Media Advisory: Patient Safety Awareness Week Press Conference

The Mississippi Hospital Association, in partnership with the Mississippi Patient Safety Coalition, will host a press conference to launch Patient Safety Awareness Week on Wednesday, March 8, at 10:30 a.m. During the conference, a proclamation by Gov. Haley Barbour will be presented declaring March 5-11 as Patient Safety Awareness Week in Mississippi. The Mississippi Patient Safety Coalition web site will be introduced and special promotional materials will be distributed.

Following the event, several representatives of the Mississippi Patient Safety Coalition will be available for one-on-one interviews on the topic of patient safety, including Dr. Peggy Miller Davis, University of Mississippi Medical Center; Dr. Helen Turner, Board President for Mississippi State Medical Association; Dr. Jim McIlwain, Information and Quality Healthcare; Dr. Tom Fenter, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi; and Walter Howell, AARP. Following the press conference, a boxed lunch will be provided for all attendees and media representatives.

Patient Safety Awareness Week is an education and awareness-building campaign for improving patient safety at the local level that is observed nationally each year in March, spearheaded by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF). This year, the observance is set for March 5-11 and the theme is “Our Patients, Our Partners.” Hospitals and health care organizations across the country will plan events to promote patient safety within their organizations. Activities are centered on educating patients on how to become involved in their own health care, as well as working with hospitals and other health care organizations to build partnerships with their patient community.

Time and Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2006 10:30 a.m.

Venue: Mississippi Hospital Association, 116 Woodgreen Crossing Madison, MS

Lunch: Boxed Lunch will be provided immediately following the press conference for all attendees and media representatives

Directions:

Traveling I-55 North:
• Take the Madison Exit #108 (second exit past County Line Road exit);
• Take a left onto Highway 463 at the top of Madison exit;
• Crossover the bridge and take first right onto Woodgreen Place
• We are located at 116 Woodgreen Crossing.

Traveling I-55 South:
• Take the Madison Exit #108
• Take a right onto Highway 463 at the top of Madison exit
• Take the first right (just a few hundred feet from the bridge) onto Woodgreen Place
• We are located at 116 Woodgreen Crossing.

If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Coker at (800) 289-8884, (601) 368-3250 or scoker@mhanet.org.