OhioHospitals. 
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