Dave’s Virtual Walk Across America Launches Friday in Phoenix; Shines Spotlight on Patient and Health Worker Safety During Pandemic

Patient Safety Movement Foundation CEO Says He Won’t Stop Until There’s “Safer Care For All”

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Patient Safety Movement Foundation announced the launch of Dave’s Virtual Walk Across America for Healthcare Safety. The campaign will see Patient Safety Movement Foundation CEO Dr. Dave Mayer walk more than 3,000 miles to raise awareness for patient and health worker safety as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The walk will officially launch on Friday, where Dr. Mayer will begin a 125-mile trek in the Phoenix area between each of the nine Major League Baseball Cactus League stadiums.

“The pandemic has completely upended Americans’ lives, from enjoyable day-to-day activities to larger events, like birthdays, graduations, and funerals,” Dr. Mayer said. “As an avid baseball and Chicago Cubs fan, I wanted to highlight the disruption of the pandemic by centering my first major public walk around America’s favorite pastime: I had originally planned to walk from rival Milwaukee’s Miller Park to Wrigley Field as the season got underway, but like every American, I had to adapt my plans to the pandemic. This walk is meant to bring national attention to the imperative for system-wide improvements that ensure better health worker and patient safety outcomes.”

“Before the pandemic, health workers were already overworked, overburdened, and dealing with a mess of standards and systems related to on-site safety; medical errors were the third leading cause of death in America (behind heart disease and cancer), much to the distress of health workers themselves,” says Ariana Longley, Chief Operating Officer at Patient Safety Movement Foundation. “Now, the safety of the system – both health workers and their patients – needs actionable support more than ever before. We are on a mission to help healthcare providers, medical technology companies, government, and patients alike share information and best practices to stem the tide of needless injuries and death.”

Dr. Mayer’s ten-day trek begins May 22 at Sloan Park (the Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs). His route will hit all nine MLB Cactus League stadiums and Chase Field, ending full circle on May 31 back at Sloan Park when he crosses home plate—the designated finish line totaling 125 miles. He has already completed more than five hundred miles in his own “spring training” building up to the official launch.

Dave’s Virtual Walk Across America for Healthcare Safety will continue during the summer in the Chicago and Denver areas; additional public walks and timeline will be announced on Twitter at @WalkForPtSafety.

About the Patient Safety Movement Foundation

Each year, more than 200,000 people die unnecessarily in U.S. hospitals. Worldwide, 4.8 million lives are similarly lost. The Patient Safety Movement Foundation (PSMF) is a global non-profit that offers free tools to help achieve ZERO preventable deaths from hospital errors. The Patient Safety Movement Foundation was established through the support of the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation, and Competition in Healthcare to reduce that number of preventable deaths to ZERO. Improving patient safety requires a collaborative effort from all stakeholders, including patients, healthcare providers, medical technology companies, government, employers, and private payers. PSMF’s World Patient Safety, Science & Technology Summit brings together the world’s best minds for thought-provoking discussions and new ideas to challenge the status quo. Our Actionable Patient Safety Solutions (APSS) provide evidence-based processes to help hospitals eliminate errors. Our Open Data Pledge encourages healthcare technology companies to share the data for which their products are purchased. Visit patientsafetymovement.org.