Creative Training Energizes Stormont Vail’s Safety Culture

Stormont Vail Health, headquartered in Topeka, Kansas, has long prioritized high-quality patient care and safety. In its pursuit of continuous improvement, the organization identifies areas for growth in its safety culture with an employee engagement and culture of safety survey. To address opportunities brought to light by the survey, the health system leveraged Health Care Consulting services available through its membership in Mayo Clinic Care Network.   

“We’ve always emphasized quality and safety,” says Chad Yeager, vice president, quality and population health, Stormont Vail. “But our self-assessment revealed opportunities to better establish behavioral expectations, enhance our culture, and improve leadership visibility post-COVID.” Recognizing the value of external expertise, Stormont Vail reached out to Mayo Clinic Care Network to help bolster their initiatives.  

The collaboration began with strategic planning sessions led by Mayo Clinic safety experts, who engaged directly with Stormont Vail’s executive team to share Mayo Clinic’s approach, which Stormont Vail adapted into their Steps to Safety program. These initial sessions set the foundation for subsequent healthcare safety training efforts and underscored the importance of a leadership-driven safety culture. “Mayo’s involvement validated our plans and gave our initiative additional credibility,” Yeager notes.  

A key element of Stormont Vail’s training approach was its innovative use of an escape room. Designed for patient-facing team members, the escape room simulates clinical environments where participants identified and resolved safety issues. “We wanted this to be memorable and ‘sticky,’ embedding the Steps to Safety into our culture.” Yeager explains that over 2,000 employees have participated so far.  

The escape room has proven to be both engaging and effective. Participants navigate clues and scenarios to solve safety challenges, followed by debriefs to reinforce lessons learned. “Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Yeager. Teams even compete for fastest times, creating buzz and enthusiasm. Stormont Vail’s leadership team, including their executive committee, participated as well, further demonstrating their commitment to the initiative.  

Complementing this effort, Stormont Vail launched quarterly leadership listening and engagement rounding sessions to foster connection and reinforce the safety culture. Executives meet with employees across the organization to discuss safety priorities and build relationships. Additionally, a new reporting system called Speak Up Stormont was introduced, reducing barriers to reporting events and encouraging transparency.   

According to Yeager, early results show an increase in incident reporting, including near misses, aligning with Stormont Vail’s goal to continue cultivating a learning environment.  

“The increase in reporting reflects a stronger culture of transparency. We’re excited to measure the full impact in our upcoming culture of safety survey,” Yeager adds.  

Stormont Vail’s experience underscores the value of leveraging resources like Mayo Clinic’s Health Care Consulting. “Mayo’s support helped refine our approach and strengthened our initiatives,” Yeager says. For other healthcare organizations considering similar efforts, his advice is clear: “Leverage the network, validate and expand your plans with experts, and don’t shy away from creative approaches to engage your teams.”