An N95 Quantitative Fit Testing Machine is essential in supporting staff to avoid exposure to preventable diseases such as Tuberculosis – a prominent condition that Yukon Hospitals sees daily.

It was time for change at Yukon Hospitals as they had only one fit testing machine to provide mask fittings across three different hospitals. This gap meant staff were at times unable to work in high-risk areas and situations until getting properly fitted.

Lindsey Page, Keith Welch, and Lisa De Panfilis were determined to tackle this safety issue, and with the help of a HIROC Cultivate Safety Grant, a new N95 Fit Testing Machine was procured.

On this episode, we hear about the far-reaching impact of their new machine and advice to those in healthcare on filling a gap in care.

We also learn about another project that received a HIROC Cultivate Safety Grant, their Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) project which really helped move the needle in terms of staff wellbeing and retention.

Quotables:

• "We're quite proud of our First Nations Liaison Program and our workers up here." K.W.
• "I often feel like a mechanic over an engine who puts his hand back asking for the right tools. So having other people within the hospital and facility who know how to ask for these tools and get these resources are beyond important." – K.W.
• "Sometimes you discover along the way what you thought you needed wasn't necessarily the case." – L.P.
• "When you trust yourself and you have an effective team that supports each other, I think you can reach for something that is authentically good." – K.W.
• "Wishing is not enough. But moving forward in a kind and purposeful fashion allows us to make change." – T.H.
• "We often talk about as a team how being in the business of healthcare, helping people stay well is how we can deliver our mission of safe, quality care." – L.D.P.
• "It really is heart work. And it also impacts culture." - L.D.P.
• "Thinking about safety culture, how can we openly talk about challenges we are dealing with when we respond to a critical incident?" – L.D.P.
• "It's about understanding, it's about discovery, it's about trying to talk about things that we don't always talk about." - T.H.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Yukon Hospitals
• HIROC Safety Grants Program

Access More Interviews with Healthcare Leaders at HIROC.com/podcast

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