NEMHC unveils Hazard Room

Northeast Mental Health Centre
News Release

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A makeshift bedroom has been constructed at The Northeast Mental Health Centre (NEMHC) with clothing and bedding lying on the floor, broken down equipment at the bedside, and furniture scattered in hazardous places. It’s all part of the patient ‘hazard room’, to promote patient safety. Staff and patients at NEMHC are being asked to identify all the hazards as part of their activities this week to recognize patient safety. (The national patient safety week was postponed in North Bay last fall due to the H1N1 flu outbreak).

Patient Safety Week being held at both NEMHC and the North Bay General Hospital (NBGH) is focusing on communication this year. The theme is ask, listen talk! Staff members are being encouraged to ask more questions, listen to the answers and talk openly about concerns with their patients, their families and other healthcare professionals. The key to safety is good communication because errors do happen, but they are not usually the fault of one person, but more often a total system breakdown.

The Northeast Mental Health Centre (NEMHC) is the largest specialized mental health service provider in northeast Ontario. The Centre serves a vast geographic area – west to Wawa, north to Hudson’s Bay, east to the Quebec border and south to Huntsville. NEMHC is a partner with the North Bay General Hospital in the development of the new North Bay Regional Health Centre scheduled to open on January 30, 2011.

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