Photo By Ricardo Reyes-Guevara | Staff members gather safety resources at the Occupational Safety table during Summer...... read more read more
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Walter Reed National Military Medical Center held its annual Summer Safety Day on June 4. Presenters from various departments throughout the hospital, and several visiting organizations, including D.C. Metro, the Montgomery County Emergency Management department and DC Safe among others, set up tables and displays in Bldg. 39’s courtyard, providing information focused on general safety and tips on avoiding injury and illness.
Walter Reed’s Director, U.S. Navy Capt. (Dr.) Melissa Austin, kicked off the event providing interesting facts about some of the dangers in our world that people might take for granted. She encouraged attendees to visit each table to not only participate in the scavenger hunt but to also learn something new about safety.
Chris Davies, Walter Reed’s chief of Occupational Safety, and his team coordinate the event yearly near the start of the “101 Critical Days of Summer” that runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The campaign aims to reduce preventable on and off-duty accidents, which historically spike during the summer months due to travel, outdoor recreation, and warm-weather activities.
“June is National Safety Month,” said Davies. “We hold these events every year in the first week of June to pass on this knowledge to our staff so they can be safe, both on duty as well as off duty, so that they can come to work every day, and then they can go home to their families -- safely.”
Davies’ team at the table for Occupational Health stressed the importance of people protecting themselves during the hot summer months, emphasizing staying hydrated and using the appropriate levels of sunscreen.
Walter Reed’s Public Health Department supported multiple tables covering a myriad of topics. The Medication Safety display provided information on important safety measures, including common side effects and potential administrative errors that can occur during medication dispersal. They also described how to avoid prescription errors and where to properly acquire medications.
At the Preventive Medicine table, the team strongly recommended people to be more cautious and aware of the decisions they make. They promoted the various services available at Walter Reed for both staff and patients, and they discussed topics such as rabies prevention, the importance of STD/STI testing and the proper use of sunscreen in the summer sun.
Visitors to the Patient Safety table were encouraged to participate in the hospital’s patient safety survey currently in progress. While passing out snacks, they also urged attendees to follow the hospital’s guidance on reporting any event potentially impacting patient safety.
At the Behavioral Health station, the team discussed the importance of people being aware of their own mental health condition. They provided information on the many available resources dealing with suicide prevention, and introduced the new TeamSTEPPS survey, highlighting how critical it is for people to be able to seek safety for themselves and their patients.
And, of course, Walter Reed’s facility dogs, Sully, Kiwi and sweet Ellie Mae were in attendance to bring a little furry fun to the proceedings.
Taryn Jones, a medical support assistant in the Urology department, was surprised at the extent of information available at the event.
“This was super cool,” said Jones. “There were so many resources available from all these groups. I didn’t even know about a lot of them before attending. For example, at the Radiation Safety table, I learned they actually have people performing radiation checks throughout the hospital, looking for spills and even checking the patients for rads.”
When asked what he hopes Walter Reed’s staff take away from attending the event, Davies was emphatic.
“I want them to learn something from each of the tables,” said Davies. “Whether they’re working on one of the wards here at the hospital, or relaxing at home, I want our staff members to remember what somebody said here and make a [good] decision based on that information; a decision that prevents an injury or something bad from happening. No matter how much you try to be safe, Murphy is everywhere. Things will happen, but with the information we provide at these events, maybe they can be avoided, or at least may not end up as bad as they might have been.”
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2026 10:40 |
| Story ID: | 567113 |
| Location: | MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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