Chicago Cubs Fan To Walk 3,000 Miles From Arizona For Health Care

PHOENIX — Arizona might have missed spring training season this year, so one Chicago Cubs fan will walk 3,000-miles on foot, from Phoenix to Chicago, to show his love of the game and to raise awareness for patient and health worker safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But don’t worry, he’s not attempting it in one home stretch.

Dr. Dave Mayer is a largely decorated and accredited patient safety advocate who is the CEO of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation. The organization is on a mission to eliminate the number of deaths in hospitals caused by preventable circumstances.

“Before the pandemic, health workers were already overworked, overburdened, and dealing with a mess of standards and systems related to on-site safety; medical errors were the third leading cause of death in America (behind heart disease and cancer), much to the distress of health workers themselves,” Ariana Longley, chief operating officer at Patient Safety Movement Foundation said in a news release.

The organization plans to host a demonstration at Freedom Plaza in Washington D. C on World Patient Safety Day on Sept. 17.

“Now, the safety of the system – both health workers and their patients – needs actionable support more than ever before. We are on a mission to help health care providers, medical technology companies, government, and patients alike share information and best practices to stem the tide of needless injuries and death,” Longley said in a news release.

In the meantime, Mayer has volunteered to a march 3,000 on-foot miles across America to raise awareness of the patients and caregivers who died from preventable medical harm, raise awareness about the health care safety crisis caused by COVID-19 and to generate funds to support World Patient Safety Day. The event is called Dave’s Virtual Walk Across America for Healthcare Safety.

Being a lover of baseball, he mapped his trek around national baseball stadiums. From Friday, May 22, to June 1, Mayer will loop 125 miles around nine of Arizona’s Cactus League Stadiums. He will continue his solo March throughout the summer in cities like Denver and Chicago.

“As an avid baseball and Chicago Cubs fan, I wanted to highlight the disruption of the pandemic by centering my first major public walk around America’s favorite pastime: I had originally planned to walk from rival Milwaukee’s Miller Park to Wrigley Field as the season got underway, but like every American, I had to adapt my plans to the pandemic. This walk is meant to bring national attention to the imperative for system wide improvements that ensure better health worker and patient safety outcomes,” Mayer said in a news release.

Before the May 22 kick-off date, Mayer reports that he has already walked 500 miles in his own “spring training” building up to the official launch. He and his wife have already donated $5,000 ($50 per mile) to the cause. Mayer’s goal is to reach $250,000 in donations.

“We are in the midst of one of the most devastating crises this country has ever faced. Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists and other care team members are true heroes doing amazing work each and every day. They are risking their lives to keep us healthy. However, as we are witnessing, they are fighting this war without the basic equipment (e.g., masks, gowns, gloves) as well as diagnostic kits needed to protect themselves as well as their patients. Much of this was preventable if we had listened to our scientists and infection prevention specialists,” Mayer said on the event website.

Dave’s Virtual Walk Across America for Healthcare Safety will start at the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs, Sloan Park. Below are the details of the complete route.

Friday, May 22

Sloan Park (Chicago Cubs) to Hohokam Stadium (Oakland Athletics) = 3.2 miles

Hohokam Stadium (Oakland Athletics) to Salt River Fields (Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies) = 11.0 miles (14.2 miles)

Saturday, May 23

Salt River Fields (Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies) to Scottsdale Stadium (San Francisco Giants) = 5.5 miles

Scottsdale Stadium (San Francisco Giants) to Tempe Diablo Stadium (California Angels) = 9.0 miles (28.7 miles)

Sunday, May 24

Tempe Diablo Stadium (California Angels) to American Family Fields (Milwaukee Brewers) = 16.5 miles (45.2 miles)

Monday, May 25

American Family Fields (Milwaukee Brewers) to Peoria Sports (San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners) = 11.8 miles (57.0 miles)

Tuesday, May 26

Peoria Sports (San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners) to Surprise Stadium (Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals) = 10.5 miles (67.5 miles)

Wednesday, May 27

Surprise Stadium (Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals) to Camelback Ranch Glendale (Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox) = 13.1 miles (80.6)

Learn more at patientsafetymovement.org.