GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Guantanamo Bay personnel and Defense Health Agency employees participated in patient safety events from March 18-21 at U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay.

Activities included demonstrations of knowledge about The Joint Commission; discussions on how the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is used to monitor safe, high-quality care; and communication and leadership exercises designed to enhance patient safety and reduce medical errors. Staff also navigated an “Escape Room of Errors,” a hands-on challenge requiring participants to identify patient or environmental safety concerns before exiting the room.

The week concluded with the transfer of the Patient Safety Champion Belt from Primary Care Medical Home to the Emergency Department. The award recognizes entire departments for their safety practices and was presented to the ED for its proactive patient safety event reporting efforts from March 2024 to February 2025.

“A high-reliability culture requires staff at every level to feel comfortable sharing information and concerns with others, and they should be recognized when they do,” said Chief Medical Officer, Cmdr. Andrew McDermott.

Individual staff members were recognized with a “Good Catch!” award, which highlights safety events or potential problems identified and reported before they could cause harm to a patient. The following personnel received Patient Safety Champion certificates for their proactive efforts in upholding high-reliability care principles: Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Justin Camaddo, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Denesha Lewis, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Shakirah Peterson-Wall, Lt. Kerry Hay, Lt. Cmdr. Nolan Carter, Cmdr. Narda Heywood, DHA employee Cali Cole.

“Our team’s commitment to patient safety is exceptional,” said McDermott. “Safety only works if we’re practicing it at the deckplate level. If you see something, say something—then fix it and deliver top-notch care to our patients.”