Our working relationships with each other and with the healthcare community will be guided and governed by the following principles, values and beliefs:

 Commitment to the Truth
We believe that being told the truth and telling the truth are vital to restoring health both to patients and to the healthcare system; and that they are essential to sustaining integrity and trustworthiness.

 Open and Honest Communication
We believe that open and honest communication, based on the principles of transparency and full-disclosure, is the best way to build trust, to minimize breakdowns, and to restore relationships when breakdowns do occur.

 Partnership and Collaboration
We believe in the wisdom, synergy and power of partnership. Engaging in and fostering effective partnerships will be our primary mode of operation and the art of collaboration will be our core competency.

 Empathy and Compassion
We believe in the value of exercising empathy and thereby seeing the world through the eyes of others. We rely on compassion to overcome blame and to guide, motivate and sustain our work.

 Challenging and Courageous Change Agents
We believe in serving as strong-willed, persistent advocates for change in the healthcare system and in taking on complex problems or controversial issues that others may choose to ignore, deny or avoid.

 Diversity and Creative Tension
We believe that diversity, in all of its forms, is a valuable asset and a source of strength. We believe that the creative tension, brought about by honest and natural differences, is a catalyst for change and generates optimal solutions.

 Transformation of Anger to Action
We believe that anger is an anticipated phase in the healing process and is a signal of hurt, invalidation, or unmet need. We believe in moving beyond anger to resolution and to a commitment for action that will make a positive and significant difference.

 Accountability and Forgiveness
We believe that a dynamic balance of accountability and forgiveness contributes to the development of people, systems and cultures that are more responsible, self-correcting and continuously improving.

 Appreciation and Positive-Mindedness
We believe in discovering and celebrating signs of progress, in acknowledging people for their contributions and in leveraging what is working as the best way to overcome what is not working. The healthcare system will never be perfect, but it can always be better.

 System-Oriented and Patient-Centered
Our passion for patient safety is founded upon our belief in and our advocacy for a healthcare delivery model that is system-oriented and patient-centered.