Presence Saint Francis Hospital, Evanston

Ascension Saint Francis Hospital opened its doors in 1901 as a 25-bed hospital led by five nuns. The hospital has grown to a 375-licensed bed teaching facility with 1,000 employees and nearly 500 staff physicians. It’s also become a leader in cardiac care and technological advancements, and in recent years has turned its attention to the critical issue of workplace safety.

In 2016, Ascension Saint Francis Hospital brought together multidisciplinary teams to come up with ways to reduce injuries from incidents of workplace violence. They implemented:

• Comprehensive plan and policies;
• Enterprise-wide workplace violence prevention education;
• Enhanced de-escalation training in high-risk settings;
• Improved case management;
• Vulnerability analysis;
• Midas violent incident reporting form; and
• Monthly data/metrics review.

With a culture of commitment to its patients, Ascension Saint Francis Hospital is located in Evanston, home to Northwestern University and 12 miles north of downtown Chicago. It serves Evanston’s 75,000 residents, as well as residents on Chicago’s North Side and surrounding communities including Skokie to the west and Wilmette to the north.

For its workplace safety efforts, the hospital invested $400,000 in its assessment work and training. The effort support local and national initiatives, improve patient safety and increase patient satisfaction.