LAMMICO Honors Bienville Surgery Center with 7th Annual Patient Safety Award, Grant

October 4, 2022 by matray

Bienville Surgery Center in Vancleave, Miss., received the LAMMICO 2021-2022 Patient Safety Award and Grant. This year, the honor focused on mitigating the effects of devastating events such as hurricanes, pandemics, terrorist attacks or situations in which practitioners may make medical errors. If a healthcare provider already has burnout, the combination of the ongoing burnout symptoms and the trauma from the new devastating event may produce even greater physical and emotional reactions and impact patient safety.

By demonstrating the best support mechanisms for staff along with the impact of the interventions on staff and patient safety after completing LAMMICO's risk management and patient safety education, Bienville Surgery Center was awarded a:

• $10,000 grant to be used for nursing professional development


• One-year Risk Manager membership to the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM)


• One-year complimentary membership to Medical Interactive Community for all employees to access our risk management CME/CNE/MOC courses online

After completing LAMMICO’s educational activity, “Devastating Events: Moving from Trauma to Tranquility,” Bienville Surgery Center’s leadership team discussed how to build relationships to improve staff safety and satisfaction as a way to also impact patient safety and satisfaction. A “Donuts and Dialogue” peer support group was formed to foster human connections and create an environment of trust and camaraderie among employees. The leadership team also revamped leadership rounding with enhanced rounds having a leadership presence in all areas of the center. This enhanced rounding boosted morale and assisted staff. It increased patient safety as staff is more likely to ask questions of administrators and clinical leaders on the floor, and thus potentially decrease errors.

Another method employed by Bienville Surgery Center was to develop a book club. Led by staff, the “Unofficial Book Club” provides an avenue to decompress and focus on self-healing and stress relief. In addition, a paid time off accrual increase for staff was implemented with a new rollover limit set to encourage employees to use their vacation time throughout the year to avoid burnout.

Bienville Surgery Center’s grant application noted, “COVID-19 has changed the world as we once knew it and many healthcare workers are attempting to pour from an empty cup. At Bienville Surgery Center, we feel confident that the support mechanisms we have integrated into our everyday operations are helping fill the cups of our employees.”