The Leapfrog Group releases its national Hospital Safety Grade report for fall 2021

(The updated rankings for all states—plus D.C.—are available at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/your-hospitals-safety-grade/state-rankings.) -- GENERAL/NATIONAL WRAP (:60) -- Some hospitals are better at protecting their patients than others. That’s why the nonprofit watchdog, “The Leapfrog Group”, issues its “Hospital-Safety Grade”, twice a year; the report features a letter-grade of “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, or “F” that’s assigned, by experts, to the nation’s general-hospitals. Leah Binder [like “bind”, not “bin”] is “Leapfrog’s” president and C-E-O… “This has been a hard year for everyone—especially frontline-workers at hospitals. Our well-being depends on their safety—and the safety of the patients whom they care for. But sadly, even before the pandemic, safety has been a problem in hospitals; in fact, more than 500 people, each day, die of preventable infections and medical errors. That’s why our grades are important—especially now. Someday, every hospital will earn an ‘A’; until then, you can protect yourself, by finding the safest hospital that’s available for you.” To compare local hospitals, for free, visit “hospital-safety-grade”-dot-org. -- ADDITIONAL SOUNDBITES FOR FIVE HIGHLIGHTED STATES -- Florida: “In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, we gave 36-percent of Florida’s hospitals an ‘A’. Those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from both medical errors and infections; that means [that] many lives in Florida are being saved. You can find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.” North Carolina: “In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, North Carolina ranks second in the nation; we gave more than half of North Carolina’s hospitals an ‘A’. Those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from both medical errors and infections; that means [that] many lives in North Carolina are being saved. You can find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.” Ohio: “In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, we gave 34-percent of Ohio’s hospitals an ‘A’. Those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from both medical errors and infections; that means [that] many lives in Ohio are being saved. You can find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.” Pennsylvania: “In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, we gave a full 46-percent of Pennsylvania’s hospitals an ‘A’. Those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from both medical errors and infections; that means [that] many lives in Pennsylvania are being saved. You can find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.” Virginia: “In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, Virginia ranks first in the nation; we gave more than half of Virginia’s hospitals an ‘A’. Those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from both medical errors and infections; that means [that] many lives in Virginia are being saved. You can find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.”