Improving
Correctional Healthcare.
Sentinel equips your healthcare staff with the knowledge and tools they need to deliver high-quality care in a unique correctional environment.
About Sentinel
Sentinel is an innovator in patient safety and quality improvement in correctional healthcare. The organization brings together more than 40 years of combined experience, with industry experts specializing in correctional health, patient safety, law, and public health.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), currently lists only 127 Patient Safety Organizations nationwide. A small percentage of these PSOs allow participation from external entities, as most are hospital-based or focused on specific healthcare sectors. While many maintain databases and benchmarking capabilities, none are dedicated exclusively to correctional care.
Sentinel recognizes the importance of delivering high-quality care free from bias related to background or circumstance. Effective care depends on understanding the drivers of patient safety and working collaboratively to improve the delivery of correctional healthcare.
Our Mission
We advance patient safety and improve healthcare quality in correctional settings by using data, education, and partnerships to promote compassionate, effective, and accessible care.
Our Vision
We envision a correctional healthcare system where every person is treated with dignity and receives high-quality care.
Sentinel Core Values
Compassionate Care
Striving to provide timely, respectful, and individualized care that uplifts, regardless of circumstance.
Excellence
We work to navigate challenges and enhance healthcare outcomes, pursuing continuous improvement and patient safety with unwavering dedication to quality.
Practical Innovation
With wisdom and creativity, we seek solutions that are both visionary and attainable, designed to bring hope and healing to resource-limited settings.
Data-Guided Stewardship
We use data and research to illuminate needs, guide decisions, and measure progress, ensuring our efforts lead to meaningful, lasting improvements in patient care.
Empowering Education
We nurture the growth of healthcare providers through training, resources, and shared knowledge, building a foundation for enduring systemic change.
Integrity & Accountability
We serve with transparency, holding ourselves accountable to those we serve, openly sharing our impact, and honoring our commitments.
Collaboration
We partner with facilities, agencies, and caregivers to foster shared purpose and collective impact and advance a more compassionate healthcare system.
What Makes Sentinel Different from Other Patient Safety Organizations?
A federally listed Patient Safety Organization (PSO), recognized by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), gives correctional facilities something routine reviews cannot: federal legal protection for patient safety reviews.
Most internal reviews in jails and prisons—such as chart audits, clinical review processes, and clinical outcome reviews—can be subpoenaed, requested under public records laws, or used in legal proceedings. This risk often limits honest discussion and meaningful learning.
An AHRQ-listed PSO operates under the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA), which creates a protected environment for patient safety work.
What Does This Mean for Your Facility:
• Reviews are legally protected and cannot be subpoenaed, discovered, or used in court.
• Discussions remain confidential and are shielded from public records requests.
• Staff can speak openly without fear that their analysis will be used for punitive purposes.
• The focus is on systems and processes, not individual faults.
Why This Matters in Corrections:
Sentinel Patient Safety Organization is fully dedicated to corrections. Our experts work in corrections, and our patient safety improvements focus on the challenges faced every day. Correctional healthcare operates under elevated complexity, limited resources, and intense public scrutiny. A federally listed PSO creates a safe, confidential space to learn from events, identify recurring problems, and improve processes—without increasing legal exposure.
In short, a PSO does not replace compliance or operations. It protects the work of learning and improving.
Legal Notice:
Patient Safety Work Product (PSWP) is defined under the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. § 299b-21–26) and applicable federal regulations. Privilege and confidentiality protections apply only to information developed for and reported to a federally listed PSO in accordance with a valid Patient Safety Evaluation System (PSES). This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Elizabeth Harris
liz.harris@sentinelpso.com
Elizabeth Harris is the Executive Director for Sentinel and is a strategic healthcare executive with 20+ years spanning bedside practice through enterprise leadership. A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with dual master’s degrees in Business and Healthcare Administration, she has advanced turnaround, quality, and risk initiatives for systems including Ascension, Johns Hopkins, Bon Secours Mercy Health, American Physician Partners, and TeamHealth. As Executive Director of the Sentinel Patient Safety Organization—the first PSO dedicated to correctional healthcare—she is building national frameworks for benchmarking, training, and accountability in underserved systems. Earlier, she led nonprofit initiatives delivering $95M in free care. Elizabeth holds an MBA, MHAL, BSN, and an active Tennessee RN license.
Meet Our Team
Jason Hill
Jason.hill@sentinelpso.com
Jason Hill is the project coordinator for Sentinel. He has previously served as a compliance coordinator, ensuring training materials met county, state, federal, ICE, and U.S. Marshals standards, and as an adjudication and compliance specialist with HCA, overseeing background checks, drug screenings, and medical license verification. His background includes HR leadership supporting a 250,000-employee workforce, correctional operations, industrial firefighting, and extensive military service with the 101st Airborne Division as a reconnaissance scout sniper and fire team leader.