U.S. Army Garrison-Humphreys, Pyeongtaek, Republic of Korea -- Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital (BDAACH) dual missioned as the 549th Hospital Center (HC) was selected to receive the U.S. Army Medical Command Exceptional Organization Safety Award on July 23, 2019 and received the award on January 6, 2020. The achievement proved 549th HC/BDAACH's commitment to providing a safe healthcare environment to the patients and employees, nurturing the culture of safety throughout the entire organization.
This recognition was followed by the selection of the Army Safety and Health Management System (ASHMS) Star as the first Military Treatment Facility (MTF) in the Pacific Region in 2017 and successfully completing The Joint Commission (TJC) survey in March 2019 without any high risk findings per the Safer Matrix which resulted in having the hospital and the United States Army Medical Activity-Korea (MEDDAC-K) fully accredited.
The organization has been devoted to creating a culture of safety and this was a combined team effort. The hospital leadership, Soldiers, and Civilians worked together to reduce the contributing factors of safety hazards. 100 percent of the 549th HC/BDAACH's assigned Commanders completed the Commander's Safety Course. Leadership Rounds were conducted every Thursday to solicit real time safety and manning concerns in which individual sections addressed safety procedures and concerns to the Hospital Commander, Command Sergeant Major, and Deputy Commanders. This resulted in the promotion of a safe, patient-centered environment.
The Soldiers assured that the MTF does not experience a single Class A (cost of property damage of $2 million or more; an Army aircraft destroyed, missing, or abandoned; or an injury and/or occupational illness results in a fatality or permanent total disability) or B (cost of property damage of $500,000 or more but less than $2 million; an injury and/or occupational illness results in permanent partial disability; or when three or more personnel are hospitalized as inpatients as the result of a single occurrence) accident during the past Fiscal Year.
549th HC/BDAACH has made an exceptionally innovative approach to Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) using Risk Management (RM) method established by the Commander of the Army Medical Command. This has integrated RM into all mission planning, operational exercises, and daily operations. During the past and current fiscal years, the 549th HC/BDAACH has continued to execute a comprehensive plan that resulted in no fatalities and achieved a 100 percent reduction in accidental losses in new claims to civilians.
Soldiers and civilian employees participated in the hospital's Process improvement (PI) project that identified the causes of accidents within the command and defined specific criteria to reduce all three causes. The staff joined the numerous procedures and training events during the year to reduce the potential for accidents caused by leading factors.
Ms. Un Chong Cho, 549th HC/BDAACH Safety Specialist, shared that the facility has successfully turned the tide of near miss reporting and accidental mishaps into an Army success story that saved lives and cost. The organization's efforts are a model that demonstrates how leader involvement with a focus on accident avoidance can affect mission improvements, preserve combat power, and create a positive culture of safety.
"The 549th HC/BDAACH has been supporting the Medical Command's Safety Policy and the ASHMS Strategic Plan was developed to support continuous improvement for a culture of safety", said Cho. "The success of these programs has been achieved with the full support of our Leaders, Soldiers and Civilian Employees. Continued leadership commitment, individual involvement, and teamwork to implement the strategic plan and goals lead our organization to sustain a safe and healthful environment."
The organization is now looking ahead and setting its objectives for the next Fiscal Year as well as for the next five years in order to sustain a targeted reduction in mishap rates across the board and to integrate proactive systematic management of risk to include the promotion of the Motorcycle Mentorship Program; develop strategies to minimize the most frequent reoccurring safety accidents; and reduce off-duty accidents. These can all be accomplished by using the Safety and Occupational Health Campaign and Strategic Plan.
"Our ultimate mission and goal as a hospital is to provide high quality, compassionate, and safe healthcare to our beneficiaries and having a safe environment is crucial in order for us to accomplish the mission" said COL Andrew L. Landers, Commander of the 549th HC/BDAACH.
"We are extremely proud of our achievement. Everyone had a role and responsibility for us as a team to meet our strategic goals and objectives" stated Landers. "We will continue promoting, sustaining and enhancing the force by providing a safe and healthy environment for soldiers, families, civilians, patients, visitors, and contractors of BDAACH."
BDAACH is the largest medical asset on U.S. Army Garrison Camp Humphreys, medically equipped to support 65,000 eligible beneficiaries. BDAACH's Ambulatory Care Center can provide support for 56,300 eligible beneficiaries and 200,000 annual outpatient visits. BDAACH expanded from its previous 38-bed set-up to 68 total inpatient beds consisting of six intensive care unit (ICU) beds, 40 medical/surgical units, four operating rooms, eight labor and delivery (L&D) beds, and 14 behavioral health beds.
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