The Joint Commission Supports the TakeCHARGE Campaign

The Joint Commission’s mission is to continuously improve health care for the public. One of the best ways to do this is to encourage people to become informed and active participants in their health care. That’s why The Joint Commission is proud to support the TakeCHARGE Campaign.

“We kicked off the campaign in March with a display in our employee entrance, including a banner with the 5 steps to Patient Safer Health Care, TakeCHARGE pens, information about the campaign and a wallet card to keep track of medications,” says Nicole Hentges, Project Director, The Joint Commission. “Staff were very interested in learning more, especially around advance directives. Each month we are highlighting the respective step of the 5 Steps to Safer Health Care in our internal newsletter and encouraging staff to visit the TakeCHARGE website.”

In April, we focused on advanced directives, sharing information about what advance directives are, what types of health care advance directives there are and where you can find them. We shared some information from our Employee Assistance Program related to advance directives and also pointed staff to CaringInfo, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), where you can download a free advance directive form for your state. Currently, we’re working on a webinar with our Director of Quality and Patient Safety on advance directives.

Our staff are more aware of ways they can take a more active role in their health care thanks to the TakeCHARGE Campaign. The campaign has also raised awareness around the importance of completing advance directives before becoming a patient. We are looking forward to continuing to promote the TakeCHARGE Campaign in the coming months.

For more information about the campaign, contact Ilene Corina, President of Pulse Center for Patient Safety Education & Advocacy, at (516) 579-4711 or write to icorina@pulsecenterforpatientsafety.org.