Scroll down to read these articles in this Issue: Free Workshops on “Protecting Yourself from Medical Harm" NWPSC Sponsorship - Cancer Screening Intelligence for the Future | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Suggest a Bree Topic for 2026!
Errors, Emotions, and Ethics: CRP & Caring for the Caregiver
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Patient Safety, Empowerment, and Upcoming Health Events
This edition highlights several opportunities to get involved in improving healthcare safety and awareness across Washington. Free workshops hosted by Washington Advocates for Patient Safety and the WPSC will help community members learn how to speak up and protect themselves from medical harm. The 22nd Northwest Patient Safety Conference (Oct 16–17) invites sponsors and promises timely sessions on thought-provoking speakers address today’s issues head on. Fred Hutch’s September symposium explores the future of cancer screening, while the Bree Collaborative seeks your input on 2026 healthcare guidelines (submit by June 18). Lastly, don’t miss the July 30 webinar on supporting caregivers after medical harm—part of the ongoing CRP learning series.
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Free Workshops on “Protecting Yourself from Medical Harm" |
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Have you felt uncomfortable with your doctor’s recommendations on medications or medical treatment choices?
- Were you reluctant to speak up or raise a question at the hospital, clinic, or doctor’s office?
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Have you left with more questions than answers?
Washington Advocates for Patient Safety together with the Washington Patient Safety Coalition are facilitating workshops at several Seattle Public Libraries to provide information and to practice speaking up with your medical providers in order to protect yourself and your family from medical harm which is now the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. These workshops are free and typically last for 1.5 hours. There is no requirement to sign up or register to attend; just come and show up. Listed below are the current schedules:
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August 5th, 6-7:30 PM, Southwest Branch Library (9010-35th Ave SW, 98126) Click here for more information and directions.
- August 9th, 3:30-5 PM, Broadview Branch Library (12755 Greenwood Ave N, 98133) Click here for more information and directions.
- October 4th, 3-4:40 PM, West Seattle Branch Library (2306-42nd Ave SW, 98116) Click here for more information and directions.
Workshop information is available here. For questions contact Steve Levy, slevy@qualityhealth.org.
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Please Consider Sponsoring the 22nd NW Patient Safety Conference |
This year’s conference takes place in an interesting and dynamic time in health care. You will hear thought-provoking speakers address today’s issues head on. We are presenting many practical applications and newly developed toolkits to improve safety and quality at the “sharp end”: between the patient and the practitioner. Please ask your organization to support the event. We’re looking for 20 sponsorships of $2,000 each. Sponsorship information is available HERE. Here is a sample of the topics you’ll find this year - “Why We Still Kill Patients”
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Addressing cognitive and affective bias
- Misinformation in Healthcare
- The real-life impact of minimum nurse/patient ratios on safety
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The Institute for patient and Family care’s Partnering with patients & families to improve safety toolkit
- Patient and family partner participation in safety event reviews
- Provincial Health Services Authority’s “Speaking Up for Patient Safety Procedure”
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Advancing equitable ecosystems of care
- AHRQ’s new toolkits for improving diagnosis (IDEAS)
- Innovative programs to improve safety for people with complex health and social needs
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The fundamental aspects of safe medicine for at-risk populations
The WPSC is inviting organizations and individuals to sponsor this year’s conference. It’s virtual again on October 16 & 17, 2025.
This event is attended by over 500 health care professionals, patients, and families. It offers over 14 hours of continuing education credits, a low registration fee, and free registration for patients, families, and students. Sponsorships make the event accessible and affordable for everyone in Washington. Please ask your organization to support the event or better yet, ask a rich friend.
Registration opens July 1. Sponsorship information is available here. Conference is located here. The program is going to be another home run!
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| Cancer Screening Intelligence for the Future | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center |
The Public Health Sciences (PHS) Division at Fred Hutch Cancer Center is hosting Cancer Screening Intelligence for the Future Friday, September 12, 2025. It is a full-day symposium bringing together leaders in healthcare, business, and government to discuss innovative early detection technologies, with a particular focus on multi-cancer detection tests. Experts from around the world will explore how these advancements are shaping the future of cancer screening for both patients and clinicians. More information at Cancer Screening Intelligence for the Future | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
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Suggest a Bree Topic for 2026! |
We want to hear from you, our community, about what topics/health care services are important to develop guidelines for in 2026. These guidelines will be developed by a workgroup of clinical experts from January 2026 through approximately November 2026. Your suggestions can include revising a current report or suggesting an entirely new topic. If you wish to suggest a revision, please indicate so in the "Propose a Bree Collaborative Topic" field(e.g., Alzheimers and Other Dementias - Revision). You can find a list of our reports here.
Submit one form per topic/health care service - there is no limit to the number of topics you may propose. Idea submissions close June 18th 11:59PM! Here’s the submission form.
All answers will be anonymously shared with Bree Collaborative members at our public meeting on July 23rd, 2025, 1-3PM PST. Bree Collaborative Background:
The Dr. Robert Bree Collaborative is a public-private partnership board of governor appointed healthcare stakeholders that convene to identify specific ways to improve health care quality, outcomes, and affordability in Washington State. These stakeholders represent and represent public health care purchasers for Washington State, private health care purchasers (employers and union trusts), health plans, physicians and other health care providers, hospitals, and quality improvement organization.
Each year, our members identify health care services with high variation in the way that care is delivered, that are frequently used but do not lead to better care or patient health, or that have patient safety and/or equity issues. For most topics, we form an expert workgroup to develop evidence-based guidelines. Guidelines take into account existing quality improvement programs and the work done by other organizations and are then sent to the Washington State Health Care Authority to guide the type of health care provided to Medicaid enrollees, state employees, and other groups.
Please contact bree@qualityhealth.org if you have questions about this form or the topic selection process. |
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Errors, Emotions, and Ethics: CRP & Caring for the Caregiver |
The second installment of our CRP learning series, Errors, Emotions, and Ethics: CRP & Caring for the Caregiver, will take place July 30th at 1PM PST. This webinar, featuring Dr. Susan Scott of University of Missouri’s forYOU program, will explore how providing timely mental health support to clinicians is not only a moral imperative, but also a critical component of high-functioning Communication and Resolution Programs (CRPs). Health professionals who have experienced an unanticipated adverse medical event can undergo psychological and physical consequences, otherwise known as the “second victim” phenomenon. This webinar will explore the organizational and patient safety benefits of proactively addressing provider wellbeing after medical harm and examine a real-world example of a successful care for the caregiver program. Register here
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